Ouley Hill

Chieftains Chief of the Ander kindred (Ui nDerca Chein), Mac Gilmori, from Oly is noted for assisting William Fitz Warin, seneschal of Ulster, during a rebellion in 1273. He is likely the same person as Dermot, son of Gilla Muire O'Morna, who died in 1276. Another chieftain of that territory with the same name, Mac Gilla Muire, is recorded as having died in 1391 while serving as King of Ui nDerca Chein. Historians believe Ui nDerca Chein refers to the area now known as the barony of Upper Castlereagh in County Down. The name "Oly" is probably a reference to Ouley, a townland in the parish of Saintfield within that barony, which may have been the residence of the chieftain. In close proximity to Ouley Hill, in the townland of Lessans, a pike-head was later recovered from the thatched roof of a house. Lessans lies approximately one mile from Saintfield and near the former rebel encampment. This discovery is a notable example of the "pikes in the thatch" tradition, a recurring theme in oral histories of the 1798 Rebellion, referring to the concealment of weapons in rural homes. == Geography==

Townlands that border Ouley Hill include: • Carricknaveagh to the south • Craignasasonagh to the south • Drumalig to the west • Killinure to the west • Lessans to the east • Lisdoonan to the north ==See also==