Coagh drummers remember long-forgotten Battle of Ardtrea in 1689
Coagh & District Lambeg Drumming Club members met with local Orange lodges and visiting brethren to commemorate a significant historical event in the district: the long-forgotten Battle of Ardtrea.
John Hagan, local historian and founding member of Coagh & District Lambeg Drumming Club said: “We are working on a book detailing the history of Orangeism in Coagh District. As part of our studies, we discovered an extremely violent battle occurred at Ardtrea on Tuesday, 15th March 1689.
“Lord Blayney rode from Armagh with seven troops of horse and eight troops of soldiers from counties Armagh and Monaghan, engaging 1,000 Jacobite French and Irish soldiers from Charlemont and Mountjoy forts who were ordered to hold the river crossing in the townland of Tullyweery, Ardtrea.”
Blayney’s objective was to push north and rendezvous with the Protestant leaders Sir Arthur Rawdon and Major Baker who had been defeated at Dromore, County Down, the previous day.
As the battle ended, 155 Jacobite soldiers lay dead in the Ballinderry River and surrounding oak wood; the Protestant forces winning the day.
The battle of Ardtrea was commemorated 150 years ago in the Coagh district. The East Tyrone Orangemen described it as ‘their battle of the Boyne.’
Lord Blayney's rearguard action was of great importance to the Protestants living in East Tyrone and South Londonderry. The victory ensured Protestants had safe passage to Coleraine and then Londonderry in the face of King James IIs advancing forces.
“If Blayney’s troops had lost, today's world would be vastly different. John Vance, a man of Scots ancestry was building the small village of Coagh in the forest clearing by the banks of the Ballinderry River.
“He built a mill, a distillery and a few small houses. He was living in Coagh with his wife Mary and eight-year-old daughter Elizabeth. The Vance family fled to Coleraine with Blayney’s troops and then made their way to Londonderry.
“Elizabeth Vance is the grandmother of U.S. President Andrew Jackson. Vice President J.D Vance is a direct descendant of John Vance of Coagh. The Vance’s, like many of the Protestants of the district, sought sanctuary and safety alongside Blayney’s troops.
"Cookstown Presbyterian Minister Rev John McKenzie led his entire congregation out of the town to follow Blayney’s army to Londonderry stating Cookstown was overrun with French and Irish troops."
Henry Vincent Blayney was born in County Offaly in 1667. He was 22 years old at the Battle of Ardtrea. In his diary, he noted: “When I arrived at Ardtrea, I only had 300 horse and 1,800 foot. All the people of the country thereabouts generally fled with the army, except a few.”
He was captured by the Irish and taken to Dublin Castle, where he was imprisoned as a traitor for his loyalties to William III. He escaped and fled to England where William restored the lands to the Blayney family.
Mr Hagan added: “The young hero of Ardtrea died in August 1689. He did learn of the Relief of Londonderry, but did he fully realise what he achieved on the banks of the Ballinderry River at Ardtrea? We will never know. This initiative aimed to honour the memory of all those who fought and died and educate future generations about Coagh district’s vibrant history.”