Ballygunaghan | townland

 townland  Add category

 Upload a photo

Baile Uí Dhuinneagáin 'O'Donegan's townland'

Ballygunaghan is the most easterly townland of Donaghcloney. It has the river Lagan as its northern border, and is the only townland in the parish to form part of the Magennis district of Glasquirin, which extended south into Magherally and Seapatrick parishes. The townland name is attested from 1609, when it was one of eight towns held by Con Boy McPhelim McHugh Magennis from the King. By 1632 he had transferred five of these, including Ballygunaghan, to Sir Faithful Fortescue, whose name is still used for part of the townland. The area is now most frequently known as Blackskull. The historical forms for Ballygunaghan indicate a possible surname, and Joyce suggested Baile Ó gConachain 'O'Conaghan's town' (Joyce iii 91). Woulfe gives this surname as Ó Connacháin (Woulfe 1923, 478). However, the surname Ó Donnagáin or Ó Duinneagáin, which also forms part of the name of the Moira townland of Balloonigan, seems more probable. These two townlands named after the family of Ó Donnagáin were both secular lands. There is an early 15th-century ecclesiastical reference to 'the (Archbishop's) lands of O'Donnacon', which connects the family with the Church (Reg. Swayne 45,97, 1426-8). The surname Mac Donnagáin occurs regularly connected with the diocese and is probably a variant of the same name. Florence MacDonegan was bishop of Dromore in 1309, and there were numbers of McDonegan clergy in the diocese in the 14th and 15th centuries (Swanzy's Dromore). Patrick McDonegan held the church lands of Tullylish in the early 17th century, and McDonegans also held some other unlocated church lands which passed to Edward Trevor (CPR Jas I 195a,395b,191a).

References

(info. from Muhr, K. (1996): Place-Names of Northern Ireland vol. 6 p. 86)

Historical/Postulated Forms

Baile Uí Dhuinneagáin - PNI, 279,
Ballyagonygan (in Ballynecrosse) - CPR Jas I, 395a, 1609
Balliagonigan - CPR Jas I, 190a, 1611
Ballygomgan - Inq. Ult. (Down), $34 Car. I, 1632
Ballygonygan - Atkinson's Donaghcloney, 22, 1650c
Balligonioan - Hib. Reg., Lr. Iveagh, 1657c
Ballygonigon - Census 1659, 79, 1659c
Ballygonniga - BSD, 77, 1661
Balligonioan - Hib. Del., Down, 1672c
(?)Ballynagany - Rent Roll Down, 7, 1692
Ballygonaghan - Map of Down (OSNB), E2, 1755
Ballyguniaghan - Vestry Bk D'cloney, 114, 1771
Balligonygan unforfeited - Par. Map (Mooney), 337, 17thc
Ballygonigan - OSNB: gen. sources, E2, 17thc
Ballygonniga - S & D Ann. (Mooney), 338 (29), 17thc
Ballygonahan (?-akan) - Wm. Map (OSNB), E2, 1810
Ballygunaghan - Vestry Bk D'cloney, 116, 1821
Ballynagunikan - Bnd. Sur. (OSNB), E2, 1830c
Ballynagunaghan [Ballynaguni'kan] - OSM, xii 59a, 1834
Ballynagunikan - OSM, xii 58b, 1834
Baile Guineachain "Gonaghan's town" - J O'D (OSNB), E2, 1834c
Baile Ó gConachain "O'Conaghan's town" - Joyce, iii 91, 1913
Baile Uí Dhuinneagáin "Donegan's town" - HMC replies, HMCjun01, 2001