Hillhall

History

In a 1645 inquisition, the townland was recorded under the name Donkynmuck which may be a corruption of Cloncolmoc (Irish: Cluain Cholmóg, meaning "meadow of little [Saint] Colmán"). This name is associated with a church listed near Ecclesia de Drum (Drumbeg) in records from around 1306. This name is possibly linked to a church recorded in 1306, although no physical remains of such a church have been identified, and the association remains tentative. In 1847, Reeves suggested that the church of Cloncolmoc may have been located in the townland of Old Forge, across the River Lagan in the County Antrim portion of the parish of Drumbeg, where local tradition recalled the existence of an ancient church. O'Laverty proposed that Cloncolmoc was another name for the church of Lambeg, located in the townland of the same name on the County Antrim side of the Lagan. A portion of the townland of Hillhall was historically part of the parish of Drumbo, as noted in the 1851 Census Index. This area was later transferred to the parish of Drumbeg, and by 1961, the entire townland was within Drumbeg parish. The townland of Hillhall is named after a house and defensive bawn constructed around 1637 by Peter Hill, son of Sir Moses Hill of Devonshire, who served as Provost Marshal of Ulster at the end of the 16th century. Sir Moyses Hill (often written as Sir Moses Hill) (d. February 1629/30) arrived in Ireland in 1573 as part of the Earl of Essex's campaign to subdue Ulster. He later served under Lord Mountjoy in the wars against Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone. Hill benefited significantly from the Crown's land grants, receiving 2,000 acres in County Antrim and 40,000 acres in County Down, including lands acquired from dispossessed Irish families such as Con O'Neill who was imprisoned for…

Geography

Townlands that border Hillhall include: *Ballyaghlis to the east *Ballymullan to the south *Drumbeg to the north *Drumbo to the east *Lisnatrunk to the west *Tullyard to the east *Tullynacross to the west

Most-observed species

• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,635
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,588
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,496
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,480
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,341
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,211
• Herring Gull

  Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 · Aves
  2,064
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,020