'Bailte Fearainn' - Townlands Talk - A Great Success
17 May 2011
Many thanks to all who took the time to come along to Roger Casements GAC Clubrooms for the 'Bailte Fearainn - Do you know your Townlands? Talk' hosted by Portglenone CCE as part of the Fleadh celebrations.
Most importantly, a very special thanks goes to historian and author, Pat McKay, who delivered an extremely interesting and informative lecture on the many townlands in the Portglenone area and also of the surrounding districts of Bellaghy, Ballynease, Greenlough, Ahoghill and Moneyglass.
It certainly raised a number of points and got the audience eagerly engaged in discussing their local townlands and their origins. One issue which was especially significant was the location of Aughnahoy Chapel which was debated to be actually in the townland of Slievenagh but thanks to Eamon Graham and Kevin Carey, it was agreed it definitely is in Aughnahoy (just about!). Another topic was the townland of Inishrush where there were two Loughs and not one as mentioned by Damien and Joe Clarke, and consequently both loughs were drained many years ago for land! They are Inishrush - Inis Rois - 'Island of the Wood' and of course Greenlough.
Many thanks to Pat for allowing us to publish the two pictures of the Portglenone area he used on the night. (These images have been resized for the website. If you would like the original images please contact us and we will email you the originals)
A full list of the local townlands and the origins of their names etc and more photographs of the evening will be published shortly.