Powkr — Place-Names and Antiquities of S.E. Cork. 207 



TOAVNLANDS. 



Ballyaiuia, Baile Ui Eaghra — " O'Hara's (?) Homestead." Area, 744 A. 



An old estate map (eighteenth century) gives the following now unknown 

 subdenominations as adjoining Ballyarra on the north : — Loughnashillidy, 

 Knocknamontah, and Garrigeenaree. The three submerged ploughlauds in 

 question seem to be incorporated in the present townland, thus accounting 

 for the great size of the latter. In allusion to the hard-working propensity 

 of former holders of Ballyarra, a wearied spailpin, employed at tenpence per 

 day of twelve hours or more, used the expression, " La fada i mBaile Ui 

 Eaghra ('A long day in Ballyarra')," and the saying became a proverb. On 

 MacAuliffe's farm is a pillar-stone, about five feet in height. 1 



The "Abbey" of Castlelyons, on Ballyarra townland, was really a 

 Carmelite priory, though it has been claimed as a Dominican house. 2 Its 

 remains are in a state of pitiful neglect and desecration. The nave of the 

 monastic church has been turned into a ballcourt, and the cut-stone work 

 disfigured and displaced. Fortunately, however, it is still possible to trace 

 the plan, &c, of the buildings. The remains consist of a large monastic 

 church, with a great tower — wide as the church — springing from the junction 

 of nave and choir. On the south side of the church was the cloister, with 

 its garth, surrounded on the east and west sides by domestic buildings. 

 Doubtless these last were continued along the south side also ; but all 

 masonry at this side has disappeared. The garth was about seventeen yards 

 square; but no traces of the cloisters remain beyond the projecting corbels 

 which sustained the plates for -the pentroof. From the cloisters access was 

 had by pointed doorways to the domestic buildings at west and east, and to 

 the church by the lowest story of the tower. Two doors communicated with 

 the domestic apartments on the west, and one door with the corresponding 

 apartments on the east side. There was a further small doorway at the 

 north-west angle, which opened on to a circular stairway leading to the 

 dormitories on the west side. By the way, both west and east sides were 



1 Apparently there were local fashions in pillar-stones, as there were in Round Towers, 

 and as there are in things more modern. In this region all the stones — or almost all — 

 are comparatively low, wide, and thin — like great flagstones set on end. This type of dallan 

 I have not noticed prevailing elsewhere. This peculiar style of pillar will be alluded to as 

 the Castlelyons type. The local limestone becomes, or became, detached in flat masses 

 or laminae, which the primaeval chronicler of mighty deeds and great men found ready 

 at his hand when he would record in letters of stone the story of his day. 



2 The plan and style of the building are not Dominican : the tower, for instance, is not 

 the characteristic Dominican tower, and there is no transept or Lady chapel, so regular 

 a feature of Dominican foundations. Moreover the cloisters are on the south, and not on 

 the north, side, as usual with the Dominicans. 



K.I.A. PKOC, VOL. XXXIV, SKOT. C. [80] 



