Ballygall () is a small suburban area located between
Glasnevin
Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home t ...
and
Finglas
Finglas (; ) is a northwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It lies close to Junction 5 of the M50 motorway, and the N2 road. Nearby suburbs include Glasnevin and Ballymun; Dublin Airport is to the north. Finglas lies mainly in the posta ...
, on the northside of the city of
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. It is also a
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...
divided between the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
of
Finglas
Finglas (; ) is a northwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It lies close to Junction 5 of the M50 motorway, and the N2 road. Nearby suburbs include Glasnevin and Ballymun; Dublin Airport is to the north. Finglas lies mainly in the posta ...
and that of
Glasnevin
Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home t ...
. It was settled by
Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
in the 11th century, and later by the
Cambro-Norman
Cambro-Normans ( la, Cambria; "Wales", cy, Normaniaid Cymreig; nrf, Nouormands Galles) were Normans who settled in South Wales, southern Wales, and the Welsh Marches, after the Norman invasion of Wales, allied with their counterpart families ...
s.
The area is largely residential, with
St Kevin's College, some shops, and a church and schools.
Etymology
The Cambro-Normans called it ''Fyngallestoun'', the township of
Fingal
Fingal ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which was disestablished for administrative purposes in 1994. ...
, but the indigenous
Gaels
The Gaels ( ; ga, Na Gaeil ; gd, Na Gàidheil ; gv, Ny Gaeil ) are an ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man in the British Isles. They are associated with the Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic langu ...
called it the town of the Galls, or foreigners, hence in
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
, ''Baile na nGall''. Whether from the Normans or the Gaels, it was abbreviated later in old charters to ''Gallstoun''. It seems to have been originally settled by a man called Arthur, hence it appears also as Arthurstoun. It seems to have morphed from Gallstoun to Ballygall sometime in the 16th century. There are many similarly-named denominations in the archives of the Registry of Deeds.
History
A place called Arthureston is mentioned explicitly as a
manor in the
Chancery Rolls of Ireland in several places under several entries during the reign of King
Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
in the 14th century. A very specific reference to Fyngaleston relates to ''Cristofor de Preston''. It is also mentioned in the ''Calendar of the Gormanstown Register'' as a manor, and was the original seat of the Prestons, the principal landholders of Fingal, before they moved to and became lords and later
Viscounts of Gormanston. It was granted in 1318 as a Manor to William de Prestoun:
A
quit-claim of 1334 in the Gormanston Register also refers: ''Quit-claim of Arthurestoun, which is called Fyngallestoun. Hugh de Lacy, knight, has for ever released to William de Prestoun, burgess of Drogheda, all his right and claim.''
Fyngalleston was the first royal grant made to the Prestons in Ireland, for laudable services, an honour. It was previously a knight’s property, with associated demesnes and lordships. It may in fact be the only manorial title which the Prestons held originally directly from the Crown (as distinct from those to which they succeeded from others). It was therefore held as ''
tenants-in-chief
In medieval and early modern Europe, the term ''tenant-in-chief'' (or ''vassal-in-chief'') denoted a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as oppos ...
'', and as their initial principal manor. Although the Prestons later disposed of the lands, the
lordship of the manor
Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...
was not alienated, and remained with the Prestons ''under reversion'', and passed eventually to a resident of Ballygall. At the time in 1363 when the lands were being disposed,
Robert de Prestoun was deeply involved in the acquisition of the more substantial Manor of Gormanston. In fact Gormanston was acquired in the same year as the lands at Fyngallestoun were disposed. It is not known exactly when the manor of Fyngallestoun ceased to function as a manor (with courts leet and baron), but it is likely that it ceased when the Prestons moved from Fyngallestoun to Gormanston c. 1363, which then became their chief manor (and for which extensive records of manorial courts exist still in the ownership and custody of
Viscount Gormanston
Viscount Gormanston is a Peerage, title in the Peerage of Ireland created in 1478 and held by the head of the Preston family, which hailed from Lancashire. It is the oldest Viscount, vicomital title in the British Isles; the holder is Premier Vi ...
). The shift in nomenclature of Fyngallestoun/Gallstoun to Ballygall probably occurred in the 16th century.
Historically, a large part of the original
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...
of Ballygall belonged to the Ball family.
Margaret Bermingham (1515-1584) married
Bartholomew Ball
Bartholomew Ball (died 1573) was Mayor of Dublin in 1553–54.
He was the son of Thomas Ball and Margaret Birmingham. The Ball family owned lands in Dublin at Ballygall near Glasnevin and operated the bridge over the River Dodder after which Bal ...
