BallyLinney Co. Antrim

Another ancient Irish Catholic cemetery and church now long desecrated and the stone chapel tumbled, by English invading armies in 1641, like that at Carmavy which I have already wrote about, is that at the Ballylinney Townland in County Antrim.

Here I am inside the enclosed ancient Irish Catholic cemetery, the stone walls you see are the stones which remained taken from the desecrated chapel all traces of it every haven been identified with Irish Catholicism has been wiped out, intentionally or otherwise, gone are any visible signs of the heritage and culture of the people who fled from the wrath of the invading armies, their graves unmarked, their even having existed obliterated, the old ancient village is untraceable. This is merely one ancient Irish site that this is continuing to be overlooked through out the six Counties. When one speaks of ‘ethnic Cleansing’ then one must recognise this is a significant part of the programme that started centuries ago. If native people can be scattered and their culture obliterated, be there centuries between,

would have been founded by the Apostle St Patrick himself or one of his disciples in the 5^th Century, Papal records go back as far as the early 1300’s for the church, the ancient deeds of the church and hopefully some records of the original grave inhabitants are presently held in Dublin. In the left hand corner of the cemetery there is a stone built building which locals seem to believe was built merely as a “watch Out” where family members would stay to protect the remains of their recently buried friends from Body Snatchers, I personally think this was a crypt, built in the early 1800’s by a planter family, whether it was ever used or not can’t be told. But the heavy metal gate, the bottom half now submerged in the clay certainly suggests it was much more that a make shift “Watch Out”. I am not suggesting Body Snatching didn’t go on because it did. Ballylinney , the townland of the pool, hints of a Holy Well, similar to that at Templepatrick where St. Patrick baptised his followers. Ballylinney by the way is just outside Ballyclare close to Ballylinney Presbyterian Church, although the church has nothing to do with the old Cemetery. A walk down the long narrow specifically defined lane will give you a feeling that you are walking back through the years, the centuries, and if you have eyes and ears you will hear the screams of fleeing people, swishing swords and galloping Calvary horses a re-enactment of a savage time in our sad history. Look around the lush countryside today you will find it impossible to find trace of an Irish Catholic free hold property stemming from the late 1600’s, Cromwell after murdering women, children and priests put the vital touches to the ethnic cleansing when he uttered the evil words, ....... “I meddle not with any man’s conscience. But if by liberty of conscience you mean liberty to exercise the Mass, I judge it best to use plain dealing, and to let you know, where the Parliament of England have power, that will not be allowed of ”, In these words Oliver Cromwell made known his idea of religious tolerance. And when he was victorious in Ireland he soon let all men see that there were many things as well as the Mass that he was determined to end for all time in this superstition ridden country. Before a Catholic could have even the faintest hope of being allowed to live where he was born it was necessary for him to publicly take an oath

 it is still a thread of Ethnic Cleansing. In these days of supposed “Parity Of Esteem” I am writing to the committee of the old Cemetery hoping to influence them to erect a memorial to the memory of those people in the centre of the graveyard where the ancient stone Chapel would have stood. At present there are a few standing stones, where Peter Garland is standing (above) which represent where the original walls of the Chapel had been. This having been a stone Chapel indicates very clearly that it

known as the Oath of Abjuration, drawn up by Cromwell himself, a declaration so insulting that no Catholic of spirit could take it under any circumstances, , It reveals the bigotry, hatred and intolerance that ruled the mind of a man who was supposed to be- honest, upright, fair minded and tolerant. - Here is Cromwell’s Oath of’ Abjuration: — “I, AL. B., abhor, detest and abjure the authority of the Pope, as well in regard of the Church in general, as in regard of myself in particular. I condemn and anathematise the tenet that any reward is due to good works. I firmly believe and avow that no reverence is due to the Virgin Mary, or to any other saint in heaven ; and that no petition or adoration can be addressed to them without idolatry. I assert that no worship or reverence is due to the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or to the elements of bread and wine after consecration, by whom soever that consecration may be made. I believe there is no purgatory, but that it is a Popish invention ; so is also the tenet that the Pope can grant indulgences. I also firmly believe that neither the Pope, nor any other priest, can remit sins as the Papists rave. And all this I swear without any gloss, equivocation, or mental reservation. So help me God.”

This degrading and insulting oath was not meant merely for presentation to weak-kneed Catholics who went to the ‘Cromwellians’ looking for some favour. It was ordered that the Oath be administered publicly to every Catholic in Ireland over sixteen years of age. The penalty for refusal to take it was confiscation of two-thirds of everything he possessed, this fine to be imposed each time ‘the Oath was presented to him and he refused to take it. And in case there might be any leniency this clause was prominent in the Act of Parliament which introduced and legalised the Oath of Abjuration :— ‘ , -

“Each justice of the peace who shall neglect his duty in fully carrying out this order will be fined £20 ; each parish clerk will be fined for a like neglect £10 each registrar of assizes for each person that he omits in the registry, £20 and of all these fines, one-half will be distributed ‘to’ the poor of the parish, the other half to the accuser.” ‘The accuser’ mentioned here was any spy or informer who would successfully lodge information leading to the conviction of any Catholic who refused or evaded the Oath.

There were several other clauses and more severe penalties in the Act, all aimed at the degradation or impoverishment of Catholics; but In spite of the Lord High Protector, his central and local tyrants, his touts, informers and spies, the Superior of the Jesuits in Ireland, Fr. Richard Shelton, was able to report to Home in April, 1658, that ‘every effort is now made to compel the Catholics, by exile, imprisonment, confiscation of goods, and other penalties, to take the sacrilegious oath of abjuration, but all in vain, for as yet there has not been even one to take it ”. we still have our faith... but who has our land ?