The village of Tullylish is located between Banbridge and Gilford,
and takes its name from 'Tulach Lis' which means the 'hill of the
fort'.
During archaeological excavations of the hill to the east of the
present church, evidence was uncovered of a monastic settlement at
the site, possibly dating back to the 6th or 7th Century. The old
church was built in the late 1690’s on one of the outer
defences of the ancient fort on the site of the former church which
was destroyed in 1641. All that remains is a square, pinnacled
tower, which was added in 1827.
This church was abandoned for the new Parish church, the
foundation stone for which was laid in 1862, whilst the Reverend
William Butler Yeats was Rector here (1836-1862). He was the
grandfather of the celebrated poet laureate, W. B. Yeats and
arguably Ireland’s most famous painter, Jack B. Yeats.
A memorial plaque was erected to him in the church and his photo
hangs in the vestry.
Tullylish village was built around the linen mill industry which
once thrived in this area. The remnants of the bleachworks remains
nearby, although has been converted into a restaurant and pottery.
Both are within walking distance of the cache.
THE CACHE is a round container, camouflaged and with
geocaching sticker. It holds log pages, a pencil and sharpener and
some small swaps.
It is not necessary to touch or move a stone from the nearby
ruins to retrieve the cache. This is a short and quick cache -
easily a cache and dash, although it is worth taking a while to
admire the area on a good day.