, a prosperous merchant who held houses in Ballygall and Merchants’ Quay. Their manor house Ballygall House was built in the early 16th century, most likely on the site of the old Manor of Fyngallestoun, and was located where the modern housing estate now called Hillcrest Park is located. Ballygall House was located between the present houses numbered 10-60 in Hillcrest Park, its demesne extending to Glasnevin Avenue. The Ballygall estate which belonged to the Ball family in the 16th century was used for agricultural purposes right up to 1964 when the last owners, the Craigie family of Merville Dairy in Finglas, sold it for housing development.
Margaret Ball
Margaret Ball (1515–1584) was a prominent member of 16th-century Irish society, who, despite being the widow of a Lord Mayor of Dublin, was arrested for her adherence to the Catholic faith and died of deprivation in the dungeons of Dublin Cas ...
(the former Margaret Bermingham) maintained a Catholic household at Ballygall House where she gave refuge to Catholic clergy and provided education to the children of Catholic families despite being prohibited to do so by
Penal Laws. Imprisoned by her son,
Walter Ball (d. 1598), who conformed to the established (Anglican) church and who became Mayor of Dublin in 1577, she died in 1584 in
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin.
Until 1922 it was the se ...
. In September 1992
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
beatified Margaret Ball along with 16 other martyrs who had died at the hands of English authorities in Ireland due to their unwillingness to accept the Protestant faith. She is ''Secondary Patroness'' of the Roman Catholic Parish of Ballygall, which includes an oratory to her memory.
Location
Ballygall lies within the southern part of ancient
Fingal
Fingal ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which was disestablished for administrative purposes in 1994. ...
, although the modern county of the same name has its southern boundary a bit further north. Its centre is about 2 km from the centre of Glasnevin and 3 km from central Finglas. Ballygall is divided between the
barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of
Castleknock
Castleknock () is an affluent suburb located west of the centre of Dublin city, Ireland. It is centered on the village of the same name in Fingal.
In addition to the suburb, the name "Castleknock" also refers to older units of land division: ...
to the west and the barony of
Coolock
Coolock () is a large suburban area, centred on a village, on Dublin city's Northside (Dublin), Northside in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Coolock is crossed by the Santry River, a prominent feature in the middle of the district, with a linear ...
to the east. Ballygall lies between the villages of
Finglas
Finglas (; ) is a northwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It lies close to Junction 5 of the M50 motorway, and the N2 road. Nearby suburbs include Glasnevin and Ballymun; Dublin Airport is to the north. Finglas lies mainly in the posta ...
and
Glasnevin
Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home t ...
, and the old parish, now large suburban district, of
Ballymun
Ballymun () is an outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland, at the northern edge of the Northside, the green-field development of which began in the 1960s to accommodate a housing crisis in inner city areas of Dublin. While the newly built housing was ...
.
Within the area of
Fingal
Fingal ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which was disestablished for administrative purposes in 1994. ...
, a location identified as “Gallenstown” appears in the map of County Dublin drawn by Sir
William Petty
Sir William Petty FRS (26 May 1623 – 16 December 1687) was an English economist, physician, scientist and philosopher. He first became prominent serving Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth in Ireland. He developed efficient methods to su ...
in the 17th century. Ballygall (Gallstown in Gaelic is Baile na nGall, anglicised Ballygall) is a modern parish between Finglas and
Santry
Santry () is a suburb on the northside of Dublin, Ireland, bordering Coolock, Glasnevin, Kilmore and Ballymun. It straddles the boundary of Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council jurisdictions.
The character of the area has changed ...
in old Fingal, and is referred to as Ballygals or Ballygales in the
Civil Survey
The Civil Survey was a cadastral survey of landholdings in Ireland carried out in 1654–56. It was separate from the Down Survey, which began while the Civil Survey was in progress, and made use of Civil Survey data to guide its progress. Whereas ...
of 1654. The Civil Survey relates properties in very close proximity in the Finglas-Santry axis: Finglas (p. 143); Barnewall’s farm ''"south with ye lane leading from Ffinglas to Ballygals, west to Arthur’s land, north to Jamestown,
tc.. This area comprising Finglas, Ballygall, and through Santry to the coast near
Howth
Howth ( ; ; non, Hǫfuð) is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes ...
, just north of Dublin would have been the original heartland of Fingal, “land of the foreigners” from which they gradually spread north along the coast and inland, hence the original denomination of Fyngallestoun. The neighbouring Manor of Glasnevin is now the Holy Faith Convent.
The modern townland has an area of of which are in the Barony of Castleknock, Civil Parish of Finglas, and in the Barony of Coolock, Civil Parish of Glasnevin.
