The main area covered by this family history web-site is north County Mayo which encompasses the towns of Ballycastle, Killala, Ballina, Crossmolina, Bangor and Belmullet. The parishes in NE Mayo are shown on the map opposite.
A list of the townlands in each of the nine civil parishes around Ballycastle is shown below.
The Roman Catholic parish of Ballycastle was formed in 1804 from the union of the old civil parishes of Doonfeeny and Kilbride.
Doonfeeny Parish Townlands
Aghoo
Ballinglen
Ballycastle
Ballycastle town
Ballyglass
Ballyknock
Behy
Belderg Beg
Belderg More
Carrowkibbock Lower
Carrowkibbock Upper
Carrownisky
Conaghra
Cregganbeg
Doonfeeny Lower
Doonfeeny Upper
Geevraun
Glenagh
Glencalry Lower
Glencalry Upper
Glencullin
Glenglassera
Glenora
Glenulra
Horse Island
Inagh
Killeena
Killerduff
Lisbrin
Lugnalettin
Muinganierin
Muingelly
Rathavisteen
Srahlaghy
Sralagagh East
Sralagagh West
Tawnynaboll
Definition of Townland
The smallest Irish administrative division, the townland, is the one which has proved most enduring. Loosely related to the ancient Gaelic "Bally betagh", and to other medieval land divisions such as ploughlands and quarters, townlands can vary enormously in size, from a single acre or less to several thousand acres. There are more than 64,000 in the country. They were used as the smallest geographical unit in both Tithe Survey and Griffith's, as well as census returns, and are still in use today. Anything from 5 to 30 townlands may be grouped together to form a civil parish. Many townlands share the same name - for example there are 56 Kilmores and 47 Dromores.
Townland
Original Name
Meaning
Aghoo
Achadh
A Field
Ballinglen
Baile an Ghleanna
Town of the Valley
Ballycastle
Baile a' Chaisil
Town of the Stonefort
Ballyglass
Baile Glas
Green Town
Ballyknock
Baile a' Chnuic
Town of the Hill
Ballymachugh
Baile Mac Aodha
The Town of MacHugh
Behey
Beithe
Birch
Carrrowcur
Ceathramhadh cor
Odd Quarter
Carrowkibbock
Ceathramhadh Mhic Lobuic
Machobock's quarter
Carrowmore
Ceathramhadh Mhor
Great Quarter
Carrowneden
Ceathramhadh an Eadain
Quarter of the Hill Brow
Carrowniskey
Ceathramhadh an Lisge
Quarter of the Water
Castletown
Baile an Chaislean
Town of the Castle
Conaghra
Conachra
Dogs Shubbery
Crott
Crut
A Hump
Doonfeeny
Dun Finne
Fenny's Fort
Glenurla
Gleann Iolra
Valley of the Eagles
Inagh
Eldhneach
Abounding in Ivy
Kilbride
Cill Brighde
St. Bridget's Church
Killeen
Cillin na Trionoide
The Little Church of Trinity
Killina
Cill Eithne
St. Eithnes Church
Killerduff
Cill Ard-Dubh
The Church of the Black Hill
Knockaun
Parc A Chnocain
Park of the Hillock
Lisbrin
Lios Broin
Brans Fort
Muingelly
Muing Eili
Elly's Marshy Streaf
Muingreevagh
Muing Riabhach
Grey Morass
Moyney
Maighnigh
A Small Plain
Rathnoonagh
Rath Thamhnagh
Rath Field
Shanaghey
Sean Achadh
Old Field
Sralogagh
Srath Lagach
Low Lying Ground of the Hollows
*as listed at ballycastle.ie/Townland Names.htm
1838 Ordnance Survey Map of Co. Mayo This on-line map is searchable by parish or townland and contains detailed information
down to the level of individual houses and field
boundaries. It
includes important
historical and
topographical
features and is
provided as a free
service by Mayo
County Library.
Ballycastle Town (Baile an Chaisil) is situated in: Province: Connaught
County: Mayo
Barony: Tirawley
Civil Parish: Doonfeeny
Poor Law Union (PLU): Killala (formed 1849)
Civil Registration (BMD) District: Killala (same as PLU)
Roman Catholic Parish: Ballycastle
Church of Ireland Diocese: Tuam, Killala & Achonry
District Electoral Division (DED) Ballycastle
Ballycastle Town was founded in 1797. The much older townland of Ballycastle is a 298 acre strip of land along the Ballinglen river at the west end of Ballycastle Town. The name, Ballycastle, has been in use since about 1470.
Killala Parish Townlands
Abbeylands
Bartragh Island
Baunros More
Cartoon
Castlereagh
Cloonskirtaun
Croghan
Crosspatrick
Kilgobban
Killala
Killala [Town]
Killogunra
Killybrone
Kilroe
Leadymore
Meelick
Moyne
Rathcash
Rathowen East
Rathowen West
Ross
Ross (Bourke)
Ross (Fallon)
Ross (Gardiner)
Ross (Goodwin)
Tawnaghmore Lower
Tawnaghmore Upper
Townplots East
Townplots West
How to find the parish and location of a Townland in County Mayo?
1. If you are sure of the spelling then click on this link and enter the Townland and County. This map has
the 1838 OS map superimposed on a Google map and, you can vary the relative visibility of each map
with the slider bar at the top right. The map should stay centered on your Townland as you zoom in (+).
Still can't find the name?
Some small villages or hamlets in Ireland do not have the status of a
Townland, so they do not appear in the searchable lists mentioned above.
If you know the parish, and preferably the Townland, then you can try
searching the 1838 O.S. map by eye. For example, the author's Golden
ancestral home is a tiny hamlet called Doughlough (meaning two lakes)
in Upper Doonfeeny Townland, in Doonfeeny parish, which is marked on
the 1838 O.S. map as Dooclogh, but it is not listed or indexed anywhere.
Change of County boundaries in 1899
The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 37) caused changes in the county boundaries between Mayo, Sligo, Galway and
Roscommon. Mayo gained some areas from Sligo and Galway, but lost
some to Roscommon. For example, Ardnaree (east Ballina) which was
in Sligo before 1899, is now in Mayo.
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