placenamesDonaghanie Upper
Domhnach an Eich
An archaeological inventory distinguishes a chapel site from its Patrician traditions.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Domhnach an Eich · Irish · main form · validated name
- Donaghanie Upper · English · main form
Place & story
A medieval chapel site
Donaghanie appears in Ann Hamlin’s archaeological inventory as a medieval chapel site. She notes that its early history and patron are unknown. Although local traditions associate it strongly with Patrick, those traditions do not establish a documented foundation date. [2]
Patrick’s horse and the lake
Hamlin records that the Ordnance Survey memoir of 1834 preserved a local tradition about a struggle between Patrick’s horse and a reptile in a nearby lake. The same memoir described a pattern at Loughpatrick on the first Sunday in August. These are records of local belief and devotional custom rather than evidence for the legendary encounter. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Donaghanie Upper. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- The archaeology of early Christianity in the North of Ireland (1976),Volume2,inventory239 · Ann Elizabeth Hamlin / Queen’s University Belfast
- Lough Patrick wetland near Donaghanie Upper, as photographed in 2009 illustration: based on a Lough Patrick, Donaghanie by Kenneth Allen. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2017-02-07. How this page was prepared.