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BAL
In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union
or district which comprises also the parishes of Bal-
lintubber, Tullowmoy, Kilclonbrook, Rathaspeck, and
Teeolme, and contains three chapels, one of which is in
this parish. There is a school of about 80 boys and 50
girls. A school at Ballintubber was founded towards
the close of the last century by Bowen Southwell, Esq.,
who endowed it with £20 per annum; and there are
three pay schools. On a hill opposite to that on which
are the remains of the church, are the ruins of the old
castle of Ballyadams, which was besieged in 1641; they
consist of embattled walls with projecting towers, and
a lofty keep, and present a very interesting appearance.
Near the castle are two very ancient wells sunk a few
feet in the solid limestone rock, the water of which is
supposed to have had medicinal properties imparted to
it by St. Patrick. Cobler’s Castle, bordering on the
barony of Stradbally, was built on the summit of a lofty
hill, to give employment to the neighbouring poor in a
season of scarcity.
BALLYAGHRAN.—See AGHERTON.
BALLYANE, or BALLY ANNE, a parish, in the
barony of BANTRY, county of WEXFORD, and province
of LEINSTER, 2 miles (N. E. by N.) from New Ross; con-
taining 1096 inhabitants. This place is memorable for
a battle which took place at Ballanveigga, in 1643, be-
tween the king’s troops commanded by the Marquess of
Ormonde, after their retreat from New Ross, and the
insurgent forces under Gen. Preston, in which the latter
were defeated and compelled to effect their escape across
the river Barrow. The parish is situated on the high
road from New Ross to Newtown-Barry, and is bounded
on the west by the Barrow, from which a small creek
navigable for lighters affords a facility of conveyance for
limestone for the supply of the neighbouring country.
It comprises 6480 statute acres, consisting of nearly
equal proportions of arable and pasture land; there
is a very little woodland, no waste, and only about
40 acres of bog at Gobbinstown. The soil is generally
light and on the higher grounds shingly, but fertile;
the system of agriculture has been greatly improved.
Ballyane, the handsome seat of Victor OTarrell, Esq.,
is finely situated on the brow of a richly wooded emi-
nence, from which there is an extensive prospect; and
Berkeley, the seat of J. Berkeley Deane, Esq., is a good
mansion embosomed in thriving plantations, and com-
manding a distant view of the White mountains. It is
a rectory, in the diocese of Ferns, and is part of the
union of St. Mary’s, New Ross; the tithes amount to
£243. 3. 6½. The church is in ruins; In the R. C.
divisions it, forms part of the union or district of Cushins-
town, or Carnagh; the chapel is a neat building, and
attached to it is a residence for the clergyman. There is
a school at Rathganogue, founded by the late Henry
Houghton, Esq., who endowed it with £15 per annum
charged on the demesne of Ballyane; the school-house,
a handsome building, was erected on a site given by
Edmund Sweetman, of Sweetmount, Esq., and about
100 children are educated in the school.
BALLYBACON, a parish, in the barony of IFFA and
OFFA WEST, county of TIPPERARY, and province of
MUNSTER, 4 miles (E. by S.) from Clogheen: contain-
ing 2970 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the
mail coach road from Cork to Dublin, and near the river
Suir; and comprises 4158 statute acres, as applotted
122
BAL
under the tithe act. The river Tarr flows through it;
and within its limits is Kilgrogy, the residence of S.
Clutterbuck, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage,
in the diocese of Lismore; the rectory is part of the
union of Kilrush and corps of the archdeaconry of Lis-
more, and the vicarage is united to that of Tubrid. The
tithes amount to £461. 10. 1., of which £283. 0. 10. is
payable to the archdeacon, and £178. 9. 3. to the vicar.
There is no church; the glebe, which belongs to the
archdeacon, comprises 17¾ acres. In the R. C. divisions
this parish forms part of the union of Ardfinnan: two
chapels are now being erected. There are two pay
schools, in which are about 100 boys and 80 girls.
Here is a well, called Ponl-a-Tarr, 48 feet in depth,
from which there is a constant and copious flow of
water.
BALLYBARRACK, a parish, in the barony of UPPER
DUNDALK, county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER,
1¼ mile (S. S. W.) from Dundalk, on the road to Ardee;
containing 444 inhabitants. It comprises, according
to the Ordnance survey, 1018¼ statute acres; the lands
are principally under tillage, and there is neither bog
nor waste. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh,
and wholly impropriate in P. Coleman, Esq: the tithes
amount to £186. 2. 6. There is no church nor any pro-
vision for the cure of souls. In the R. C. divisions it
is in the union or district of Kilcurley, or Haggards-
town, where the chapels are situated. There is a hedge
school, in which are about 50 boys and 20 girls.
BALLYBEG, or BALLYBEGSHANAGH, a parish,
in the barony of ORRERY and KILMORE, county of CORK,
and province of MUNSTER, 1 mile (S.) from Buttevant,
with which parish its population is returned. This
place, which appears to have merged into the parish of
Buttevant, is situated on the river Awbeg, and on the
mail coach road from Cork to Limerick, which towards
Mallow winds for some distance through a rocky glen re-
cently embellished with plantations, and at the northern
opening of which are situated the venerable remains of
the abbey of St. Thomas. This establishment was a
priory for Canons Regular of the order of St. Augustine,
founded by Philip de Barry, who, in 1229, endowed
it with ample revenues, in remembrance of which his
equestrian statue of brass was erected in the church.
The endowment was subsequently augmented, in 1235,
by Sir David de Barry, who founded the friary of But-
tevant. The priory and its possessions were, in the 10th
of Jas. I., granted to Sir. J. Jephson, whose descendant,
C. D. O. Jephson, Esq., is the present proprietor of the
parish. The parish comprises 2045 statute acres, as
applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £1693 per
annum. The only seat is Springfield, the residence of
J. Norcott, Esq. The living is an impropriate rectory,
in the diocese of Cloyne; the tithes, being wholly the
property, of Mr. Jephson, are not under composition;
the occasional duties of the parish devolve on the
incumbent of Buttevant. In the R. C. divisions it is
included in the union or district of Buttevant. The
remains of the abbey consist of the steeple, part of
the chancel with the east window, and a lofty tower
detached from the rest of the building, of which it
originally formed a part, and which shews the whole to
have been an extensive pile. Close to the abbey are
the vestiges of an ancient round tower. Many years
since a stone coffin was excavated from the ruins of the