Essex, the Queen’s favourite (of Elizabeth I, that is) was sent as Deputy with a large army to ‘subdue’ Ireland in the 1570s.

Sir Moyes Hill from Devon was part of his army and received grants of seized Magennis lands for his reward. In time almost the whole of Iveagh came under his control and he made Hillsborough his home. Indeed Hillsborough (the seat of our Governor!) is still of great symbolic importance and use to the English in Ireland, the venue, at the height of the Iraq invasion, where Bush and Blair flew in to meet our politicians (Yes, they complied!).

One of the Hill family, William, married a daughter of Sir Marcus Trevor (Yes! Trevor Hill!) who became Viscount Dungannon in 1662 for ‘his signal gallantry in wounding Sir Oliver Cromwell at the battle of Marston Moor’. This William had a son named Trevor Hill who was raised to the peerage (Irish, that is!!) in 1717 as Viscount Hillsborough. 

He in turn was succeeded by his son Wills, who afterwards became first Marquis of Downshire and after him the village of Hilltown is named.

The Needhams, who became Kilmorey when raised to the peerage, were the family that ‘inherited’ Newry when the Bagenal line ended.

Yes!  The self-same Kilmoreys who recently ended up scrapping  over the family silver.

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P.S.

Do not forget Dr McCavitt's Flight of the Earls CD launch tomorrow evening (Wed 26 at 8.00) in the Arts Centre, hosted by your soon-to-be-removed Mayor, Pat Maginn!

With seventeen nationalist Councillors soon to be expelled and barred from public office, we may again be governed by decree  from Hillsborough - through their nominee Commissioner!!

Ah, isn't this democracy a wonderful thing??  No wonder we're exporting it to Iraq!

Vive la paix!!    Long live The Peace Process!