Saintfield

The area that is now Saintfield was historically called Tawnaghnym (recorded in 1605) or Taunaghnieve (recorded in 1663), which is believed to come from the Irish Tamhnach Naomh or Tamhnaigh Naomh, meaning "field of saints". The English translation, Saintfield, did not come into use until the 18th century. In the 16th century, the Saintfield area was part of South Clannaboy owned by Sir Con McNeil Oge O'Neil. His lands were confiscated after a false accusation of disloyalty in 1602 and were granted to Sir James Hamilton in 1605 who 'planted' English and Scottish settlers in the area. Saintfield was originally an early 17th-century settlement, with the first church being built about 1633. A…

On 26 January 1974, soldiers from the Special Air Service (SAS) intercepted a team of loyalist paramilitaries returning weapons to a derelict farmhouse on the outskirts of Saintfield that was being used as an arms cache. One of the loyalists was shot and wounded in the chest as he entered the farmhouse and ascended the staircase. Three comrades waiting for him in front of the building were captured by soldiers emerging from a hidden observation post.