B A L 



B A L 



BALLTANI, John Baptist, in Biography, a fi-nator 

 of Geneva, was born in 1586, and dillinguifhtd himfcif ar^iong 

 natural pdilofophers hy a Latin treatife, " O.i t'.ie i.atiiral 

 motion of heavy bodies," firfl printed in 1638, and repnb- 

 lifhed in 1646, with many valuable additions. Hiving 

 paffed with honour through many public offices, he died in 

 1666. 



BALLIBAY, in Geography,, a market and pod town of 

 the county of Monaghan, province of Ulller, Ireland, fituated 

 53 miles north by weft of Dublin. This town was in a 

 wretched ftate; but of late years, fince the eftablifhment of 

 jto linen market, it is greatly improved, and feveral new 

 houfes have been built. There is a market-houfe, and a 

 market on Saturdays, at which webs are purchafed to the 

 amount of 15C0I. weekly. In the neighbourhood of the 

 town arc the extenfive bleach-greens and mills of Crieve, at 

 which 50,000 webs are bleached. Turf is fo abundant, 

 that it is fold in the town of Ballibay at 6jd for a horfeload. 

 A diltridl called the Cahills, in this neighbourhood, is re- 

 markable for producing a heavy crop of flax, equal to 

 twenty-eight ftone of fcutched flax to the quarter of an acre, 

 and from one bufhel of feed fowed; this is an immenfe pro- 

 duce, but the quality is proportionably coarfc. Sir Charles 

 Coote's Statiftical Account of Monaghan. 



BALLIBOY, a fmall poll and fair town of the King's 

 county, province of Leinfter, Ireland, fituated on the Silver 

 river, and giving name to one of the baronies in that county ; 

 which, from the average rent, Hated by Mr. Young, and 

 compared with that of the other baronies, feems to contain 

 the worft ground in it. Diftance from Dublin 56 Irifh 

 miles. N. Lat. 53° 8' W. Long. 7° 39' Young's 

 Tour. 



BALLIELLA, or Balliela Point, the fouth-eaft 

 point of Galway bay, on the weft coaft of Ireland, eleven 

 leagues north-eaft by eaft from Loup's head. 



BALLIMONEY, a poft and market-town of the coun- 

 ty of Antrim in Ireland, not far from Coleraine, and 107I 

 Irifh miles from Dublin. It is a pretty large town, and has 

 a good market, efpecially for linens, itlis wide, called Cole- 

 raines. Between it and Ballymena is much grazing land, 

 from which Belfaft is in great meafure fupplied with provi- 

 lions for exportation. N. lat. 55" 4'. W. long. 6° 23'. 



BALLIMORE, a fmall poft town, or rather village, of 

 the county of Weftmeath, in Ireland, feated on the weft 

 fide of Lough Seudy. It was a ftrong garrifon of the En- 

 glifh forces towards the latter end of the war of 1641, being 

 conveniently fituated between Mullingar and Athlone, and 

 deriving great advantage from the lake. The name of this 

 place implies the gri'iit town, and it may probably have de- 

 clined confiderabiy in importance ; but the idea of a great 

 town, when this name was given, muft have been very dif- 

 ferent from that now entertained. Diftance from Dublin 50 

 Irilh miles. N. lat. 53° 26'. W. long. 7° 33'. Collcft. 

 Hlbcrn. Beaufort's Map, &c. 



Ballimore Eujlace, a fmall town, in a detached part of 

 the county of Dublin, in Ireland, pleafantly fituated on 

 the Liffcy, over which it has a bandfome bridge; it has de- 

 cayed on account of the great fouthern road from Dubhn 

 having been turned fo as to pafs through Kilcullen. Near 

 this town is Rufsborough, the feat of lord Milltown, uni- 

 verfally efteemed one of the moft tuperb in Ireland, and con- 

 taining a valuable collection of paintings by feveral eminent 

 mafters. There is alfo a great natur:;! curiofity in the neigh- 

 bourhood, the water-fall of Poll-a-phuca, or the dcemon's 

 hole, formed bv a river which rifes in the county of Wick- 

 low, and here falls into the LiiTey. Lord Milkown, the 

 proprietor, has fpared no pains to afliil the natural beauties 



of the fpot, having planted its fine hanging banks, and 

 built feveral cottages and grottoes for the reception and ac- 

 comi'nodation of the numerous parties that refort to it. Di- 

 ftance from Dublin 17* miles. N. lat. 53" 7'. W. long. 6' 

 73'. Wilfon's B;ok of Roads. Dodd's Traveller's Diredor, 

 1801. 



