Story of Mullagh Hill and the Convention of Drumceatt

To the west of the Radisson Roe Park hotel is a low hill now called Mullagh Hill. This hill has at various periods in history been called Drumceatt (The Whale's Back), Mullagh Cross and Daisy Hill.

Mullagh Cross literally translates as 'the round mound of the crosses' and was the site of an ancient chapel and burial ground. Memoirs of 1835 tell of skulls and bones being dug up on the hill and local people interviewed in 1890's remember crosses standing on Mullagh Hill and annual pilgrimages from Drumachose Old Church to the hill on All Saints Day.

After the last of crosses were burned in 1915, at a time of unrest in the Roe Valley, there has been no further evidence of religious ceremonies. During Dominick McCausland's time as owner of the estate, trees planted on the hill apparently failed to take root and when he tried to cultivate the mound his horse and ploughman reportedly turned blind - adding to the legend of the hill.

However the most historic event to take place on Mullagh Hill occurred many years earlier and probably was the beginning of the historical and religious position it still holds to this day.

The Convention of Drumceatt

It was here in 675 AD that one of the most famous meetings of Celtic Ireland was held (although not all scholars agree on the exact date). In that year the king of all Ireland - Aedh (Hugh) - called a convention to be held at Drumceatt to address problems he was facing at the time. The site was probably chosen by Aedh because of its religious connections going back to pre-Christian times.

Aedh had brought a large entourage from Gainan of Ailach - many subsidiary kings, nobles, poets and clergy and their followers. Ancient records estimate the gathering to run into thousands. The convention, which lasted 13 months, created new laws regulating tributes and the forming of alliances but most importantly, there were matters of national interest which had to be debated.

In particular, the convention discussed the refusal of King Aidan of Scottish Dalriada to pay any further tribute to the kings of Ireland and the release of Scanlan Mor son of the king of Ossory who was held by the king in Gainan Port outside Derry for refusing to pay tribute to Aedh.

Interestingly, they also debated Aedh's proposal to banish the fili (poets, bards, singers, genealogists etc) as there numbers had grown too large, their behaviour too unruly and their demands too aggressive to be tolerated by the king.

St Columba at Drumceatt

Also attending the convention was St Columba / Columcille who came with a large following of Bishops, Priests, Deacons and students. He had travelled from the Scottish island of Iona to plead the cases of those involved in the subjects of debate. He was also accompanied by King Aiden of Scottish Dalriada and possibly his friend St Canice (the patron saint of Limavady).

Columba had officiated the previous year at the coronation of King Aiden on the Black Stone of Iona. (The stone was later removed to Scone where the last of Scottish Celtic kings were crowned and later to the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey on which every British monarch since Edward I has been crowned. It was eventually returned to Scotland in 1996.)

St Columba was a cousin of King Aedh and from noble lineage. It was probably this noble background and his intelligence that made this humble priest influence the convention in an immense way. Firstly he persuaded the king and his royal court to recognise King Aiden of Dalriada and that it was inappropriate for the Scottish king to pay tribute to an Irish king but agreed that if support in time of war was needed by the Irish King then this would be forthcoming.

On the question of banishment of the Fili, St Columba had a more difficult task but as he himself was from that background he had a lot of sympathy for their cause and work. He pleaded that if they were banished then all the oral history of Ireland would be lost. Eventually it was agreed that their numbers would be greatly reduced and they would have to adhere to a strict code of conduct.

The Mullagh Hill

The Mullagh Hill has physically retained it's shape since the convention of Drumceatt except for some quarrying on eastern slope in 18^th and 19^th century to provide sand and gravel for laying of avenues and building on the estate.

Luckily in 1956 the County Londonderry Planning and Highways Committee turned down a request on behalf of the then owners of Roe Park to extract sand and gravel from 45 acres of the estate including Mullagh Hill. This historic area could have been lost forever.

And so it still stands, a historical and religious spot and a wonderful plateau from which to view the beautiful Roe Valley, The Sperrins, Lough Foyle and the Innishowen Peninsula in the distance.