Cancelled Book Ballybeg 1855-1970

Ballybeg 1855- 1970

The picturesque townland of Ballybeg which includes part of Ballybeg Lake, and elevated land on the west of the lake contains 129.47 hectares or 319.94 acres.[1]

Ballybeg borders the parish of Drumcliff (Ennis) townlands of Cahircalla Beg to the west and Clonroad More to the north, and Newhall in the parish of Killone (Ballyea) to the west. Ballybeg borders Ballaghafadda East to the east, Ballaghafadda West to the south, Barntick to the south and Clareabbey to the east in the parish of Clareabbey.[2]

In addition to significant developments in the townland which can be observed in the 1934-70 revision/cancelled books from the 1960s, the N85 Ennis Western Relief Road, divides the northern part of the townland east to west. The main Ennis Clarecastle road R458 runs through the north east of the townland and forms part of the townland boundary with Clareabbey. The L4176 provides access to new homes and to the N68 Ennis-Kilrush Road.

The Pilgrim’s Road passed through Ballybeg on the northern shore of the lake and then through the wood of New Hall.[3]

At the 1855 Primary (Griffith) Valuation of Ireland, Ballybeg was valued in nine lots, lot 9 being the lake. The immediate lessor or landlord for the whole townland was John Carroll (1788-1875) of Merville House, the Clare born London based barrister who also held land in Ballaghafadda East.

Like its neighbouring townlands, trends in land rental and later ownership in Ballybeg shows similar trends 1855-1970 to those observed in other townlands along the main Ennis-Clarecastle road such some parcels of land held by generations of the same family, purchase of land by former tenants under the Land Act Purchase (LAP) changes to the size of farms when some larger holdings were sub-divided and the creation of new lots for new houses by 1970.

Family continuity for much of the 1855-1970 period by the Morrisey /Daly, Gallery, McCarthy and Carroll/Perry/Shaw families can be observed in lots 1(b), 2a, 3a and lots 7a. A history of the Gallery family documents the family’s association with Ballybeg.[4]

Ballybeg Lake has been used as a local amenity including birdwatching for many generations. The Lake was the scene of an 1860 accidental shooting incident involving two McCarthy brothers where the gun discharged by one brother shot and injured the other brother who was camouflaged while watching fowl on the lake.[5] A drowning in the Lake of a twenty-five-year-old man named Connell was reported in 1850 and the drowning of three men while fishing was reported in 1896.[6][7]

[1]( https://www.townlands.ie/clare/islands/clareabbey/clareabbey/ballybeg/) (accessed 22 Mar. 2022).

[2] (https://www.townlands.ie/clare/islands/clareabbey/clareabbey/ballybeg/) (accessed 22 Mar. 2022).

[3] (https://clarecastleballyea.clareheritage.org/topics/places/st-johns-well) (accessed 22 Mar. 2022) & Joseph Power, A History of Clare Castle and its Environs, Limerick, 2004.

[4](https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/don_tran/fam_his/gallery_family_newhall.htm) (accessed 22 Mar. 2022).

[5] The Evening Packet, Dublin, 14 Jan. 1860.

[6] Tipperary Free Press, Clonmel, 14 Sep. 1850.

[7] Belfast Newsletter, 3 Apr. 1896.