HISTORY. 
The ancient records of the Irish churches, as preserved in the brief notices of the annalists, 
present but little to interest the general reader. They are merely records of their misfortunes, and 
obituaries of the most distinguished men, connected with them. Unfortunately even such notices 
are, in respect to the church of Derry, unusually barren, in consequence of the destruction of its 
local chronicle—the CeaBctp t)oipe—as well as all the other chronicles connected with the 
county ; but, meagre as they confessedly are, they are yet valuable to the serious investigator, as 
evidences of the progress of society, and the origin of the family names still commonly found in 
the district; and, as tributary to these legitimate objects of statistical inquiry, such uses shall be 
made of them in the present memoir. It may be proper to state that in all instances, when the 
authority is not cited, the notices are to be considered as taken from the Annals of the Four 
Masters. 
A. D. 783. “ Derry Calgach was burned.” 
832. “ Niall Caille [king of Ireland], and Murchadh, defeated the Danes at Derry-Calgach, 
•with great slaughter.” 
989. “ Derry-Calgach was plundered by the Danes.” 
997. “ Derry-Calgach was plundered by the Danes.” 
1095. “ The abbey was consumed by lire.”— Annals of Munster. 
1100. “A large fleet of foreigners was brought byMurtagh O’Brien to Derry; but they did 
not plunder any place, being opposed by the son of Mac Loughlin [Prince of Aileach,] who defeated 
them with great slaughter, both by killing and drowning.” 
1121. “ Donnell, the son of Ardgar Mac Lopghlin, monarch of Ireland, the most distinguished 
of the Irish for personal form, nobility of birth, wisdom, feats of arms, wealth, and prosperity, for 
bestowing riches and food, died in Derry-Columbkille, in the 38th year of his reign, and 76th ol 
his age, on Wednesday night, the 4th of the ides of February, on the festival of Mochuarog.” 
1124. “ Ardgar, the son of Hugh, heir apparent to the throne of Aileach, was killed by the 
people [that is the monks] of Derry, in defence of [the church of] Columbkille.”—See also 
Gelasii vita apud Colgan, cap. 5. 
1135. “ Derry Collumbkille with its churches, was burned on the 30 th of March.” Colgan, in 
respect to this fire, states that “ as some conjecture, it was caused by a person desiring to revenge 
the death of the chief [Ardgar], who had been lately slain there."— Citata vita S. Gelasii : cap. 6. 
1146. “A violent tempest happened on the 3rd of December, which prostrated much timber 
throughout Ireland. It threw down sixty oaks in the Derry Columbkille, by which many 
persons were killed and disabled in the church.” This record is interesting, as furnishing evidence 
of the existence to so late a period of the oak wood, from which the place had originally received 
its name. 
1149. “ Derry-Columbkille was burned.” 
1150. “ The visitation of Kinel Owen was made by Flahertach O'Brolchain, coarb [successor] 
of Columbkille, and he received a horse from every caoipeac [nobleman], a cow from every two 
biaccuj [victuallers, officers similar to the Roman parochus ], a cow from every three freemen, 
and one from every four of the common people. He received from Maurice Mac Loughlin, king 
of Ireland, 20 cows, a gold ring weighing 5 ounces, and his own horse and dress.” 
1151. “ Flahertach O’Brolchain, coarb of Columbkille, made a visitation throughout Siol 
Cathasaigh [O’Casey’s country], and received a horse from every nobleman, and a sheep from 
every dwelling house. He also received from Cu-uladh [Cooley] O’Flynn, the lord of the territory, 
his own horse and a gold ring weighing two ounces.” 
1153. “ Flahertach O’Brolchain, coarb of Columbkille, made a visitation throughout Iveagh 
[in the county of Down], and received a horse from every nobleman, a sheep from every dwelling 
house, a pcpeapall [scruple] and five cows from O’Donslevy [Donlevy] lord of the territory, and 
an ounce of gold from his wife.” 
The preceding notices present some curious particulars relating to the constitution and state 
of society in Ireland at this early period, as well as to the mode sometimes resorted to by the clergy 
for procuring funds to raise any expensive sacred edifice—a purpose which, as will presently appear, 
was the chief, if not sole cause of these remarkable visitations. It is evident from the term paop- 
caic, or “ freemen” (translated by Colgan “ liberis personis 1 ’), which is applied by the annalists to 
distinguish the persons of property from the oiovhoineic—the “ plebeians,”or “common people’ — 
that the latter were still no better than serfs or slaves, as among the Saxons in Britain, and as they 
continue in Russia to this day. To establish this fact much additional evidence might be adduced. 
It is also evident that minted money was as yet unknown as a circulating medium, at least in the 
north of Ireland, and that the value of the precious metals was estimated only by weight. Gold 
as well as silver rings, of the kind mentioned above, are frequently found : they are sometimes of 
elegant, but frequently of the rudest workmanship. 
Thus far these brief notices relate exclusively to the abbey of Derry, and its dependent town, 
or village. In those which follow the cathedral and bishopric will be included, concerning the 
