Galbally, County Limerick
Encyclopedia
Galbally is a village
in southeast County Limerick
, Ireland
, on the border with County Tipperary
. It is located at the foot of the Galtee Mountains
and at the western approach to the Glen of Aherlow
. The Aherlow River, flowing down from the Galtee mountains, runs by the village, to meet the Suir at Kilmoyler a short distance north of Cahir
.
Galbally is in quite a picturesque location, in a valley overlooked by the Galtee Mountains.
usually has one club in each parish, there are two in this parish (somewhat of a rarity, though not unheard of), Galbally, on the Limerick side, and Aherlow, across the border in Tipperary. While each club plays hurling
to some extent, their forte is gaelic football
and both clubs have won their respective county senior football championships, Aherlow winning the Tipperary title for the first time in 2006. Galbally were first-time winners of the Limerick Senior Football Championship in 1994 and repeated the feat in 1997.
In 1994, Galbally was selected as the prettiest town in Ireland in the annual Irish Tidy Towns Competition
and has won the Limerick competition nine times.
A well known folk song, "The Galbally Farmer", (with a tune also known as "Thank God we're surrounded by water"), tells of the trials suffered by a hired labourer working for the miserly farmer of the title, Darby O'Leary.
It is worth noting that the nearby village of Ballylanders is in fact Baile an Londraigh, or "town of the Londoner", again highlighting, toponymically at least, the immigration of English settlers into the area, while the precise obverse of this toponymic heritage is the case of Anglesborough
, a tiny village 6 miles (9.7 km) from Galbally, nestled right up against the foot of the mountains, and which "earned" its present name as a perverse retribution from the English surveyors for the fact that it was one of the last outposts of spoken Irish in the area. That the old Irish names of two villages, now transcribed into an odd English, should bear testimony to immigration and the new English name of a third be testament to a cultural resistance, whether willed or not, is just another metaphor of the split culture that historically occurred in Ireland.
Just outside the village is an historic abbey, the Moor Abbey. It was a Franciscan
friary, founded in the thirteenth century by Donach Cairbreach Ua'Briain, but only the church survives, built in 1471. The site had a tumultuous history, matching the ebbs and flows of Irish politics and religious freedoms, and was inhabited until 1748, though with periods of desertion. Present in the church is the remains of a tomb, which is perhaps that of the founder.
On a nearby hill stands "Darby's Bed" a passage tomb, which is quite rare in the south of Ireland. It is cited in Irish legend as one of the places where Diarmuid and Grainne
spent a night during their flight from the angry Fionn MacCumhaill.
Bianconi's
famous carriages used to drive through the village, and the stables they used still stand on the north side of the village square.
The centre of the square is the site of a statue of a soldier, erected in memory of named local volunteers who lost their lives during the War of Independence in 1921. This area of East Limerick and South Tipperary was indeed the site of many acts of resistance during the period.
The south side of the square was the site of a poor house during famine times.
The Barons
Massy of Duntryleague had their original seat in the area and their Charnel house (burial place) is still extant. The Massy's, an English family of Norman descent, received land in county Limerick in the Cromwellian plantation, and settled in Duntryleague, in the parish of Galbally. The family played a prominent role in the Anglo-Irish ascendancy class up to the 20th century. Their Summer house, Massy Lodge, stands near the neighbouring village of Anglesborough
.
Also located at Duntryleague are the remains of a Protestant church tower and a graveyard. A considerable number of the graves are occupied by the Bennett family, who had owned Glennify House Estate, which is now a private residence.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in southeast County Limerick
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, on the border with County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
. It is located at the foot of the Galtee Mountains
Galtee Mountains
The Galtee Mountains or Galty Mountains are a mountain range in Munster, located in Ireland's Golden Vale across parts of counties Limerick, South Tipperary and Cork. The name "Galtee" is thought to be a corruption of the Irish "Sléibhte na gCoillte" - "Mountains of the Forests" in English,...
and at the western approach to the Glen of Aherlow
Glen of Aherlow
The Glen of Aherlow is a picturesque valley nestling between Slievenamuck and the Galtee Mountains in the western part of South Tipperary in Ireland. The principal village is Lisvarrinane or more commonly spelt Lisvernane with a hamlet at Rossadrehid where Aherlow creamery was located before its...
. The Aherlow River, flowing down from the Galtee mountains, runs by the village, to meet the Suir at Kilmoyler a short distance north of Cahir
Cahir
Cahir is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. The town is best known for its castle and the Swiss Cottage. It is in the barony of Iffa and Offa West.-Location and access:...
.
Galbally is in quite a picturesque location, in a valley overlooked by the Galtee Mountains.
