Ballinalee
Ballinalee
Béal Átha na Lao | |
---|---|
Village | |
Coordinates: 53°46′N 7°38′W / 53.767°N 7.633°W | |
Country | Ireland |
Province | Leinster |
County | County Longford |
Population (2016)[1] | 347 |
Ballinalee (Irish: Béal Átha na Lao),[2] sometimes known as Saint Johnstown, is a village in north County Longford, Ireland. It is situated on the River Camlin, and falls within the civil parish of Clonbroney.[2] As of the 2016 census, the village had a population of 347 people.[1]
Name
The village name in Irish, Béal Átha na Lao or Béal Átha na Laogh, (anglicised as Ballinalee) may be translated as "mouth of the ford of the calves".[3] The village is also sometimes known as Saint Johnstown,[3] a name associated with the local Church of Ireland church of St John.[citation needed]
History
To the south of Ballinalee is Currygrane Lough, which spans the townlands of Drummeel and Currygrane, and contains several possible crannog sites.[4] Another lake, Gurteen Lake or Gorteen Lough, is also situated near the village.[3][5]
Within the surrounding parish is the ruins of Old Clonbroney; The convent built here was reputedly the first such convent in Ireland.[3] It is traditionally associated with St Patrick and Guasacht (Bishop of Granard) and was founded c. 440 AD.[citation needed]
The
It stands on the Camolin rivulet, and on the road from Granard to Longford, 6 miles west-south-west of Granard, 6 north-northwest of Edgeworthstown, and 6 north-east by east of Longford. It is a poor and miserable place,—a small daub caricature of even a
grey friary, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is supposed to have stood on the site of the town; but, if it ever existed, it has become completely untraceable. Area, 11 acres. Pop., in 1831, 255; in 1841, 299. Houses 50.— [8]
In 1798, the town was the scene of numerous summary executions of United Irish
A poem by Antoine Ó Raifteiri (1779–1835), titled "The Lass From Bally-na-Lee", references the town.[10]
During the
Between 30 and 31 January 1953, a riot took place at the post office.[12] The position of postmistress was re-appointed due to unscrupulous business activities. Sean Mac Eoin TD Fine Gael supported the position of the former post mistress. A riot ensued also in support, causing damage and assault to the family and home of the newly appointed post mistress.[13][14]
Amenities
The local Church of Ireland church is dedicated to St. John. This church was built to designs by the Cork-born architect John Hargrave and was completed in 1825.[15]
There are two
The parochial hall on the
Rose Cottage, the building from which Mac Eoin coordinated IRA forces during the Battle of Ballinalee, was opened to the public as an exhibition centre in 2023.[16]
Transport
Donnelly's Pioneer Bus Service, a local bus company based in Granard, operate a route from Granard to Longford via Ballinalee. There are three journeys each way daily (no Sunday service) [17]
Sport
The village's Gaelic Athletic Association team, Sean Connollys GAA Club, primarily plays Gaelic football. The club is named after Sean Connolly, the former IRA member who was born in 1890 near the club's grounds and died in the Selton Hill ambush in 1921.[citation needed]
The club's grounds, located on France Road, also has an 18-hole
Community Games and soccer are also participated in at parish level.[citation needed]
Notable people
- Micheál Carrigy, Fine Gael politician[19]
- Seán Mac Eoin (1893–1973), IRA leader and later Minister for Defence[20]
- Henry Wilson (1864–1922), British Army Field Marshal[21]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Ballinalee". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. April 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Ballinalee or Saintjohnstown". Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Ballinalee". longford.ie. Longford County Council. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ Record of Monuments and Places - County Longford (PDF). National Monuments and Historic Properties Service. 1996.
LF009-032 [..] LF009-033 [..] LF009-034 [..] Currygrane [..] Crannog Possible
- ^ "Archives and Local Studies - Placenames - Clonbroney/Gorteen". longfordlibrary.ie. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ "Constituencies: St Johnstown (Co. Longford)". History of the Irish Parliament. Ulster Historical Foundation. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- HMSO. pp. 1287–93. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ^ "Johnstown (St.)". The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland: Adapted to the New Poor-law, Franchise, Municipal and Ecclesiastical Arrangements, and Compiled with a Special Reference to the Lines of Railroad and Canal Communication, as Existing in 1814-45. Vol. 2. A. Fullarton and Company. 1846. p. 336.
- ^ "Ballinamuck Visitor Centre". Longford Tourism. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ "Antoin Ó Raifteirí: Máire Ní Eidhin (The Lass from Bally-na-Lee)". Love poems & quotes: German, French, Italian, Russian etc. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ Ó Súilleabháin, Seán (2 November 2020). "The Burning of Granard by the Tans and Lancers and legendary defence of Ballinalee by the IRA". longfordleader.ie. Longford Leader. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ "Baton charge at Ballinalee Post Office". "Gardai, Civilians Injured in Melee" (The Irish Press).
- ^ Erskine Childers Minister of Posts and Telegraphs Fianna Fail v Sean Mac Eoin TD Fine Gael. Dail questions and answers Feb 1953.
- ^ "MacEoin, General Seán - Thursday, 5 February 1953 - Dáil Éireann Debate - Vol. 136 Nbr. 2". Oireachtas Debates. 1953. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017.
- ^ "St. John's Church of Ireland Church, Ballinalee, Longford". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ "Historic MacEoin cottage in Longford to open to public". rte.ie. RTÉ News. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ http://www.journeyplanner.transportforireland.ie/nta/TTB/EFA03__00004495_TP.pdf[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Club SFC". Longford Gaelic Stats.
- ^ Cosgrove, Liam (2019). "'Neighbour from hell' is jailed for harassment of Ballinalee family". longfordleader.ie.
- ISBN 0951078321.
- . Retrieved 12 November 2023.