Ballycroy Parish History

Ballycroy parish has an area of approximately 30 000 acres. The parish of Ballycroy is situated between Mulranny to the south, and Bangor Erris to the north, and is surrounded by the Nephin beg and Achill mountains.  Its coastline is facing westward towards Blacksod Bay.

It is officially in the Barony of Erris with which it has much historical association but much of its trading and social life has been southwards with the towns of Newport, Westport, Achill and Castlebar. 

It is really an entity in itself owing to its unique geographical position and its very own particular history. Ballycroy is quite an ancient parish. Legend has it that the earliest inhabitants were part of a Belgic tribe known, as Domnonii and who according to Bardic scholars were the builders of the royal mansion of Cruachán in Roscommon –Queen Maeve’s palace. One of its descendants was Ferdia, famous for his final and fatal combat with Cúchulainn at Ardee with the Norman Conquest, Erris passed into the hands of De Burgo and Jordan De Exter and then to the Butler family of the Earl of Ormond.

Ballycroy surnames today are quite noticeably Northern. After the rebellions in Ulster in the 17^th Century many families had their lands confiscated and were expelled to Mayo. Roger O’ Donnell son of Colonel Manus O’ Donnell who died in the battle of Benburb in 1646 led these Ulstermen from Ulster to Ballycroy. The O’ Donnell Landlords of Ballycroy introduced a communal form of leasing of land for three years. Over the years this form of leasing changed as the O’ Donnell's sold or leased their property in Ballycroy so that by the 1850s the immediate leasers were George Glendenning the Marquis of Sligo, Reverend Archer Clive, George Clive, Alick Richey, Williams Wilkins, H.J Grant, Sir Roger Palmer and the Binghams.

During the reign of king James, Dermot Cormack bought a lot of land and took the Jacobite side of the war. He subsequently had his land confiscated by William of Orange and he granted it to sir John Shaen of London whose son Sir Arthur Shaen (having no male heir) divided the property between his daughters who married John Bingham and Henry Carter. Their descendants to this day have substantial properties in the area. 

Because of Government regulations regarding Parish boundaries and restrictions on Roman Catholic Priests during the penal times, the present parishes of Kiltane, Belmullet, Ballycroy and Kilcommon are regarded as Kilcommon Civil Parish. When circumstances permitted, these areas returned to their original status as parishes. For civil administration they still appear on all legal documents under the heading “The Kilcommon Parish”.


Ballygaravaun

It is said that as Saint Patrick was crossing the mountains he came to the village of Ballygaravaun. There, he went into a house and asked an old lady for a drink of water. "The well has dried up" she said, "but I can give you a cup of Buttermilk". Saint Patrick said "that will be fine" and she gave it to him, When he drank it, he went down to the garden and dug up a spring under the rocks. "That well will never dry out" he said. The tracks of Saint Patrick's feet can still be seen there. When he was leaving the house he said that nobody in Ballycroy would ever be killed by thunder or lightning. In Ballygaravaun there lived vikings and they were cruel to their prisoners. The ruins of the prisons can be still seen there. There are two giant's graves there also.  

Ballyveeney

Ballyveeney meaning "mouth of gentle Ballyveeney" is situated about 8km from Mulranny. The river which flows from Loch an Aifrinn (A natural spring) bears the same name. Ballyveeney gets its water supply from Loch an Aifrinn.

The lake is 604 feet above sea level. The Lake, which is three and a half miles from Ballyveeney Bridge is in the valley at the base of the Corranabina

Mountain range.

In the penal times the people used to go up the Mountain to hear mass. On one occasion Soldiers followed them and tried to kill the priest but he jumped into the lake and he swam. Unfortunately, the soldiers caught him and it is said that they slaughtered him.

Castlehill

The townland of Castlehill got its name from a castle that was built in it. There are only ruins left now. Not a lot is known about the castle or whom it belonged to. It is said that there is a tunnel going from the castle to Gráinne Mhaoil’s Castle, which is in Fahy. The castle was situated on the highest part of the town land near the sea.

Claggan Graveyard

Claggan Graveyard is the oldest graveyard in Ballycroy. There is a well that dates back to time of St. Fintan. St. Fintan was crossing from Achill to Claggan when his deer broke its leg. He stayed in Claggan and it is said that he lived to be a very old age. “Teach Fintan” or the “House of St. Fintan” is at the site of a small church near Claggan Graveyard. St. Fintan was the author of “The Pagan History of Ireland”. There is a well in the graveyard, which is dedicated to St. Fintan; a station was traditionally performed on three Saturdays before the 15^th of August.

There is a rock outside Claggan Graveyard and a small well beside it. It is said that if you bless yourself with the water from the well you will be able to move the rock with your small finger. St. Fintan’s Grave has a slab over it and the slab is inscribed with a plain cross. Approximately two feet of the slab is visible and the earth hides the remainder. We believe that Claggan Graveyard is 300 years old.