Overview
Galbally is part of the Catholic ecclesiastical parish of Galbally & Lisvernane which straddles the Limerick-Tipperary border. Its sister village is Lisvernane in the Glen of Aherlow in County Tipperary. Although the Gaelic Athletic AssociationGaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
usually has one club in each parish, there are two in this parish (somewhat of a rarity, though not unheard of), Galbally, on the Limerick side, and Aherlow, across the border in Tipperary. While each club plays hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
to some extent, their forte is gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
and both clubs have won their respective county senior football championships, Aherlow winning the Tipperary title for the first time in 2006. Galbally were first-time winners of the Limerick Senior Football Championship in 1994 and repeated the feat in 1997.
In 1994, Galbally was selected as the prettiest town in Ireland in the annual Irish Tidy Towns Competition
Irish Tidy Towns Competition
Tidy Towns is an annual competition, first held in 1958, organised by the Irish Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in order to honour the tidiest and most attractive cities, towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland...
and has won the Limerick competition nine times.
A well known folk song, "The Galbally Farmer", (with a tune also known as "Thank God we're surrounded by water"), tells of the trials suffered by a hired labourer working for the miserly farmer of the title, Darby O'Leary.
Places of interest
The graveyard contains the ruins of a thirteenth century church, on the end wall of which there are two effigies of odd human figures, one which looks like a couple, the other a single person. The graveyard bears witness to the reason for name of the village, with many of the oldest graves bearing what seem more like English names than native Irish, names including; Sampson, Blackburn, Richardson and Dawson.It is worth noting that the nearby village of Ballylanders is in fact Baile an Londraigh, or "town of the Londoner", again highlighting, toponymically at least, the immigration of English settlers into the area, while the precise obverse of this toponymic heritage is the case of Anglesborough
Anglesboro
Anglesboro or Anglesborough is a small village at the foot of the Galtee Mountains, in south-east County Limerick, Ireland. The nearest town is Mitchelstown in County Cork approximately 12 kilometres away....
, a tiny village 6 miles (9.7 km) from Galbally, nestled right up against the foot of the mountains, and which "earned" its present name as a perverse retribution from the English surveyors for the fact that it was one of the last outposts of spoken Irish in the area. That the old Irish names of two villages, now transcribed into an odd English, should bear testimony to immigration and the new English name of a third be testament to a cultural resistance, whether willed or not, is just another metaphor of the split culture that historically occurred in Ireland.
Just outside the village is an historic abbey, the Moor Abbey. It was a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friary, founded in the thirteenth century by Donach Cairbreach Ua'Briain, but only the church survives, built in 1471. The site had a tumultuous history, matching the ebbs and flows of Irish politics and religious freedoms, and was inhabited until 1748, though with periods of desertion. Present in the church is the remains of a tomb, which is perhaps that of the founder.
On a nearby hill stands "Darby's Bed" a passage tomb, which is quite rare in the south of Ireland. It is cited in Irish legend as one of the places where Diarmuid and Grainne
The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne
The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne is an Irish prose narrative surviving in many variants...
spent a night during their flight from the angry Fionn MacCumhaill.
Bianconi's
Charles Bianconi
-Life and work:Born Carlo Bianconi in Costa Masnaga on September 24, 1786, he moved from an area poised to fall to Napoleon and travelled to Ireland in 1802, via England, just four years after the 1798 rebellion. At the time, British fear of continental invasion resulted in an acute sense of...
famous carriages used to drive through the village, and the stables they used still stand on the north side of the village square.
The centre of the square is the site of a statue of a soldier, erected in memory of named local volunteers who lost their lives during the War of Independence in 1921. This area of East Limerick and South Tipperary was indeed the site of many acts of resistance during the period.
The south side of the square was the site of a poor house during famine times.
The Barons
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
Massy of Duntryleague had their original seat in the area and their Charnel house (burial place) is still extant. The Massy's, an English family of Norman descent, received land in county Limerick in the Cromwellian plantation, and settled in Duntryleague, in the parish of Galbally. The family played a prominent role in the Anglo-Irish ascendancy class up to the 20th century. Their Summer house, Massy Lodge, stands near the neighbouring village of Anglesborough
Anglesboro
Anglesboro or Anglesborough is a small village at the foot of the Galtee Mountains, in south-east County Limerick, Ireland. The nearest town is Mitchelstown in County Cork approximately 12 kilometres away....
.
Also located at Duntryleague are the remains of a Protestant church tower and a graveyard. A considerable number of the graves are occupied by the Bennett family, who had owned Glennify House Estate, which is now a private residence.
Facilities and Amenities
Galbally hosts amenities and services for most eventualities: from pubs to carpenters, to undertakers, shops, a chipper, B&Bs, a village museum/gallery, and an equestrian centre. The village has excellent sporting facilities: pitches for most popular field sports, a community field, and one of the first "all weather" astro-turf pitches in the area.See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- Galbally, County TyroneGalbally, County TyroneGalbally is a hamlet and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is between Cappagh and Donaghmore. Its name was formerly spelt as Gallwolly and Gallwally....