Ballymascanlan (), otherwise Ballymascanlon, is a small village and

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 orig ...

in County Louth,

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 ...

, situated 4 km north-east of

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

on the Cooley Peninsula, on the road to Carlingford.

Locale

The townland runs down to the coast, and is bounded by the Flurry River, running south and reaching the sea at its edge, and a late tributary running east.

History

The name Ballymascanlan means "town of the son of Scanlan": a reference to Scanlan, son of Fingin, chief of the Uí Méith, who died in 672. The Uí Méith were rulers in the kingdom of Oriel until the Anglo-Norman period. An Uí Méith is credited with having defeated the Danes in

Dundalk Bay Dundalk Bay ( ga, Cuan Dhún Dealgan) is a large (33 km2), exposed estuary on the east coast of Ireland. The inner bay is shallow, sandy and intertidal, though it slopes into a deeper area 2 km from the transitional water boundary.< ...

in 833. The village of

Omeath Omeath (; or ''Uí Meth'') is a village on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Ireland, close to the border with Northern Ireland. It is roughly midway between Dublin and Belfast, very near the County Louth and County Armagh / County Down bo ...

on Carlingford Lough also takes name from this group. In 1185, during the Norman-English period, the district of Ballymascanlan as far north as Carrickarnon was donated by

Hugh de Lacy Hugh de Lacy may refer to: * Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Lassy (c.1020–1085), first recorded member of the Norman noble family de Lacy * Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath (died 1186), 4th Baron Lacy * Hugh de Lacy, Abbot of Shrewsbury (died c. 1215/18) *Hug ...

to the Cistercian Abbey of Mellifont. Following the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII the lordship of Ballymascanlan was granted to Sir Edward Moore, ancestor of the Marquess of Drogheda. Sir Garret Moore, 1st Viscount Moore inherited the title and estates in 1600 and was a friend of Hugh O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone, who was a frequent visitor to Mellifont and Ballymascanlon. The associated 'Lands of Ballymascanlon' were transferred from Armagh to Louth ''circa'' 1630. It remained in the hands of the Moore family until the middle of the 18th century. In 1688 the brothers Malcolm and Archibald Mcneill, officers of William III landed in Dundalk and defeated the Celtic Scanlons in the Battle of Ballymascanlon.

Amenities

Ballymascanlan House Hotel is an extended Victorian house on grounds remaining from an estate dating back centuries. The hotel has a leisure centre and swimming pool which allow paid public access, and the grounds include a golf course.

Monuments

On the grounds of the hotel, though strictly speaking in the next townland to the north, Proleek, are a ruined wedge tomb and a portal dolmen.Oxford, UK, 2006: Halpin and Newman, Ireland: An Oxford Archaeological Guide to Sites from Earliest Times to AD 1600, p.329 The dolmen, known as "The Giant's Load," has a 40 tonne capstone and three supporting stones.

References

Towns and villages in County Louth Townlands of County Louth {{Louth-geo-stub

Locale

History

Amenities

Monuments

See also

References