The Irish name was Monela “the plain of the glenside”. The village lies between Drumman Heights on one side and Garvagh Hill on the other.

  John Hamilton built the Bawn and gave his name to it and the village, Scottish Planter, Glasgow.  Came over in 1617.  Built his Bawn by 1619 of stone and clay – 60ft square, 12 ft high with 20 families settled around it. 

In 1617 Johns Hamilton married Sarah Brabazon. They had 4 sons and 4 daughters.  John Hamilton rebuilt Mullabrack Parish Church which he found in ruins because of continual warfare.  He died in 1639 and is buried in the Hamilton family vault under the floor of the south aisle of Mullabrack Church.

John was succeeded by his eldest son Hams who was a student at Glasgow University in the year his father died.  He gave up his studies to take charge of his father’s estates, but in 1641 the Irish Rebellion began in which the Native Irish rose against the Planters who had taken their land.  Many landlords fled to England and Scotland.  Hans Hamilton joined the Royalist Forces and fought for them during the English Civil War 1641 – 9.

1660: The restoration of Charles II – Hans Hamilton, now created a knight for services to the crown during the war, came back to Ireland.  Sir Hans built a fairly large and elaborate castle on the site of the old Bawn.  Around this time he married Magdalene Trevor and they had several children, but only one daughter, Sarah, survived to adulthood.