TOWNLANDS. 
It has not been discovered to whom Shantallovv belonged, as that name does not occur in the 
inquisitions ; the remaining townlands, Cloughglass, Pennyburn, Sheriff's Mountain, Springhill, 
and Spring-town, are modern subdivisions of the more ancient denominations. 
The ancient topography of the district, and the fluctuating fortunes of its dynasts, being thus 
pointed out, the next most important object of statistical research is the investigation of the ortho¬ 
graphy and etymology of the names of the townlands, into which the district is now divided. 
Townlands, formerly called in Irish, bailee bo, (Anglicized balliboes,) i. e. cow-towns, or 
grazing-towns ; bailee biaeac, (Anglicized ballybetaghs ,) i. e. victuallers-towns, or farmers- 
towns, are now called builee ealrhan, or townlands —to distinguish baile in this sense from 
batle, a village. 
1 . Ballougry: called Bally wirry, in the Ulster inquisitions, 1609; Ballywirry, a lias 
Ballyougry in the act of parliament, 4th Anne ; and Ballougry, by Mr. Sampson. Ballywirry, 
its more ancient name, is most probably an Anglicizing of baile ui iDhuipeaoai^, i. e. the town 
or townland of O’Murry, a family of the Kinel-owen, of whom Duald Mac Firbis speaks, under 
the head Men of Moy-Ithe— Lord Roden’s copy (p. 127). Ballyougry, its “ alias’’ and modern 
name means baile u^aipe, i. e. Ugaire’s town—Ugaire having been a man’s name among the 
Piets, and ancient Irish, as appears from Mac Firbis (p. 241), and from the Annals of the Four 
Masters, in the year 1033. It may be here remarked, once for all, that the Irish word baile 
(which is generally Anglicized Bally, and sometimes contracted to Ball —where it enters into 
composition with a word beginning with a vowel) signifies a place, or locality, a village, a seat, 
a town, and a townland, which last is now its usual meaning. It is explained by mao, i. e. a 
place or locality, in the Book of Lecan (fob 164. p. b. col. a); translated oppidum by Arch¬ 
bishop Usher in his book on the Origin of British Churches (p. 861), and by his cotemporary 
Philip O’Sullevan Beare, a Spanish officer, in his History of the Irish Catholics (p. 159); villa, 
vicus, vel Burgum, by Colgan, in his Acta Sanctorum (p. 544, n. 2); and villa, pagus, ve’l 
villata, by Roderick O’Flaherty in his Ogygia (p. 24). 
O’Brien, in his dictionary, remarks that this Celtic word, bailie, and the Latin, vallis, are 
originally the same, as the ancients always built their habitations in low, sheltered places, neat- 
rivers or rivulets.” This, however, though ingenious, and the opinion of a man of sound learnino-, 
is scarcely tenable. 
Dr. Villanueva, the author of Ibernia Phceniciana, throw's the weight of his learnino- in 
support of the opinion of Vallancey and others, that the names of many places in Ireland (even 
Ballycastle, in Antrim), are derived from Baal, the God of the Phoenicians, and the supposed God 
of the ancient Irish ; but this opinion is unsupported by a single solid argument, as no earlier 
authority than Keating has been yet adduced to prove that Baal was ever known in Ireland, and, 
even if there had, it is not at all likely that so many places would have been named after him. 
The truth seems to be, the the Irish words, bail, or baile, a village, ball, a spot, and balla, a 
wall, are referable to the same parent source with the Latin villa, vallum, ballium, and the 
German and English wall. 
It appears from an inqusition taken at Derry in 1609, that Ballywirry was then in the oc¬ 
cupation of John Howton. 
2 . Ballyarnet, called Ballyarnell in the printed copy of the Ulster Inquisitions ; but arnell 
is doubtless a misprint for arnett, committed by the decypherer of the original MS. and a mistake 
which it was very difficult for a person unacquainted with the present name to avoid. The ety¬ 
mology of the latter part of this compound is uncertain, nor can it, perhaps, ever be ascertained 
as the Irish language has totally disappeared from the district. It may, indeed, be remarked, that 
etymology is very uncertain, and, in fact, useless, unless when it elucidates or is elucidated by to¬ 
pography or history. The great topographer Colgan, a native of this very district of Moy-Iha, has 
frequently expressed this opinion, though almost all his followers in this path have wandered into 
the wildest regions of conjecture. 
3. Ballymagowan: called baile na j-cananac by the Four Masters (A. D. 1537); Bally- 
gam in the Inquisitions, by mistake for Ballygan, or Ballygann; and Ballygan, alias Bally- 
gowan, in the act of Parliament, 4th Anne. On Sampson’s map it is spelled Ballynagowan. 
Ballymagowan is now, however, become the established name. It signifies Canon’s town, and 
the townland doubtlessly belonged to the canons of Derry. If the correct name could be restored 
it should be Anglicized Ballynaganon. In 1609, it was in the possession of George Norman. 
In the Down survey the Northern part of this townland is marked as “ many small parcels of 
land belong unto the city of Derry.” 
4 . Ballymagrorty : called by Colgan Baile-meg-rabliartaich ; in the Inquisitions 
Ballym”. Rowertie, and Ballymacrewortie; in the Down survey Ballymagorty, but by mistake 
or ignorance. The signification is unquestionably the town of Mac Raverty, now Magrorty_a 
family of the Kinel-owen. closely connected with the early ecclesiastical history of Derry 
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