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Inside the old Cathedral tower, Father John Walsh says that it was in fact once a residence for the incumbent who would have lived on various floors within it. One interesting aspect is the lintel above the door which once joined the tower to the Cathedral. On it can be seen a Celtic Cross, a Crucifix and Tableaux, showing Christ crucified, the Apostles and the soldiers. it would appear that this is a narrative in stone of the crucifixion and the Gospel of St.John. Clearly when this was the Cathedral it was a building of some substance. It would have belonged to the Diocese of Rathlurig.

Carved Crucifixion Tableau on lintel, showing Christ, the Apostles and some soldiers

Fr Walsh can remember his father showing him a Sheelanagig , a female fertility Goddess. He suggests that although the Christian church technically disapproves of such things, they are, none the less, to be found in many early churches and he ponders the theory that these are simply evidence of the early Christians "hedging their bets" as he puts it, "retaining elements of more primitive and earlier deities?"

Two towers - the old and the new Rev Robert Millar is the Rector of the new C.o.I. church across the road from this ancient site. Looking out from his rectory window, he says he feels a great sense of continuity, seeing both the tower of the old cathedral and the tower of his new church. "This" he says "creates a true sense of sharing". He points out that a direct copy of the old tower’s lintel is in the porch of his new church, thus adding further to that sense of sharing. William Roulston, in summing up, feels that this churchyard and surrounding area has a truly rich history, much of which is still largely hidden and has yet to be written down. He says it is important that someone writes the history soon so it can be brought out into the open, both to the local community and to the wider world.

Audio Clip 4: Fr Walsh & Rev Miller - St. Lurach's

If you enjoyed this article you may like to read some of the others in this series, exploring community history through headstones... click here

YOUR RESPONSES

Thomas A Grahame - June '08
I too am a member of this rebellious branch of the family. I descended from Watty's brother, Archibald of Ballymacilcurr, Maghera.
Up till now we have had no information on the history of Watty's wife and children, and never heard that his father had to flee to America.
I would like to communicate by e-mail with the 3 men commenting above. The Draperstown connection looks promising for further research.

M.Rankin - Aug '06
My maternal great grandmother was a descendant of Watty Graham. I would be interested in the article detailing the history of Watty Graham as posted by Pat Murray. All I have been able to find out so far is the history given on the GAA Club in Maghera.

Maurice Gibson, El Paso,Texas, USA - April '05
Can anyone give me any additional information on Watty Graham - articles, books etc.?

Pat Murray - Jan '06
My paternal grandmother was Mary Graham from Draperstown. She was a descendant of Watty Grahams and I have a photocopy of an article detailing the history of Watty Graham's involvement in the 1798 rebellion and his execution. Perhaps this is common knowledge but I would be happy to fax it to Maurice Gibson of El Paso or anyone else who might be interested in it.

Some relevant weblinks:

History from Headstones: http://www.historyfromheadstones.com/