placenamesBelleek
Béal Leice
A 2011 research report documents a conservation project in nearby Belleek Forest Park, north of Ballina.
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
- Béal Leice · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Belleek · English · main form
Place & story
Fifteen squirrels moved to Belleek
Catherine Waters and Colin Lawton recorded the transfer of fifteen red squirrels to Belleek Forest Park: fourteen from Lough Key Forest Park and one from Union Wood in County Sligo. The intended gradual release failed when squirrels escaped through the enclosure roof, preventing an estimate of initial survival. Some animals nevertheless returned to the enclosure to feed. The project concerned the wider forest beside the Moy, rather than a study confined to this townland. [2]
Breeding recorded in 2008
During trapping in August 2008, researchers recaptured nine transferred squirrels, five in breeding condition, and tagged ten juveniles born to the introduced population. Another transferred animal was caught later. The report concluded that a free-ranging breeding population had become established. These are results from the study period, rather than a statement of today’s squirrel numbers. [2]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Townland
- County
- Mayo
- Barony
- Tirawley
- Civil parish
- Kilmoremoy
- Coordinates
- 54.12517, -9.14779
- Mapped area
- 0.85 km²
- Logainm ID
- 34192 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Belleek. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Red Squirrel Translocation in Ireland, Irish Wildlife Manuals 51, pages 15–16, 31–32, 79 · Catherine Waters and Colin Lawton; National Parks and Wildlife Service, 2011
- Boundary geometry retains its source attribution and licence in the downloadable geographic record. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.