placenamesBallyea
Baile Uí Aodha
An early field survey distinguishes surviving stones, a vanished castle and stories told about an ancient tomb.
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
- Baile Uí Aodha · Irish · main form
- Ballyea · English · main form
Place & story
The tomb at Drumanure
The National Monuments Service records a wedge tomb at Drumanure. Thomas Johnson Westropp described its gritstone chamber in 1916, with an open western end and a large covering slab. Brambles obscured part of the structure even then, making his plan difficult to prepare. [3] [2]
Mrs Shannon’s account
Westropp named Mrs Shannon as his informant for a story associating the tomb with Diarmuid and Gráinne. In her account, Diarmuid brought the great stone from the hill of Aile, while Gráinne carried smaller stones in her apron. She also described reluctance to approach the tomb after dark. This is an attested local tradition, rather than an explanation established by archaeology. [2]
A castle remembered after its removal
In the same survey, Westropp recalled Bohneill Castle at Derry as a walled platform containing debris from a fallen tower. By publication he reported its removal for building and road material. His account preserves an earlier observer’s memory of a site now officially recorded as a castle. [2] [4]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Ballyea. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Notes on Certain Primitive Remains in Inagh and Killeimer, JRSAI1916 volume46, pages102,112–113 · Thomas Johnson Westropp, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
- National Monuments Service, Drumanure wedge tomb CL024-023---- · National Monuments Service
- National Monuments Service, Derry castle CL024-006002- · National Monuments Service
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2012-12-21. How this page was prepared.