Neesy O'Haughan
Neesy O'Haughan | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1691 Skerry, County Antrim, Ireland |
| Died | 1720 (aged 28–29) Three Rivers Gallows, County Antrim, Ireland |
| Cause of death | Executed by Hanging |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Other names | Neesy O'Haughan , Ness O'Haughan, Nessie O'Haughan, Naoise O'Haughan |
| Occupation | Highwayman |
Naoise O'Haughan (Irish: Naoise Ó hEocháin),[1] also known as Neesy, Ness and Nessie (c. 1691–1720) was a highwayman from Skerry in the valley of the Braid river in County Antrim, Ireland in the early 18th century.[2][3][4] He was the eldest of three sons, having two brothers called Shane and Denis.[2]
Although his father originally came from a well-off Catholic farming family, the penal laws introduced during the Protestant Ascendency forbade Catholic ownership of land and so were forced to rent a smaller patch of land near Slemish where they struggled to survive.[2]
During his family's eviction one year, O'Haughan killed his landlord with an axe and became a fugitive and formed an outlaw gang.[2] The wild rolling hills of Antrim - Divis and Black Mountain - provided an ideal environment for O'Haughan. He is said to have hidden in caves at the Hatchet Field on the Black Mountain West of Belfast, before he was captured and hanged at 'The Three Sisters', the gallows green, near Carrickfergus Castle in 1720.[5][3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Naoise.pdf" (PDF). St Mary's University College, Belfast (in Irish). 1994. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Naoise O'Haughan, Antrim's "Gentlemen Outlaw"". belfastentries.com. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ a b Stewart, Linda (3 December 2014). "Hidden gem in west Belfast: Colin Glen Wood". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "On the grapevine - July 27". Belfast Telegraph. 28 July 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ McAleer, Ryan (19 May 2024). "'Lost tradition' of stone lifting celebrated in hills above Belfast". The Irish News. Retrieved 15 December 2024.