Moneyslane

Moneyslane
County Down
Location
Grid reference:	J2439
Location:	54°17’17"N, 6°5’17"W
Data
Local Government
Council:	Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon

Moneyslane is a small village and townland in County Down, on the main route from Castlewellan to Banbridge. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 147. Its name is from the Irish Muine Sleanna, meaning "thicket of flat-stones".

History

In the 1659 Census this townland was called Nunis Lane and there were 16 families living there. By 1841 there were 138 families with 356 males and 356 females, 10% of whom were receiving Famine relief.

A corn mill was built in 1831, held by James McBride from General Meade. Water supplied by a small stream was not in sufficient quantity, so that the mill worked only five months on average. The water wheel was 18 feet in diameter, breadth three feet, diameter of the cog wheel was eight feet; it was double geared with wood and metal machinery.

The flax mill was next to the corn mill and worked by the same water wheel. It was the property of James McBride. It was first built in 1800 and completely repaired in 1834, but only worked four months of the year. The diameter of the cog wheel was eight feet. It was double geared with metal machinery.

Places of interest

Moneyslane features a pair of standing stones, which appear to be a male and female pair. The taller of the two stones is roughly six feet tall and the other is around six inches shorter. The axis of the pair is roughly north-south.

People

• Rhyming Weaver, Hugh Porter, was from Moneyslane. He was known as "The Bard of Moneyslane". A volume of his work was published by Preani Press in 1992 ISBN_0_948868
• Rev James Macauley, a minister of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, was born in Moneyslane in 1821. His family had come to the area from Scotland about 1621. It was said that this family furnished more ministers to the Presbyterian Church on both sides of the Atlantic than any other family or district in Ulster. He features in Irish Worthies, a volume of biographical sketches of ministers and members of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Originally published in 1875, republished in 2000 by Tentmaker Publications, Stoke-on-Trent.

Football

Moneyslane Football Club plays in Intermediate 'B' in the Mid-Ulster League. Home games are played at Crystal Park, Banbridge while work continues on their new ground, Jubilee Park in Moneyslane. They currently have three senior teams along with a junior section. Their First Team is currently managed by David Johnstone, a former player who played Irish league and has managed Annagh United amongst others.

Moneyslane Free Presbyterian Church

Moneyslane Free Presbyterian Church commenced on the first Sunday of October 1966. It met first in Moneyslane Orange Hall, before a new Church building was erected nearby. The site for the new Church was given by the McElroy family. The first minister of the congregation was Rev John Douglas. On his removal to Lisburn Free Presbyterian Church he was succeeded by Rev Michael Patrick, who later took up ministry in Australia. Rev Ron Johnstone ministered in Moneyslane until his removal to Armagh. Rev William McDermott was installed as minister in September 1998.

References

• NI Neighbourhood Information System
• Megalithomania - Moneyslane
• Culture Northern Ireland
• Ros Davis Research Web site

Outside links

• Archaeological excavations at Drumadonnell, Moneyslane
• Moneyslane village