Balla (pronounced ''Bal'') () is a village in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

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 ...

on the N60

National secondary road A national secondary road ( ga, Bóthar Náisiúnta den Dara Grád) is a category of road in Ireland. These roads form an important part of the national route network but are secondary to the main arterial routes which are classified as national ...

, the main road between

Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Developing around a 13th century castle of the de Barry family, de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal poi ...

and

Claremorris Claremorris (; ) is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. It is the fastest growing town in the county. There was a 31% increase in the town's population between 2006 and 2011 an ...

. The economy of the village survives mainly on passing trade, from the busy N60 which carries over 7,000 vehicles through the village every day. It is notable for its

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and ful ...

. It used to be a significant shop and market centre. It fell into decline and lost its railway station, but has enjoyed something of a revival as a residential area for people working in Castlebar. In early times the village was known as 'Ros Dairbhreach', meaning 'The Height of the Oak Wood'. The continuing importance of the oak to the local community is reflected in the appropriately named "Dawn Oak 2000" project. At the beginning of the 21st century, 2000 oak trees were planted, creating a new wood in Balla's town park.

Name

According to

Adrian Room Adrian Richard West Room (27 September 1933, Melksham – 6 November 2010, Stamford, Lincolnshire)''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2002; accessed 20 May 2013. was a British toponymist and onomastician, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical So ...

in ''A Dictionary of Irish Placenames'', the name refers to the ''Tobar Mhuire'', known in English as the Blessed Well, i.e., of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

) to the west of Balla. This was enclosed by a wall in the 7th century, traditionally by Saint Mo Chua.

History

The founder of the local monastery appears to have been Mo Chua. Tradition has it that

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

himself had rested in Balla.

Pat Nally Patrick William Nally (13 March 1857 – 8 November 1891) was a member of the Supreme Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and well known Connacht athlete from Balla, County Mayo. A prolific sportsman, Nally organised some of the sports even ...

(1857–1891), an athlete and member of the Supreme Council of the

Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...

, was born in Rockstown House near Balla. The P.W. Nally monument, a

Celtic Cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...

, was erected in Balla with the aid of a public subscription, and was unveiled in 1900 by

Mark F. Ryan Mark Francis Ryan (10 November 1844 – 17 June 1940), was an Irish revolutionary, a leading Member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and author. Family Mark Ryan was born in Uracly in the parish of Kilconly, a few miles from Tuam, County Gal ...

William Hamilton Maxwell William Hamilton Maxwell (30 June 1792 in Newry, County Down, Ireland – 29 December 1850 in Musselburgh, Scotland) was an Irish novelist. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. He claimed to have entered the British Army and seen service ...

(1792–1850), a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

in Balla, wrote ''Wild Sports of the West'' while resident there in the 19th century.

Transport

Balla railway station opened on 17 December 1862, but closed to passenger traffic on 17 June 1963, and closed altogether on 2 December 1974.

Sport

Balla GAA is the village's main sports club. Manulla FC is the local

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club.

Annalistic references

See

Annals of Inisfallen Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...

. * ''AI693.1Kl. Repose of Crónán of Balla, and of Udríne, bishop of Mag Bile. U 694''

References