Witches of Islandmagee: The story of the last known witch trial in Ireland which took place in 1711 to be brought to greater public attention

The trial of eight women convicted of witchcraft took place more than 300 years ago in Islandmagee and is believed to have been the last witch trial to take place anywhere on the island of Ireland.

The women were found guilty of exercising witchcraft on the body of another local – Mary Dunbar, who is reported to have died of unknown circumstances shortly after the trial.

Known as the ‘Witches of Islandmagee’ they were Janet Carson, Janet Latimer, Janet Main, Janet Millar, Margaret Mitchell, Catherine McCalmond, Janet Liston and Elizabeth Sellor.

The women were tried under the Irish 1586 Witchcraft Act and found guilty by a jury at Co Antrim’s Criminal Assize Court held in Carrickfergus on March 31, 1711.

They were sentenced to a year’s imprisonment and to be pilloried (subject to public scorn) four times on market day for six hours.

At a later trial on September 11, 1711 in the same court, William Sellor – father to Elizabeth Sellor and husband to Janet Liston – was also found guilty of Mary’s bewitchment.

However, as Mary had died before his trial took place, his offence turned into a capital crime for which it is likely he was put to death.

A plaque to commemorate the trial and conviction of those involved had first been approved by Larne Borough Council in 2015 and was ratified by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council at the end of last year.

The plaque was officially unveiled by the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Noel Williams, at the Gobbins Visitor Centre this morning (Tuesday).

He was joined by Councillor Maeve Donnelly, and Martina Devlin, author of ‘The House Where It Happened’, a fictional story based on the 1711 events, and who has been a long-time advocate of a memorial to those involved.

Alderman Williams said: “This plaque marks what we believe to have been the last so-called witch trial to take place in Ireland.

“One can only imagine the impact this trial would have had on not only the accused, but the entire community. Relatives of those convicted still live in the area today and the story of the Witches of Islandmagee is still very much in the minds of local people.

“The installation of the plaque at the Gobbins Visitor Centre commemorates the events of three centuries ago, remembers all those involved and also highlights the story to those visiting the area who may not be aware of this unique piece of history.”

Meanwhile, a special exhibition on the Witches of Islandmagee has been organised by Carrickfergus Museum in conjunction with Ulster University. It is set to launch in September.

It will include a range of interpretative applications that have been developed by a multi- disciplinary team at the university. These include a virtual reality experience, animation, graphic novel and choice-driven video game.

It will also feature art installations, graphic interpretative panels and a range of objects from museum collections. Further information regarding the exhibition will be publicised in due course.