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BAL
the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is appropriate
to the deanery and archdeaconry of Killala. The tithes
amount to £368. 11. 8½., of which £175. 7. 8½. is paid
to the impropriators, and the remainder to the vicar;
the entire tithes of the benefice amount to £273. 4.
The church is a neat plain edifice, erected by a loan of
£1025 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1810;
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have lately granted
£131 for its repair. The glebe-house, a handsome resi-
dence, was built by aid of a gift of 400 and a loan of
£400 from the same Board, in 1820: the glebe com-
prises 29 acres. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with
that of the Established Church; a chapel is now in
process of erection in the village of Cooncal, and will be
completed in a short time. There are places of worship
for Presbyterians, Wesleyan Methodists, and Baptists.
There are five public schools, of which a female school
is supported by the Misses Knox, of Rappa, and in
which about 200 boys and 200 girls are taught; also
two hedge schools, in which are about 100 boys and 30
girls. There are some remains of the ancient abbey of
Rosserick or Reserk, near the river Moy, founded by
one of the sept of Joyce, for friars of the Franciscan
order; they consist of the ruins of the church and a
burial-ground; in the centre of the gable end is a square
tower, and in the monastery is a closet of hewn stone
for two confessors.
BALLON, a parish, in the barony of FORTH, county
of CABLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 3½ miles (S. E.)
from Tullow; containing 1439 inhabitants, of which
number, 161 are in the village. This parish is situated
on the road from Newtown-Barry to Carlow, and com-
prises 3520 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe
act: it is principally grazing land; the state of agricul-
ture is much improved; and in Ballon hill is a quarry
of fine granite. The gentlemen’s seats are Larogh, the
residence of J. O’Brien, Esq.; and Altamount, of Nelson
St. George, Esq. Fairs are held here on March 28th,
and Aug. 12th. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of
Leighlin, and is part of the union of Aghade: the rec-
tory is impropriate in Lord Cloncurry. The tithes
amount to £220 of which £140 is payable to the im-
propriator, and £80 to the incumbent. In the R. C.
divisions, this parish forms part of the union or district
of Gilbertstown, called also Ballon and Ratoe: the
chapel, situated in the village of Ballon, is in good re-
pair. In the village is also a school for boys and girls,
for which the school-house was built by R. Marshall,
Esq.; and there is another at Conaberry. These
schools afford instruction to about 160 boys and 160
girls; and there are two hedge schools, in which are
about 190 boys and 130 girls.
BALL’S-BRIDGE, a village, in that part of the
parish of ST. MARY, DONNYBROOK, which is within the
county of the city of DUBLIN, in the province of LEIN-
STER, 1½ mile (S. E.) from the Post-office, Dublin: the
population is returned with the parish. This place
derives its name from a bridge of three arches erected
here over the Dodder, in 1791, and rebuilt in 1835. It
is pleasantly situated on the high road from Dublin to
Kingstown and Bray, and on the left or west bank of
the river, which issues from the mountains near Rock-
brook, and falls into the Liffey near Ringsend. In the
immediate vicinity, and on the right of the road from
Dublin, stood Baggot-rath Castle, which was seized du-
VOL. I.—121
BAL
ring the night by the forces of the Marquess of Ormonde,
on his meditated investiture of the city, in 1649; but
soon after daybreak on the following morning, the
assailants were driven out by the garrison of Dublin
and pursued and completely defeated. In 1651 the
castle was taken by storm by Oliver Cromwell. All
remains of it have long since disappeared; and within
the last few years several handsome houses have been
erected on its site. Adjoining the village, on the south,
and along the banks of the Dodder, are works for print-
ing linen, calico, and cotton, established about the year
1740, and since greatly extended and improved by
Messrs. Duffy and Co., who for more than 40 years have
been the sole proprietors. They are at present capable
of finishing 100,000 pieces annually, are worked by the
water of the Dodder and by steam-engines of 40-horse
power, and afford constant employment to more than
400 persons. Near the village are the Hammersmith
iron-works, established in 1834 by Mr. R. Turner: the
front of this extensive establishment is 200 feet long,
presenting a handsome facade towards the road; and
at the back are numerous dwelling-houses for the work-
men, which are called the Hammersmith cottages. The
road on which these works are situated has been greatly
improved; wide footpaths have been formed, and the
whole is lighted with gas. Nearly adjoining the works
are the botanical gardens belonging to Trinity College,
The village is within the jurisdiction of the Dublin
Court of Conscience for the recovery of small debts, and
for all criminal matters within that of the metropolitan
police. In the post-office arrangements it is within the
limits of the twopenny-post delivery. An infants
school, a neat building with apartments for a master
and mistress, was erected chiefly at the expense of Mr.
and Mrs. Patten: here is also a dispensary.—See DON-
NYBROOK (ST. MARY).
BALLY.—See BALLEE.
BALLYADAMS, a parish, partly in the barony of
STRADBALLY, but chiefly in that of BALLYADAMS,
QUEEN’S county, and province of LEINSTER, 3½ miles
(S. W.) from Athy; containing, with the parish of Bal-
tintubber, 2165 inhabitants. This parish, which gives
name to the barony within which it is chiefly included,
and is also called Kilmakedy, is situated on the road from
Carlow to Maryborough; and comprises 6811 statute
acres, as applotted under the tithe act, of which about
30 are woodland, 260 bog, and the remainder good arable
land. The state of agriculture is improving; limestone
is quarried for building and burning; there are some
quarries of good flag-stone, and coal is found in the
parish. Ballyadams Castle is the seat of Capt. Butler;
Gracefield, of Mrs. Kavanagh; and Popefield, of Capt.
Pope. To the north of the old castle is Southville, for-
merly a residence of the late Richard Grace, of Boley,
Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the dio-
cese of Leighlin, with the rectory and vicarage of Bal-
lintubber united from time immemorial; the patronage
is disputed, and in the mean time the Bishop presents.
The tithes of the united parishes amount to £553. 16. 11.
The church of the union is at Ballintubber; the old
parish church is a ruin situated on an eminence, and
containing a monument with the recumbent effigies of
Sir Robert Bowen, of Ballyadams Castle, and his lady,
and one to the memory of the late Major-Gen. Sir Ed-
ward Butler. There is neither glebe nor glebe-house.
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