School: St Columba's, Buncrana
- Location:
- Buncrana, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: Eoghan Ua Gallchobhair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1111, Page 025
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“In the penal days when there was a price on the head of every priest.”
In the penal days when there was a price on the head of every priest there lived a priest in Buncrana by the name of Fr. Hegarty. To escape from the soldiers he took refuge in a cave outside the town.
Information was given to the English as to his whereabouts by a man named Doherty, a native of the town. A body of soldiers under Colonel Vaughan made for the cave at night so as to catch him unawares.
Fr. Hegarty however was not caught off his guard for he heard the soldiers coming and he knew he had been betrayed. There was no time to escape by land and so the cave was at the very shore the sea seemed to be his only hope for safety.
Having first of all lit a fire which was a prearranged signal with the people on the other side of the Lough Swilly to let them know that he was in danger he jumped into the water began swimming about, intending to keep floating until a boat would come from the other side and pick him up.
Colonel Vaughan saw that his quarry was not going to be captured as easily as he thought so he shouted to Fr. Hegarty that if he came(continues on next page)