Ballingarry, County Limerick

Ballingarry Baile an Gharraí
Village
Housing in Ballingarry
Ballingarry Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52.474°N 8.863°W / 52.474; -8.863
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Limerick
Population  (2022)[1]	570
Eircode routing key	V94
Dialling code	069
Irish Grid Reference	R413361

Ballingarry (Irish: Baile an Gharraí, meaning 'town of the garden')^[2] is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. It is located near the village of Granagh and between the towns of Rathkeale and Kilmallock on the R518 road. Ballingarry lies in a civil parish of the same name,^[2] and within the ecclesiastical parish of Ballingarry-Granagh in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick.^[3] The village had a population of 570 as of the 2022 census, up from 521 at the 2016 census.^[1][4]

History

The remains of Ballingarry Castle

Evidence of ancient settlement around Ballingarry includes several ringfort and holy well sites.^[5] A number of early medieval religious houses, including a preceptory associated with the Knights Templar or Knights Hospitaller, were founded nearby from the 12th century.^[6] On Knight Street, within the village, is the 15th century Ballingarry Castle.^[7] This Norman tower house is traditionally associated with the De Lacy family.^[8][9]

The village's Church of Ireland church was built, in 1820,^[10] at the site of an earlier church and graveyard enclosure.^[11] The current Roman Catholic church is dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and opened in 1879.^[12] These churches are among seven buildings, in Ballingarry, included in the Record of Protected Structures for County Limerick.^[13][14]

Ballingarry had a significant weaving and linen industry until the Great Famine of the mid-19th century.^[9]

Sport

The local Gaelic Athletic Association club, Granagh-Ballingarry GAA, is primarily involved in hurling and camogie. The club's hurling team won the Limerick Intermediate Hurling Championship in 2023.^[15] The Granagh-Ballingarry camogie team won the All-Ireland Senior Club Camogie Championship in 1998, 1999 and 2003.^[16]

The local association football (soccer) club, Ballingarry A.F.C., won the Desmond League Premier Division in 2003/2004.^[17]

Notable people

• Anthony Forde (b.1993), footballer with Wrexham A.F.C., is from the area.^[18]
• Edward Joseph Hannan (1836–1891), priest and founder of Hibernian Football Club, was born in Ballingarry in 1836.^[19][20]
• Patrick Walsh (1840–1899), a US Senator for Georgia, was born in Ballingarry in 1840. Appointed as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Alfred H. Colquitt; subsequently elected and served from April 1894 to March 1895.^[21]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. "Ballingarry (Ireland) Census Town". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
2. "Baile an Gharraí/Ballingarry". Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie). Retrieved 4 December 2021.
3. "Ballingarry-Granagh Parish". limerickdiocese.org. Diocese of Limerick. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
4. "Sapmap Area: Settlements Ballingarry". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
5. Record of Monuments and Places - County Limerick. Dublin: National Monuments and Historic Properties Service. 1997.
6. Lewis, Samuel, ed. (1837). "Ballingarry". A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. Dublin.
7. "Ballingarry Castle". Our Irish Heritage. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
8. Ballingarry Castle, Co. Limerick (PDF), retrieved 15 November 2023 – via limerickcity.ie
9. "Ballingarry-Granagh - History". limerickdioceseheritage.org. Diocese of Limerick. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
10. "Ballingarry Church, Main Street, Cloontemple, Ballingarry, Limerick". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
11. Molony, Henry (1905). "Ancient Churches and Topography of Ballingarry Parish, County Limerick". Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 35 (3): 258. JSTOR 25507452. The old parish church of Ballingarry stood in the village within 14 feet of, and parallel to, the modern structure. Only part of its eastern gable and northern side wall remain
12. "Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Turret Street, Rylanes, Ballingarry, Limerick". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
13. Limerick Development Plan 2022-2028 - Volume 2 / Level 4 - Large Villages, Settlement Zoning and Development Objectives (PDF) (Report). Limerick City and County Council. July 2022. p. 11.
14. Limerick Development Plan 2022-2028 - Volume 3C - Record of Protected Structures - Adare-Rathkeale Municipal District (PDF) (Report). Limerick City Council. June 2022. p. 39.
15. "Flynn's late brace fires Granagh-Ballingarry to Limerick intermediate hurling final glory". limerickgaa.ie. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
16. "Granagh/Ballingarry face Killeedy in the Limerick senior county final". camogie.ie. The Camogie Association. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
17. "Ballingarry AFC Club Honours". ballingarryafc.com. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
18. "Limerick soccer player's fairytale FA Cup journey". limerickpost.ie. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
19. "Canon Hannan | Football | Hibs History | Hibernian Historical Trust | UK". Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
20. "Canon Edward Joseph Hannan (1836 - 1891)". www.hibshistoricaltrust.org.uk. Hibernian Historical Trust. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
21. "Bioguide Search - Walsh, Patrick - 1840–1899". Biographical Dictionary of the United States Songress. Retrieved 15 November 2023.