Ulster Genealogy and Local History Blog

Local newspapers provide a rich font of information on regional history and give some insight into the daily lives of our ancestors. The Derry Journal was first published in 1772 and was first launched as the Londonderry and Donegal & Tyrone Advertiser. Below are a few snippets from the Derry Journal that are almost 200 years old and added commentary to give some context for the entries: Derry Journal 23 Sept 1828 Newtown Limavady cattle show - The Kennaght Branch of the North-West Society 5 Sept 1828: Prizes awarded - To farming servants for long and faithful service - first premium was awarded to Patrick McBride who has served under Mr William Scott of Mulkeeragh for 37 years; 2nd premium to David McKee who served Mr William Patton for 26 years. Note - many prize winners were listed in the article, many familiar names of local farmers all members of the Kennaght Branch of the NW Society. What is interesting here is the naming of farm servants - normally people who would not appea...

Artikelly is a small village and townland one kilometer north-east of Limavady, which in the census of 2011 had a population of 360 people. The Haberdashers' company of London was granted this area in the plantation scheme but soon farmed out the land to the highest bidder Sir Robert McClelland of Bombay, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland and his main headquarters was located at Ballycastle (Aghanloo) but also a settlement was built at Artikelly. The village has quite an interesting history and was once a settlement of some prominence in the Roe valley in the seventeenth century. The Haberdashers' had their centre in the northern section of their estate where a castle was built at Ballycastle on a natural bank on what was Campbells farm (in 1983). The Haberdashers' built a linear village at Artikelly, one mile from the castle consisting of one street with two rows of thatched single-story cottages set in rectangular plots. William Babington opened an inn in Artikelly (before 161...

 In the spring of 1968 Roy Orbison (the Big O) sang at the Regal cinema in Lurgan. Orbison was probably not aware that he may have been performing in his ancestral home, the place of  his roots in Lurgan, Co Armagh. Orbison (Orbinson) is a rare name in Ulster associated with the parishes of Shankill (Lurgan) and Donaghcloney the latter in Down and the former in Armagh, but both are very close to the town of Lurgan. Roy Orbison's putative ancestor, ' Thomas Orbison was born near Lurgan, Ireland about 1715, emigrated to America about 1740 and purchased a farm near Welsh Run now Franklin Co (then in Peter's township, Cumberland Co), Pennsylvania, where he resided until his death March 1779 ' (Source - Commemorative biographical encylcopedia of the Juniata Valley: comprising the counties of Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata and Perry, Pennsylvania, containing sketches of prominent and representative citizens and many of the early settlers; volume 1, 1897 Chambersburg, P.A. pub b...