7 Mar 2013

Magical Places: Bonamargy Friary in Ballycastle, County Antrim

Tucked away between the golf course and the beach in Ballycastle on the beautiful Antrim Coast, lie the ruins of haunted Bonamargy Friary.


The name Bonamargy means "foot of the Margy River", and that's where the Friary was founded in 1500 by the Third Order of Franciscans. It is believed that it was built on an earlier religious site. The Franciscans didn´t stay here for long, they left the friary in 1584, when the troops of Elizabeth I. moved into the area. During the ensuing battle between the english troops and the local MacDonnell Clan, the friary was set on fire and badly damaged. After the defeat of the english, the friary was partially rebuilt and remained a place of worship for the MacDonnell Clan, even without the monks until about 1640.

The entrance gate to the friary

Bonamargy Friary

The Gatehouse

Several Clan chieftains and Earls of Antrim, including the infamous Sorley Boy MacDonnell, are buried here.
They found their final resting place in a sealed vault. Near the entrance to the vault there´s a big inscription reading:
HEIRE LYETH THE BODIE OF JHN. MNAGHTEN FIRST SECRETARIE TO RANDAL, FIRST ERLE OF ANTRIM, WHO DEPARTED THIS MORTALITIE IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD GOD, 1630.

the inscription next to the vault
The place is supposed to be haunted by the 17th century prophet and recluse Julia McQuillan aka the "Black Nun". She chose to live here all alone among the ruins after the friary fell out of use. Legend has it, that the "Black Nun" plunged to her death from the thirteenth step of the friary stairs. Some believe she was pushed and that's why her ghost still wanders around the friary grounds.  It was her wish to be buried right underneath the chapel entrance, so that everyone entering the friary would have to trod on her grave.
  
very old head stones

Some important manuscripts were found here in an old oak chest in 1822, they are written on vellum and date back as far as 1338. One of them is 600 pages long and contains parts of the theological work of Thomas of Aquinas. The manuscripts originally belonged to the Monastary of Saint Anthony of Amiens in France.

nice celtic cross among the ruins

This is what a haunted place looks like...

German version:

Ein bisschen versteckt zwischen Golfplatz und Strand in Ballycastle an der schönen Küste von Antrim, liegen die Ruinen des Spuk-Klosters Bonamargy. 


Der Name Bonamargy heißt soviel wie "Quell des Margy Flusses" und dort wurde 1500 dieses Kloster von den Franziskanern gegründet. Es wird angenommen, daß das Kloster an der Stelle eines früheren religiösen Versammlungsplatzes erbaut wurde. Die Franziskaner blieben allerdings nicht allzu lange, sie verließen das Kloster 1584, als die Truppen von Elisabeth I. einmarschierten. Während der folgenden Kämpfe zwischen den englischen Truppen und dem MacDonnell Clan wurde das Kloster in Brand gesteckt und schwer beschädigt. Nachdem die englischen Truppen in die Flucht geschlagen wurden, hat man die Klostermauern teilweise wieder aufgebaut und sie dienten weiterhin als Ort der Anbetung für den MacDonnell Clan bis ca. 1640, auch ohne die Mönche.

Mehrere Clan Chiefs und Earls von Antrim wurden hier zu Grabe getragen, unter anderem der berühmt berüchtigte Sorley Boy MacDonnell. Sie fanden ihre letzte Ruhe in einer verschlossenen Gruft. Neben dem Eingang zur Gruft kann man auf einer Inschrift folgende Worte lesen:
HEIRE LYETH THE BODIE OF JHN. MNAGHTEN FIRST SECRETARIE TO RANDAL, FIRST ERLE OF ANTRIM, WHO DEPARTED THIS MORTALITIE IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD GOD, 1630.

Das Kloster soll vom Geist der Hellseherin und Eremitin aus dem 17. Jahrhundert Julia McQuillan, auch bekannt als die "Schwarze Nonne" heimgesucht werden. Sie entschied sich hier ganz allein in der verfallenen Ruine des Klosters, lange nachdem es verlassen wurde, zu leben.  Der Legende nach stürzte die "Schwarze Nonne" auf der dreizehnten Stufe der Klostertreppe in den Tod. Mache sagen, sie wurde gestoßen - deshalb spukt sie wohl noch immer im Kloster umher. Es war ihr  letzter Wunsch direkt unter dem Kapellen Eingang begraben zu werden, damit jeder, der das Kloster betritt auch  auf ihr Grab treten muss.

Einige wichtige Manuskripte wurden hier 1822 in einer alten Eichentruhe gefunden - sie waren auf Pergament geschrieben und einige datieren bis ins Jahr 1338 zurück. Eines der Manuskripte ist 600 Seiten stark und beinhaltet Teile der theologischen Abhandlungen von Thomas von Aquin. Die Manuskripte gehörten ursprünglich zur Abtei des hl. Antonius von Amiens in Frankreich.




7 comments:

  1. it is a pity that it doesn't exist!

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    1. Of course it exists, where did you pull that statement from? I live about a mile from there in Ballycastle. Stupid statement.

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  2. It doe's exisit i live round the cornor from it. this is a brilliant blog pictures are beautiful

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    1. Thanks a million @placestoeatonthecausewaycoast for your feedback, very much appreciated!
      Of course Bonamargy Friary exists, I have no idea how "Anonymous" would come up with a statement like this. It's a truly beautiful place with an intruiging history. I loved Ballycastle and the surrounding area, well - the entire Causeway Coast is just stunning!

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  3. I came here in August of 2009 with my parents, my two brothers, and my best friend, and I am absolutely convinced it is haunted. My dad was interested in the graves, and my friend and oldest brother walked around the outside. After about ten minutes of walking around, we felt this urge that we just had to leave. We felt uncomfortable, and we kept feeling this feeling of sorrow. My youngest brother was 10 at the time, and he felt the same and kept clinging onto my mother. My dad tried to clean off mud and bushes on the graves, and as he did, we all began feeling angry with him. It wasn't until we went up the stairs (by the front gate) and over the wall towards the road that we felt normal again. I know it sounds insane, but we had all felt it.

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  4. My friend is originally from Ballycastle and he goes back up every other week he invited me to come with him one week and we walked put to visit bonamargy he told me nothing about the history of this place but while we were their I felt like I was being watched there was 2 other tourists on the premises but I knew it wasn't them making me feel like this. I thought there was voices in my head now looking at the history of this I'm not too sure if it was in my head

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