Ballysteen
Village in County Limerick, Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ballysteen (Irish: Baile Stiabhna) is a small village and townland in County Limerick, Ireland.[1] It is located in the civil parish of Iveruss and the historical barony of Kenry.[1]
Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ringfort, enclosure and tower house sites in the townlands of Ballysteen, Beagh, Ballinvoher and Issane.[2] Beagh Castle, an outpost fortification built in the 13th century by the FitzGerald family,[3] is located close to Ballysteen village.[4] Ballysteen House, an 18th-century country house,[5] is reputedly built on the site of the former Ballysteen Castle.[6] The Catholic church in Ballysteen, which dates to 1861,[7] is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick.[8] The ruins of a 15th or 16th-century chapel and churchyard are nearby in Beagh townland.[9][10] Ballysteen's Carnegie library (constructed c. 1905) was restored in the early 21st century and is now a community and heritage centre.[11]
Local sports clubs include Ballysteen GAA (a Gaelic Athletic Association club which fields teams in competitions organised by Limerick GAA),[12] and Ballysteen AFC (an association football (soccer) club which participates in the Limerick Desmond League).[13] The local primary school, Ballysteen National School, had an enrollment of 26 pupils as of 2024.[14]