Rock House

One of Claggan’s most historical interests is the Rock House. It got its name because Birch (the owner) built it on a rock.  Birch was so fascinated with the sights and scenery that he bought a lot of land around Ballycroy. Then he sold it to George Clive who made many changes around Claggan. He built fences and many roads. He created many jobs for people around Ballycroy. They didn’t get paid in money but they got paid in food. As time went on people got friendly with the Clive family and George told them about his fight for his life in the Indian war of Independence. He was General in that war; he was landlord of Annagh Island, Bellyvenny, Belygaravaun, Castlehill, Claggan, Claggan Mountain, Drumgallagh and Essuan.  General Clive later died and was buried at the protestant church Ballycroy and there was a rumour that he had one of his most valuable and expensive rings on. One man was so curious that he decided to dig up the grave to get the ring but someone caught him. Later on General Clive’s son came to the Rock House and stayed there.

But he then sold it to the Chambers family who kept it for a while in the family before selling it to a French family called Maillets.  They have made many changes and improvements to the estate such as widening the paths around the house and planting new forest.

Drumgallagh

Drumgallagh got its name from the many Standing Stones (or Galláns) to be found there. Or perhaps it means the ridge of the stones or sally rods.

There is a megalithic tomb called a portal dolmen situated in the property of Mr. Johnny McManamon. It has been there for thousands of years; it was probably built in the Stone Age. It is the second biggest dolmen in Ireland. It is said that people buried there but the only people we know of is Diarmuid and Gráinne. Before now people didn’t call them dolmens they called them names such as “big flags”, “Giant’s stones” and “Diarmuid and Gráinne's bed”.

It is a single chambered tomb; it is mostly freestanding. A huge capstone rests on three large stones forming a portal or entrance into the chamber itself.

There are also three small wells on the capstones. The dolmen itself weighs approximately ten tonne. This monument is preserved but had been converted in recent times into a shed. A gabled roof of sods and rough thatch was laid across the arthostats. This has now been removed.   

Kildun

The Clive family were landlords in almost every village in Ballycroy during the seventeenth century. George Clive was landlord in Kildun but he did not live there - nor did he live in Mayo. He was a general in the British army and he was based mostly in other parts of the British Empire.

Lettra

There is an old protestant church in Lettra, which was built in 1850. It was built of cut stone and it is a very strong structure. The remains of it still stand. It was no longer used as a church after 1930.

There were eight windows in the church and it also had a belfry. The bell was taken but the belfry still remains. There is a window under the belfry and the church has one big door. There are two tombstones in the churchyard. There are many people buried there.  The two men buried under the tombstones are Thomas Jacob Birch and Francis Dfrmsby. Thomas Jacob Birch died on the 25^th of May 1868 and Francis Dfrmsby died on the 25^th May 1905. The church was build by a Scottish Man. The Protestant people had a school of its own and the remains of it still stand. There is a big wall around it.   

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Rivers of our parish

In Ballycroy, there are three rivers:  “Owen Duff River”,  “Ballyveeney River” and “Tarshahaun River”.

The Owen duff river flows through Shradaggan, Shean and Shranamonragh and runs into the sea at Aughness. It is one of the best salmon fishing rivers in the country. The Tarshahaun River is a tributary of the Owen duff and it rises in the mountain called Curlew. The Ballyvenney River rises in Loch an Aifrinn and flows into the sea at Ballyveeney. The Owen duff river is about twenty-five miles long.

Shean 

There is a lodge in Shean. It was built in 1865. The first cement used in Ballycroy was used on ’Shean Lodge’. The first people that owned the lodge were the Lumsdens. The Craigies now own it. They come to the lodge when they are shooting birds or Fishing. A river runs by the lodge it is named the ‘Owen Duff’. It is twenty-five miles long. It is the longest river is Ballycroy. It is also a good salmon river in that area. You can catch brown trout and sea trout as well. It starts on a mountain called Scardaun. In the lodge there are two Bathrooms, eight bedrooms, a kitchen, a washing room, a gunroom, a rod room, where the fishing rods are kept, and a table tennis room. Oxen drew the stones that were used for the lodge. The lodge has had a lot of changes since it was built. The meaning of Shean is a fairy fort. But there are no fairies in Shean.

The Big Wind

Ballycroy escaped luckily on the night of the big wind in February 1839 except for a few minor incidents. Only one major accident happened in Crosshill when the old RC church was forced to collapse by the strong storm. When it fell, one section of the cross broke off the roof. This can be seen at the present Ballycroy church. Crosshill got its name from this church. The present-day church was built afterwards and while it was being built Mass was said on a Mass rock in Tallagh.