Ballingarry, County Limerick
Village in County Limerick, Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
Ballingarry
Baile an Gharraí | |
|---|---|
Village | |
Housing in Ballingarry | |
  Ballingarry Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 52.474°N 8.863°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Limerick |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 570 |
| Eircode routing key | V94 |
| Dialling code | 069 |
| Irish Grid Reference | R413361 |
History
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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, formerly of 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]
