placenamesThe Six Towns
Na Sé Bhaile
Local heritage recollections preserve the story of a band formed for a chapel celebration in 1957.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Na Sé Bhaile · Irish · main form · validated name
- The Six Towns · English · main form
- Sixtowns · English · main form
Place & story
Practising in the glen
The Sixtowns History and Heritage Group records that residents raised money for a band in 1957, when St Patrick’s chapel held centenary celebrations. Bernadette McAllister came from Cahore to teach the players music and marching. Rehearsals took place in the school and along the road, drawing local spectators. [2]
The band performed at a Derry–Armagh Lagan Cup match in Straw and at local sports days. Its life was brief: after the celebrations it disbanded and the instruments were sold. The heritage group places this episode within a wider local musical tradition of chapel choirs, small dance bands and cultural evenings. [2]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Derry
- Barony
- Loughinsholin
- Civil parish
- Ballynascreen
- Coordinates
- 54.75259, -6.86610 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 129795 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — The Six Towns. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Music, poets and culture, 12 April 2015 · Sixtowns History and Heritage Group; page credited KennyB
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2010-04-19. How this page was prepared.