Boundaries
The portion of the townland in the parish of Finglas covers the areas of Ballygall Road East, Hillcrest, Benevin and parts of Glasnevin Avenue to the north with Saint Kevin's College on the southern boundary. The portion of the townland in the Civil Parish of Glasnevin covers the area from Ballygall Road East in front of the Church of the Our Mother of Divine Grace and the western portion of
St. Canices Road and Wadelai estate
Religion
Ballygall is a
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
in the
Fingal South West deanery of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin
The Archdiocese of Dublin ( ga, Ard-Deoise Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the eastern part of Ireland. Its archepiscopal ...
, served by the Church of Our Mother of Divine Grace. Centred on the townland of Ballygall, it was constituted in 1964 from Glasnevin, and its boundaries also include other townlands such as Johnstown, Tolka, Walnut Grove and Wadeli.
Community and voluntary sector
The Catholic parish hosts a unit of the
Order of Malta Ambulance Corps
The Order of Malta Ireland – Ambulance Corps is a voluntary ambulance and first aid organisation operating in Ireland in affiliation with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, founded in 1938.
Its purposes include teaching first aid, prov ...
and its cadets.
Notable people from Ballygall
*Blessed
Margaret Ball
Margaret Ball (1515–1584) was a prominent member of 16th-century Irish society, who, despite being the widow of a Lord Mayor of Dublin, was arrested for her adherence to the Catholic faith and died of deprivation in the dungeons of Dublin Cas ...
(1514–1584), Irish martyr
*
Walter Ball (d.1598), Mayor of Dublin, co-founder of
Trinity College Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
*
Patrick Cosgrave
Patrick John Francis Cosgrave
(28 September 1941 – 16 September 2001) was a British-Irish journalist and writer. A staunch supporter of the British Conservative Party, he was an adviser to Margaret Thatcher whilst she was Leader of the Opposi ...
(1941–2001), journalist, writer and special advisor to Margaret Thatcher
*
Marian Finucane
Marian Finucane ( ; 21 May 1950 – 2 January 2020) was an Irish broadcaster with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). She began working with the national broadcaster in 1974, starting as a continuity announcer. She was the first presenter of ''L ...
, broadcaster
*
Gavin Friday
Gavin Friday (born Fionán Martin Hanvey, 8 October 1959) is an Irish singer and songwriter, composer, actor and painter, best known as a founding member of the post-punk group The Virgin Prunes.
Early life
Friday was born in Dublin and attende ...
, songwriter/performer (1959-)
*
Teresa Mannion
Teresa Mannion (born 1961) is an Irish people, Irish journalist and Television presenter, broadcaster. She has worked as a broadcast news reporter since 2000 and is currently the RTÉ News and Current Affairs reporter based in the West of Ireland ...
, TV broadcaster and news reporter.
*
Jim McQuaid, leading racing cyclist and later national coach
*
Paddy McQuaid, cyclist, later president of the national cycling federation
*
Pat McQuaid
Patrick "Pat" McQuaid (born 5 September 1949 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish road racing cyclist.
He had a strong amateur career and a brief professional period, before moving into race promotion and administration in Ireland and globally, s ...
, racing cyclist, later president of the national cycling federation and the world governing body
*
Colm Meaney
Colm J. Meaney (; ga, Colm Ó Maonaigh; born 30 May 1953) is an Irish actor known for playing Miles O'Brien in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994) and '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). He has guest-starred on many T ...
(1953- ), actor
*
Francis Martin O'Donnell
Francis Martin O'Donnell, GCMM, GCEG, KC*SG, KM, KCHS, KCMCO, (born in 1954), an Irish citizen, has served abroad as an international diplomat in senior representative positions with the United Nations until retirement, and later with the S ...
(1954- ), ambassador, Knight of Malta, diplomat, historian
*
James O'Higgins Norman
James O'Higgins Norman PC, MStJ, FRSA holds the UNESCO Chair on Tackling Bullying in Schools and Cyberspace at Dublin City University. He is the director of the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre, and a member of the Governm ...
, academic and author.
*
David O'Leary
David Anthony O'Leary (born 2 May 1958) is a football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United, subsequently managing Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai. The majority of his 20-yea ...
(1958- ), Irish soccer international footballer
*
Barney Rock
Barney Rock (born 10 January 1961) is a former Gaelic footballer and Manager (Gaelic games), manager at club and inter-county level (he managed Westmeath county football team, Westmeath in the mid-1990s).
Biography
Born in Ballymun, but growing ...
, Dublin County footballer 1979-1991
*
Linda Gorman, Ireland women's soccer team and manager
References
{{Dublin residential areas
Townlands of County Dublin