BALLIMOTE, a village in the county of Sligo, Ire- 

 land, which deferves to be mentioned, ^iw account of the 

 flourilhing afpt-ct which the linen bufinefs wears in its neigh- 

 bourhood. The great exertions of the late Mr. Fitzmaurice, 

 brotner of the prefent marquis of Landfdowne, firft efta- 

 blifhed this manufafture, which has fpread throughout all 

 the adjoining counti-y. Beaufort. Young. 



BALLINA, a town of the county of Mayo, in Ireland, 

 fituated on the river Moy, and counefted by a bridge over 

 that river with ArdiKirce, in the county of Shgo, forming 

 together one town, which is neat and thriving, and has a 

 brilk market for linen every week. Mr. Arthur Young de- 

 fcribes its fituation as uncommonly pleafing. It has a falmon 

 fifhery, which is one of the moft confiderable in the ifland, 

 fupplying feventy or eighty tons of falted filh, befides the 

 frefh. It was let for 520I. a year in 1776. This town, being 

 near Killala, was foon taken poffeflion of by the French 

 under general Humbert in the late invafion, and many de- 

 predations were committed thereby the rebels. Its diftance 

 from Dublin 120 Irifh miles. N. lat. 54° 6' 3c". W. long. 

 8" 59'. Beaufort. Young. 



BALLINACOURTY Point, a cape on the fouth 

 coaft of Ireland, in the county of Waterford, and north 

 fide of Diingarvon bay, four miles eaft of Dungarvon. 



BALLINAHINCH, a barony in the weftern part of 

 the county of Galway, and province of Connaught, Ire- 

 land, better known by its ancient name of Connamara, or 

 Conmacnemara, which implies the chief trihe on the great fea. 

 This large diftricl is very rude and mountainous, and as 

 might be expefttd, very thinly inhabited. Some of the 

 hills are very high ; efpecially the vaft ridge called Beanna- 

 beola, or the twelve pins, which is a well-known feamark, 

 conlifting of almoft perpendicular rocks. At the foot of 

 this ridge, clofe to tlie little village of Ballinahinch, a charm- 

 ing lake fpreads itfclf for fome miles ; and on the river 

 which runs from it into Roundftone bay, there is a great 

 falmon fifhery. On the fides of hills, and in the vallies, 

 which are watered by rivers and fmall lakes, and fheltered 

 in fome places by the venerable remains of ancient woods, 

 the foil is moftly inchned to a black bog ; but gravel, fand, 

 or rock lie at no greater depth than from one to three feet 

 below the furface. Great quantities of kelp are made all 

 along the coaft, and by manuring with fea wrack, the land 

 is rendered very produftive to the fcattered families that ui- 

 habit it, who are all little farmers and hardy fiihermen. Be- 

 fides the herring fifhery, which employs a great many per- 

 fons, there is a fifhery of fun-fifli on the coaft from the icth 

 of April to the 10th of May, which is carried on by the 

 herring boats. Mr. Young fays, that one fifh is valutd at 

 five pounds, and that if a boat takes three fifh in the 

 month, it is reckoned good luck. The number of boats em- 

 ployed is from 40 to 50. The indented fhores of this ba- 

 rony abound in well-fheltered havens, of which no ufe is 

 made except by fmuc;glers, who carry on bufinefs very ex- 

 tenfively, and almoft without interruption. The bays of 

 Kilkerran, Birtcrbuy, Roundlloiie, and Ballinakill, are the 

 largeft ; and the fine harbour of Killcry, on which is a fifh- 

 ing town, is at tl.e northern extremity of this dillridl. On 

 the promontor)' of Slymthead, forming the north extremity 

 of Birterbuy bay, is a light-houfe. In this barony are made 

 thofe woollen ilockings, known throughout Ireland oy the 



name 



