Townland of Ballybrack
Area: 448 acres
Irish Name: An Baile Breac. Meaning: Townland with the speckled
appearance
Spelling Variations: none
Ballybrack House, located in the townland of Ballybrack,
was a magnificent property owned by a Scotsman McKenzie. Unfortunately
it was knocked down a number of years ago and the estate Bienvenagh
View has been built on the land as well as a number of individual
residential properties.
The paragraph below was emailed to us.
My name is Mary Moran nee Mckenzie. I was born in Moville and now
live in Northumberland and happily revisit Moville fairly frequently.
Ballybrack House, a fine stone-built residence overlooking Lough
Foyle, was owned by my grandfather Allan McKenzie who, with my grandmother
Jane nee Dunsmore, bought it on his retirement as a Glasgow police
superintendent possibly around the 1930s. A Gaelic speaker, he was
born in Roshven, Ardnamurchan in the Scottish Highlands in approximately
1869. I recall visiting Ballybrack many times during my childhood.
Stabling and out-buildings framed the rear court-yard, there were
also a tennis court and an orchard, Gate-houses were positioned
at both top and bottom roads. Upon the demise of my grandparents
the house was occupied for a while by my uncle George McKenzie until
he moved to Scotland, after which the house was neglected and left
to decay.
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Frederick Young Founder of the Ghurkas
Frederick Young was born in Culdaff in 1786. His ancestors were
planters who had come to Culdaff around 1630. The young family were
granted lands on lease from the Marquis of Donegall and the Protestant
Bishop of Derry.
Frederick Young went to India at the age of 14 and took up a career
in the British army there. He became a general. During his term
in India he succeeded in establishing good relations with the hill
tribes and founded the famous Ghurka Regiment. After half a century
in the Indian occupation-army he retired in 1854 to live at Fairy
Hill, Bray. Owing to the failure of the bank in which his money
was lodged he had to sell his house and move to Ballybrack, where
he died in 1874. (Taken from Our Enis Oghain History by Brian Bonner)
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Rath (Iron Age or later)
About 1 mile N.E. of Moville on road to Greencastle, at S.E. side
of road 0.25 mile from the sea. Arable. View restricted. The circular
fort is on a loop of land high above the stream which surrounds
it on three sides, being closest on the W. It is barely discernible
owing to whins and heather, and with little of the surrounding bank
left. The bank at the S. appears to be worn away and the edge of
the enclosure irregular; the rest of the bank, except at the N.E.
is only a few inches high. The enclosure is grass-covered and fairly
level.
Measurements:
Interior diameter N.E., - S.W.
Interior height of bank at N.E.
Exterior height of bank at N.E.
|
83 ft
3 ft
2 ft |
Standing Stone (Megalithic)
About 0.25 miles further from Moville after Carnagarve the road
divides, lower fork on right leading to Greencastle, left or N.E.
fork to Shrove by upper road. Site about 300 yards at left or N.W.
side of road. Arable. Clear view except for higher ground 0.25 miles
distant to N. The standing stone faces N.E. -S.W. and leans at a
sharp angle. It is a hard grey stone curiously weathered in horizontal
banks, 2 ins wide and 2 ins deep, in holes or hollows.
Measurements:
Height
Width
Thickness |
6 ft 6 ins
3 ft
11ins |
Settlement (?)
About 1 mile N.N.W. as the crow flies, from the directions above.
Just before reaching latter, road branches to N.W. passing St. Mary's
R.C. Church, through Ballybrack, at topmost field of cultivation level
on right or E. of road. Cross field, site in next field. Mountain
pasture, heather, boggy. Unrestricted view over lough and sea, rising
ground to N.
This site contains:
(a)
(b)
(c) |
A well
A circular enclosure
Alignments, and clusters of small stones |
All are on the S. slopes of Crockaulin. There is an old road running
down the hill outside the E. field boundary.
(a) Well: In the centre of the field is a large well, used
by cattle, a wall, now much overgrown, had been built to support the
bank which apparently had been dug into in order to find the well
(b) Circular Enclosure: Near one corner of the field is a heather-covered
circular bank on a stone foundation. The enclosure is marshy with,
in the centre, a slight height some 13 ft. in diameter which partly
covers some stone which might suggest a wrecked cist. There seems
to be a S. opening to the enclosure.
Measurements:
(b) |
Circular Enclosure
Interior diameter N.-S.
Exterior diameter N.-S. |
30 ft
47 ft |
(c) Alignments and small stones: All stones appear to be set
in the ground in the same direction, those showing being not more
than 1.5 ft above ground. There might be three parallel alignments,
6 ft - 8 ft apart, the longest being about 25 ft. From a distance
the clusters of stone suggested habitation sites, such as boley huts,
but on closer inspection it is difficult to follow any particular
pattern. They remind me of sites near the Butterlope in the Sperrin
Mountains examined by O. Davies years ago. To make sense of them they
would need to be surveyed by an expert. It is reported that there
are standing stones about 0.5 miles to the N.E. and at about the same
altitude in Ballymacarthur. I found none.
Taken from The Heritage of Inishowen by Mabel R Colhoun
We are currently seeking more information on the townland of Ballybrack.
If you have any information on this area of Moville parish please
Contact
Us. We will be happy to acknowledge your contribution to the
site.
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