The Highwayman of the Belfast Hills

The Highwayman of the Belfast Hills

Naoise O’Haughian was born in 1691. Naoise was brought up against a backdrop of political upheaval and religious turmoil, having been born the year following the defeat of the Catholic King James at the hands of William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne.

During the Plantation of Ulster the O’Haughian clan had been dispossessed of their land. In the early 1700s, Naoise and the O’Haughian family were evicted from their rented house by the local wealthy landlord. A fight broke out between the family and bailiffs or “Redcoats” during the eviction. This resulted in the death of a bailiff at the hands of the eldest son, Shane Óg O’Haughian. The O’Haughian family went on the run to escape persecution – which in those days was often a public hanging. Whilst their parents were moved to safety amongst sympathetic Presbyterian families, Naoise and his brothers took to the Antrim Hills. Here they become ‘Rapparees’ or outlaws.

Much like Robin Hood and his men, the O’Haughian brothers and their friends targeted the rich and gave to the poor. Living the life of highwaymen, they often stopped horse drawn carriages at gunpoint on remote “highways”, stealing whatever valuables they could get and handing these over to poorer people who were struggling during a time of ever-increasing rents and religious persecution.

This brought the attention of the authorities who pursued the gang and offered rewards for their arrest. One by one they were successful in their pursuit of the highwaymen, with many being arrested and hanged. While a group of O’Haughian’s men left the country to escape detention, Naoise remained in Ireland, continuing his campaign of retribution whilst outsmarting the authorities time and again.

He moved from the Antrim Hills to the Belfast Hills, taking shelter around Ballyutoag at the back of Divis and below the Hatchet Field on Black Mountain. He often made his way to Ballymagarry, Ballymurphy, Ballyhill, Hightown Hill and Craigarogan, roaming, raiding and seeking refuge with sympathetic locals. As time went on, Naoise’s brazen escapes from the law became more frequent. One close encounter saw him narrowly escape arrest by leaping across the Lagan, leaving his pursuers stranded on the other side of the riverbank.

It was after this particular incident that Naoise began to lay very low, seemingly disappearing from skirmishes with the authorities and his life of theft. Without Naoise to distract them, the soldiers became bored. One day they began a bet amongst themselves to see who could jump clear over two horses. The bet was easily won by one of the soldiers, and so the jump was increased to three horses with a bigger winning on offer. No one could make the jump and the call went out to the public. Only one man took on the challenge and cleared all three horses with very little effort. Upon seeing the man completing the jump an officer immediately realised who this stranger was before his eyes. Naoise O’Haughian.

Naoise was arrested, brought to Carrickfergus Castle and sentenced to death. He didn’t manage to slip the noose this time and was hanged in 1720. O’Haughian’s head was placed on a spike near that of his brother’s Shane Óg, who had been hanged two years earlier.

O’Haughian’s Treasure

Legend has it that the O’Haughian brothers and their gang of Rapparees hid some of the treasure they stole in the Belfast Hills. The secret spot is said to be five jumps to the east of a spot where you can see five castles, five loughs and five counties. Perhaps inspired by the legend of O’Haughian’s treasure, Cave Hill was once subject to a gold rush from locals “who heard, or dreamed, or fancied that they were to be the discoverers of hidden treasure.” (George Benn The History of the Town of Belfast, 1823) You can still see where they dug into McArt’s Fort on one side, however the secret loot has never been uncovered to this day…