Ballinapeaka (Leagan Gaeilge – Baile na Péice):
The townland of Ballinapeaka is situated four kilometres north of Glenamaddy Town in north-east County Galway. Other forms of the townland name which appear in archival records are Ballinapeakea, Ballinapeka and Ballinapake. The townland is wedge-shaped, tapering to a point at Ardeevin National School. The Irish version of the townland name translates as ‘the town with the pointed feature’, baile meaning town and péice (péac) meaning point. O’Donovan’s gives the Irish name of the townland in his Field Name Books prepared ion the 1830s as “stone of the stake” but that doesn’t make sense. In c. 1920 Fr. Conway translated the Irish name as “the village with the long tail or other pointed feature”.
Distinctive Features:
- This townland is wedge-shaped arriving at a point in the north west beside Ardeevin School
- Ballinastack Turlough occupies part of the south eastern portion of the townland.
- The 1840 Historic Ordnance Survey Map identifies sixteen houses fitting the definition of a clachan in the centre of the townland
1656-58 Down Survey:
The Down Survey name of the townland is given as Drumatreene. The 1670 landowner is listed as Edmond Clorane who is described as being a Catholic. The unprofitable land was adjudged to be 80 plantation acres with the profitable land amounting to 121 plantation acres. Thus, the area to be forfeited came to 121 plantation acres.
1823 – 1838 Tithe Applotment Books:
Surviving documentation of the Tithe Applotment Books is in poor condition making it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to trace the townland and decipher the names of landholders. In so far as it can be ascertained the only Catholic landholder in the townland of “Ballinapake” who paid the tithe (tax) levied to support the Established Church (Church of Ireland) was Pat Shiel. Protestant occupiers of agricultural holdings were exempt from this tax.
1838 O’Donovan’s Field Name Books:
O’Donovan describes the townland as follows – “The South portion of this townland is bog, there is an old sand pit 13/4 chains West of the East boundary. Ballinapeaka village is in the N.N.W. portion of this townland. The remainder of the townland is tillage and pasture.” Part of the eastern side of the townland is situated in Ballinastack Turlough and is subject to flooding. O’Donovan recorded 16 dwellings in the townland on the occasion of his visit.
1856 Griffith’s Valuation:
The townland covers an area of 109 acres 1 roods 15 perches and the total rateable valuation of the land and buildings combined amounted to £28 5s 0d. The occupiers in Ballinapeaka are given as – Collins (3), Stritch and Shiel. At the time of Griffith’s Valuation the landlord in Ballinapeaka was Richard D’Arcy.
Adjoining Townlands:
The following townlands share a border with Ballinapeaka – Ardeevin, Ballinastack, Clooncon East, Stonepark and Stonetown.
Census Records:
Population and Household data for the townland of Ballinapeaka:
Glenamaddy and the Irish Folklore Collections:
The article posted on this website under the ‘Heritage > Folklore’ tab provides an overview of the folklore material submitted by Glenamaddy parishioners to the National Folklore Commission, now known as the Irish Folklore Collections. It also explains the background to the 1937 Schools’ Collection (Bailiúchán na Scol) project which has good representation from a parish perspective.
The Irish Folklore Collections housed in the Folklore Department of University College Dublin contain a treasure trove of folklore material, some of which is accessible online. Both the Main Manuscript Collection and the Schools’ Collection contain a considerable number of submissions from collectors and informants who resided in the parish of Glenamaddy. The quick reference directories featured in the ‘Parish > Townlands’ section of this website complement the user-friendly search features of the dúcas.ie website and are helpful in tracking Schools’ Collection submissions associated with townlands. Submissions are categorised under – School, Teacher, Language, Volume Number, Page Number, Collector, Collector’s Townland, Informant and Informant’s Townland. Where applicable, Schools’ Collection directories showing online townland-related submissions appear at the end of the following townland posts on this website – Ballinapeaka, Ballinastack, Barna, Boyounagh_More (Middletown),_Bushtown, Cashel, Classaghroe, Cloonacross, Clooncon_East, Clooncon_West, Cloonkeen, Cultiafadda, Eskeromullacaun (Esker), Felimspark, Glenamaddy, Gortaganny, Gortnagier, Kiltullagh, Knockauns, Lisheenaheltia, Loughpark, Meelick, Scotland, Shannagh_More, Stonetown and Woodfield.
Parish folklore submissions contained in the Schools’ Collection are also accessible online via the following links:-
Árd Aoibhinn National School – Part 1 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613680
Árd Aoibhinn National School – Part 2 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613681
Glenamaddy Girls’ National School – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613677
Glenamaddy Boys’ National School – Part 1 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613678
Glenamaddy Boys’ National School – Part 2 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613679
Gort na Léime National School – Part 1 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4569061
Gort na Léime National School – Part 2 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4569062
Lisheenaheltia Girls’ National School – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613675
Lisheenaheltia Boys’ National School – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613676
Schools’ Collection Townland-Related Quick Reference Directory:
Glenamaddy submissions which form part of the Main Manuscript Collection are not posted online but may be examined in the reading room of the Folklore Department in U.C.D., Belfield, Dublin 4. Typed versions of some of the parish contributions contained in the Main Manuscript Collection are published under the ‘Heritage > Folklore’ tab on this website.
Quick Reference Directory of Glenamaddy folklore submissions in the Main Manuscript Collection:-
Author: Pat Keaveny
Sources:
Townlands in County Galway
1840 Historic Ordnance Survey Map
Place Name Books of Galway
The Down Survey of Ireland
The Tithe Applotment Books, 1823-1837
Griffith Valuation – Ask About Ireland
Central Statistics Office
National Archives: Census Reports 1901/1911
Essex University: Historic Population Census Reports
Historic Environment Viewfinder
Historical Notes on the Parish of Glenamaddy. Fr Walter Conway