Moira, United Kingdom

The existence of these primitive defences, coupled with the good-view afforded from the top of Moira hill, made the settlement strategically valuable. Proximity to Lough Neagh enhanced this value. Accordingly, during the repeated power struggles of the first millennium the area was often fought over, and eventually witnessed the largest battle in the history of Ireland when three tribal kings contested the area to determine supremacy in Ulster and beyond. This was the Battle of Moira. Its impact on Moira is still felt; two townlands still bear battle names, Aughnafosker (meaning field of slaughter) and Carnalbanagh (meaning the Scotsman's grave). After the battle a bishop by the name of Ronan Finn (who was later canonized) was alleged to have created a monastery in the area.

The medieval period itself remains shrouded in mystery. It is known that the town and its hinterland were under the control of the O'Lavery Clan for a considerable period. They were Catholic families who held sway in large parts of Armagh. Indeed, prior to the Nine Years War Ulster was the most gaelic part of Ireland. There were few towns, few roads and much of the country was thickly wooded. However the subjugation of Ulster by the victorious armies of Elizabeth I greatly reduced the clout of Gaelic hierarchs, the O'Laverys included. But it was their participation in the Irish Rebellion of 1641 doomed their dominance. The Dublin Castle administration crushed the rebellion and confiscated vast amounts of Irish Catholic-owned property, in Moira as in the rest of Ireland. As a direct result of this the Protestant plantations of Ulster (which began in 1606) were accelerated.

In 1631, Major George Rawdon, a wealthy man from the village of Rawdon, Yorkshire, settled in Moira. During the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Rawdon led 200 English troops to victory over an Irish army under Sir Phelim O'Neill, re-securing Moira and its environs for the Crown. In 1651 a Major de Burgh purchased a small estate and built a brick house in Moira. This house, the forerunner of Moira Castle, was subsequently purchased by Rawdon. Following the defeat of the rebellion, Rawdon subsequently purchased vast amounts of land in the area (most probably financed by confiscations from rebels), and was said to have developed it greatly. In 1665 he was created a baronet by Charles II. At some point in his life he became a Member of Parliament. He was nicknamed the 'Great Highwayman' for his development of roads infrastructure in and around Moira. Rawdon was succeeded in his title by his son Arthur.

Sir Arthur (who would also become an Irish MP) became a General in the armies of King William III during the Williamite War in Ireland. He was quickly besieged in Derry, but managed to escape. After the war, with the Protestant Ascendancy of which he was a part yet again restored, Sir Arthur (who had presumably profited greatly from the war) returned to Moira. Having inherited the brick manor house his father had purchased he decided to expand it greatly, and it became one of the largest residences in the whole island, to be called Moira Castle. The castle, which in fact was a mansion, was also accompanied by vast gardens. These gardens became world-famous. In 1690 Sir Arthur utilised his friendship with fellow Down-born botanist Sir Hans Sloane, and acquired from him the seeds of 400 exotic plants, and instructions in how to grow them. To fit his ends Sir Arthur also constructed in Moira the first hothouse in Europe.

The subsequent baronets maintained the gardens (though the hothouse did not survive) for generations. In 1723 Sir John Rawdon, 3rd Baronet helped fund the construction of the Anglican Moira Parish Church, dedicated to St. John.

In 1750 Sir John Rawdon, 4th Baronet was raised to the peerage by George II as the Baron Rawdon of Moira. He subsequently flirted with Methodism, and invited John Wesley to speak at Moira Church. This caused a major religious rift in the town. And though Wesley did speak, he did so from the grounds of Moira Castle, not the church for which the Rawdons had largely paid. He was also granted a higher title in 1762 by George III, when he was made Earl of Moira.

In addition to flirting with Methodism, Lord Rawdon also flirted with Irish self-government (albeit under the Ascendancy), opposing the efforts of Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger to forge closer Anglo-Irish links in the first decade of his ministry. His death on 20 June 1793 was significant in Moira history, in that it marked the largest funeral in the history of Ireland (a record now held by the attendance at the funeral of Michael Collins), a testament to his extensive political connections. Over four hundred carriages were in procession. This Lord Rawdon is buried in the family crypt in the church.