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History
of Cullybackey
The name Cullybackey
has become so Anglicised as to render its
interpretation difficult, sufficient of
the original spelling remains to indicate
that it is composed of two Irish words.
There are at least two possible interpretations.
"Cully" –
a derivative of "Coill" –
a woodland, and "Backey" a derivative
of "Beith" – a Birch Tree,
thus rendering the meaning of the name as
"The Woodland of the Birch Trees".
There are numerous birch trees in the area
and they form part of the original flora
of the neighbourhood.
Alternatively, "Cully"
from "Coole" – a corner and
"Backey" from "Bac"
– a spade; "The Corner of The
Spades". There is a tradition that
a forge for the manufacture of shods (plates
for wooden spades) formerly stood on the
site of the Cuningham Memorial Church. The
spade maker obtained his fuel from the surrounding
forest and his profession was highly regarded
in the community. No doubt his forge by
the riverside, because of its warmth and
shelter, was the rendezvous of the locals
and its name "Coolebac", the Corner
of the Spades, became applied to the cluster
of habitations build up around it.
Cullybackey in the latter
part of the 19th Century consisted principally
of a single street – Main Street. However,
by the early 20th Century the spirit of
enterprise saw the village expand and the
formation of new streets. The village proper
then extended from the bridge over the River
Maine to the Railway Station.
(Courtesy
of National Library of Ireland Photographic
Collection – Lawrence Collection #
5826)
The
Cuningham Memorial Presbyterian Church circa
1900; the most prominent landmark in Cullybackey.
To the left of the photograph, amongst the
trees, we see the roof of the Methodist
Church, formerly known as the United Free
Church.
Let us now take a walk
through the village commencing our journey
at the bridge. The most prominent building
here is the Cuningham Memorial Presbyterian
Church. This site was formerly occupied
by the "Sundialed Meeting House".
It received its name from a sundial which
was inserted in the wall of the south gable
of the church and bore the inscription "John
Wylie, 1727". (Wylie was one of the
defenders at the Siege of Derry). The Sacrament
of the Lords Supper was administered for
the last time in the old building on Sunday
11th April, 1880.
The present church was
erected in 18801 at a cost of £5,500
by the Misses Cuningham of Ardvernis, in
memory of their mother. In 1906 Miss Jane
Cuningham put the congregation under a further
debt of gratitude by paying for the installation
of the electric lighting for the building.
(Courtesy
of National Library of Ireland Photographic
Collection – Lawrence Collection #
5822)
The
view of the River Maine from the bridge
looking north, circa 1900. To the left of
the photograph is the graveyard of the Methodist
Church.
(Courtesy
of National Library of Ireland Photographic
Collection – Lawrence Collection #
5825)
The
view from the Kilrea Road of the Cuningham
Memorial Presbyterian Church, circa 1900,
with the Methodist Church graveyard in the
foreground and the Maine Finishing Works
to the rear of the picture.
(Courtesy
of Jack Adams Collection).
An
ariel view of the Cuningham Memorial Presbyterian
Church, circa 1939 and the "Maine Finishing
Works".
Not far from the church,
just over the bridge across the River Maine,
is the Manse belonging to the Cuningham
Church. It occupies a prominent site on
a hilltop and was built in 1877, thanks
to the legacy of £300 left by Mrs.
Cuningham to assist in the project.
(Courtesy
of Jack Adams Collection).
The
Cuningham Manse. This photograph was taken
circa 1905. The other driveway to the left
of the picture leads up to Arthur Cottage,
ancestral home of Chester Alan Arthur –
21st President of the USA.
A little further along
from the Manse, Cullybackey used to have
its own golf club which opened for business
in 1914. The area it occupied was part of
an old race course.
(Courtesy
of R. Stevenson Collection).
A sketch
map showing the position of the holes on
the Cullybackey Golf Course which was bounded
on one side by the road to Ahoghill and
on the other by the River Maine.
It was situated on land
which sloped down from the Ahoghill Road
to the River Maine and golfers could be
expected to cover a distance of approximately
one mile. A little further away, the village
could boast a second gold course situated
close to the Craigs Parish Church. This
Golf Course was known as "The Beef
Park" and it was operational between
1925 and 1940.
(Courtesy
of Jack Adams Collection).
A group
photograph taken in 1936 showing the members
of "THE BEEF PARK GOLF CLUB."
Directly opposite the
Cuningham Church, just across the river
stands the Methodist Church, once known
as the "United Free Church" and
constructed in 1839.
(Courtesy
of Jack Adams Collection).
The
Methodist Church.
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