486 
In Dermod MacMurragh’s charter to Ferns, among 15 denominations, 
6 beginning with Bali.* 
Jerpoint charter, in 34 denominations, 7 Baley-s.} 
Holyeross charter, in 11 denominations, 6 Balli-s.t 
Connal charter, in 15 denominations, 3 Bale-s.§ 
In St. Mary’s, of Dublin, among 31 denominations, 8 Balli-s.|| 
In St. Mary’s of Nenay, among 100 denominations, 21 Bali-s.** 
At this date, however, and for many centuries after, the word was ap- 
plied only to large and generic tracts, and thus in some degree answered 
to the theoretical idea of a*ballybetagh, which was sometimes simply 
called bazle, and applied to an aggregation of lands. Thus, so late as the 
close of the sixteenth century, in the survey of Monaghan,{} each of the 
four baronies or hundreds consists of a number of ballybetaghs, varying 
from fourteen to twenty-one, the names of which invariably begin with 
Bally ; while under each ballybetagh are recited the names of 16 tates, no 
one of which bears this generic prefix. 
Entertaining the belief that the present townland names of Ireland not 
only preserve a great many ancient forms, but afford very interesting 
materials for philological deductions, both as regards the distribution of 
certain words, and the local varieties of the same word, feeling also the 
want of some comprehensive book of reference in the important work 
of the identification of ancient names, I undertook, in 1853, to compile 
an alphabetical index to all the townland names of Ireland, which Ifound 
to exceed sixty-two thousand in number. After a considerable amount 
of mechanical labour, I succeeded, in 1857, in producing the desired 
catalogue, in the form of these two large volumes, which I have now 
the honour to exhibit to the meeting. The plan I adopted was, to divide 
the page into five columns, the first of which gave the townland; the 
second, in the same line, the parish; the third, the barony; the fourth, 
the county ; and the fifth, open for the etymology, where attamable. I 
should have been glad to have given the acreable extent ofeach; but the 
Addenda to the Census of 1841, from which I made my compilation, did 
not supply the desired information. It was my intention to have pre- 
sented these books to the Academy as a work of public reference in to- 
pographical inquiry ; but I lately learned that a similar index, containing 
all my items, and further supplying the areas, with a reference under 
each name to the sheet or sheets where it appeared on the Ordnance 
Survey, had been compiled from the Census of 1851, to which it was 
designed to serve as an alphabetical reference, and that it was likely, 
within a short time, to be published, and, of course, find its way to our 
library. It appeared to me, therefore, that it would be of no advantage 
to occupy a place in our shelves with an inferior production. It has, for 
* Monast. Anglican., vol. ii., p. 1040 b. t Ib. p. 1028. 
+ Ib. p. 1035 8. § Ib. p. 1037 b. 
ij Rotul. Chartarum in Aue Londinensi asservati, ed. T. D. Hardy, p. 776. 
** Ibid, p. 78 a. 
cat: Prefixed to the Ulster Tnquisitions p- Xxi. 
