Ballynoe () is a settlement 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 ...
south of
Downpatrick
Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be the b ...
in
County Down,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. It is situated in 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 authorit ...
of
Bright
Bright may refer to:
Common meanings
*Bright, an adjective meaning giving off or reflecting illumination; see Brightness
*Bright, an adjective meaning someone with intelligence
People
* Bright (surname)
* Bright (given name)
*Bright, the stage na ...
and historic
barony of
Lecale Upper
Lecale Upper (named after the former barony of Lecale) is a barony in County Down, Northern Ireland. To its south lies the Irish Sea, and it is bordered by three other baronies; Lecale Lower and Kinelarty to the north; and Iveagh Upper, Lower Ha ...
.
Archaeology
The main feature in the hamlet is
Ballynoe stone circle
Ballynoe Stone Circle is a late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age stone circle located near the village of Ballynoe, County Down in Northern Ireland. It is one of around 1,300 recorded stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany.
History
Sto ...
, a late
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...
to early
Bronze age large circle of over fifty closely spaced upright stones, surrounding a mound which, when excavated, was found to contain two
cist
A cist ( or ; also kist ;
from grc-gre, κίστη, Middle Welsh ''Kist'' or Germanic ''Kiste'') is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle Ea ...
s in which cremated bones were found. The site is near the disused railway station, reached by a long footpath off the main road, at grid ref: J481404.
Transport
Ballynoe railway station, on the
Belfast and County Down Railway
The Belfast and County Down Railway (BCDR) was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland (later Northern Ireland) linking Belfast with County Down. It was built in the 19th century and absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948. All but th ...
, opened on 8 July 1892, but finally closed on 16 January 1950.
See also
*
List of townlands in County Down
In Ireland, Counties are divided into Civil Parishes and Parishes are further divided into townlands. The following is a list of townlands in County Down, Northern Ireland:
__NOTOC__
A
Acre McCricket, Aghacullion, Aghandunvarran, Aghavilly ...
References
Townlands of County Down
Civil parish of Bright
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