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Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 1998-11 > 0911025997


From: linda Merle <>
Subject: Re: Protestants in Northern Ireland Yesterday
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 22:46:37 -0800


Hi Bob,

You say:
>> And the very first Presbyterian
>> minister at Dunluce in the early 1600's was a native Irishman by the
>> name of Quinn.>
>Adair says, [of events in 1646]
>They were somewhat troubled in settling Mr. James Ker at Ballymoney, and
>Mr. Jeremiah O'Queen (a native Irishman, bred by Mr. Upton to be a scholar)
>at Billy .
>[A true Narrative of the Rise and Progress of the Presbyterian Church in
>Ireland, By The Rev. Patrick Adair, Minister of Belfast.]

>Do you know whether Quin and O'Queen are varying names for the same person?

I suspect so indeed. I am wondering if he is a relative of the
Bishop John Quin of Limerick, who resigned as an elderly man in 1551
or so, rather than accept the Reformation. He was succeeded by
William CASEY. The Quin clan provided heritary obligations to the
O'Neills as horsemen. A Cenel Eoghain sept like the Gormleys, Hagans, etc.
Tyrone. Bell says there were three other septs : O'Cuinn from the personalname
Conn, in North Antrim, Co Claire, and Longford.

Gee, I'm glad I wasn't 'bred up' to be something. Yikes.

>The other question is, During that period did the Presbyterians take over
>the C of I buildings in the North of Ireland as they did the C of E in
>England?

During the Commonwealth? Presbyerians lost the English Civil war to
the Independents. Hard to imagine...warlike Baptists...

>Billy Parish Church played a big part in my growing up so I am interested
>in things concerning it, including the question of whether it was, for a
>time, a Presbyterian place of worship. There are at least three
>wall-steading remains of previous church buildings in the graveyards around
>the present building.

Yes, it was used by Presbyterians till Charlie Clark's ancestor evicted them.
Charlie is related to the Vicar, a Stewart?? I have a History of Dunluce
Presbyterian Church by Julia E Mullin. You can probably get it at
www.bookshop.co.uk.

Ah! P 11 the Rev O'Quin was born in Templepatrick. Scratch the Bishop--
probably another Sept. Lemme see,.... after the Reformation the former
Roman Catholic churches (two in Bushmills) were taken over by the CofI.
The worship approximated Presbyterian (p 10) due to the overabundance
of Presbyterians and the lack of CofI folks... As England headed into the
Civil War, Wentworth instituted the Black Oath, people fled to Scotland,
which saved them from the Irish Rebellion in 1641. Then the Scottish army
arived in 1642. During the Commonweath, the authorities allowed the Presbyterians
to worship. With the Restoration, the Presbyterians are ejected in 1661
and only could meet in small groups. They built a church in Bushmills
on the west side of the Bush where Dunluce now stands. ..P 13.

I posted a short history with all the names in the book to the lsit a couple
weeks ago. If you missed it, you can search for it at www.rootsweb.com.
Or email me..

Lidna merle

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