Posted online: Feb 16th, 2010

One of Inishowen’s best known heritage sites is located along one of the peninsula’s most scenic walkways.

While “Fr. Hegarty’s Rock,” located on the shores of Lough Swilly outside Buncrana, is well-known to local people, its history and the events which led to the killing of the Catholic priest, Friar Seamus Hegarty, OP (better known as Fr. James Hegarty) by British forces during Penal Times is lost to many.

However, Vincent McCullagh is looking to change all that and is hopeful that by raising the profile and awareness of the Ballynally-born cleric it will lead to the possibility of commemorating and telling the story of Fr. Hegarty through a stage play or “whatever is deemed appropriate.”

Born in 1649, Fr. Hegarty was ordained in Dundalk in 1672 by Oliver Plunkett, Primate of Ireland snd was parish priest at Fahan from 1704 until the time of his death in 1711.

He was killed by English Redcoats after they were informed by a Mass-goer, sympathetic to the British. that he was celebrating an “unlawful” ceremony. Fr. Hegarty managed to escape but while swimming in the Swilly he was convinced by the Redcoats to come ashore. However, when he stepped on dry land, they beheaded him. 

Mr. McCullagh, originally from Co. Tyrone, now lives in Buncrana and is the son of  Illies Boxing Club fighter Tryone McCullagh.

While a commemorative plot is situated at the “Rock” on the  coastal path where Fr. Hegarty was executed, Mr. McCullagh believes it is “only fitting” his story be told at the location.

He said: “Hundreds of priests chose to go to the continent but Fr. Hegarty and others showed complete devotion to his people and stayed in his parish, which stretched from  Fahan to Desertegney.

“There is a small commemorative plot on the coastal path where he was executed after giving himself up to the Redcoats. It is ony fitting that Fr. Hegarty’s story be told at the rock, best decided by the council.”

Mr. McCullagh also hopes the arts/cultural community of Buncrana and surrounding districts will look at the possibility of commemorating the telling of the story of Fr. Hegarty through the medium of a play or “whatever is deemed appropriate.”

He added: “A generation of young people and a good number of older people know the story of his execution but are unaware of the detail of the story.”