Ballycroy, County Mayo

Ballycroy ( meaning "town of the stacks", either hay or turf) is a village in the civil parish of Kilcommon in County Mayo, Ireland. It was the location for the 1982 television film The Ballroom of Romance. The ballroom used in the film still exists, albeit in a derelict condition, and is located at Doona Cross, west of the village. Ballycroy is home to one of Ireland's National Parks, Wild Nephin (Ballycroy) National Park.

Ballycroy is also the name of two electoral divisions (ED) that form part of the local electoral area of Belmullet. As of 2011, Ballycroy North ED (containing 16 townlands) and Ballycroy South ED (containing 25 townlands) had a combined population of 663 people, scattered throughout numerous settlements.

Early history
Ballycroy has long been inhabited, with archaeological evidence indicating ancient settlement in the region. Notable prehistoric structures include a portal tomb at the base of Claggan Hill and a court cairn in Drumgallagh. In Bunmore West, a ninth-century church known as Teampall Eunna (St. Enda's Church) once stood, used for pilgrimage. By the early 19th century, this church had deteriorated significantly and was unrecognisable, and in the mid-20th century the remains were demolished by the landowner.

In the townland of Lettra, south of the village, a similar historic fort is mentioned as one of the most formidable in Erris during the era of Táin Bó Fliadhas. Meanwhile, Fahy, a nearby townland, is home to a Norman-built castle overlooking Blacksod Bay, known as either Fahy or Doona Castle. The coast of Fahy experienced wrecks of Spanish ships as part of the Spanish Armada.

There was a twenty-mile bridle path that ran from Bangor Erris to Newport and was known as the 'Desert Road,' according to Michael O'Cleiri, one of the Four Masters. In the late 16th century, Sir Richard Bingham and John Browne of Neale used it to drive thousands of cows from Erris to Westport, with the path reaching an elevation of 852 feet by Nephin Beg.

Erris was initially granted after the Norman Conquest by the de Burghs to Jordan de Exeter and later to the Butler family, who held Ballycroy manor. By the early 17th century, the Barrett family owned the land until Dermot Cormack, a Limerick lawyer, purchased a large portion. After supporting the Jacobite cause, Cormack's descendants lost their land, which was then given to Sir John Shaen. Sir Arthur Shaen divided his estates in Erris between his daughters, who married John Bingham and Henry Carter.

17th century settlement
In 1654, a significant number of Catholics were expelled from Ulster to Mayo and resettled in Ballycroy and the neighbouring Barony of Burrishoole. According to O'Donovan’s 1838 records, these families had been established in the area for around 240 to 270 years, spanning eight or nine generations. The settlers, known as "na Ultaigh" or the Ulstermen, included prominent surnames such as O'Sweeny, O'Clery, O'Gallagher, Conway, MacManamon, and O'Friel, they spoke the Ultonian dialect of Irish. Peregrine O'Clery brought several historic books with him to Ballycroy.

Tradition holds that their arrival was by sea, landing at Fahy. They were guided to Ballycroy by Roger O'Donnell, son of Colonel Manus O'Donnell, who had perished in the Battle of Benburb in 1646. Some of the O'Donnells converted to the Church of Ireland and changed their name to O'Donel who acquired lands in the area previously owned by native chieftains, such as the O'Malleys.

The O'Donel landlord of Ballycroy initially implemented a system where land was leased communally for a period of three years. Under this arrangement, the entire village collectively managed the land, either sharing it among themselves or dividing it into smaller plots. Over time, however, this leasing system evolved as the O'Donels began to sell or lease their property, leading to changes in how land was managed and distributed.

Later history
In the 1830s, Patrick Knight described the people of Ballycroy as a 'colony of Ulstermen' who maintained their ancient dialect and intermarried predominantly within their community. When the Poor Law Union was established in the 1840s for tax and social administration, Ballycroy was included in the Newport Union, whereas the rest of Erris was assigned to the Belmullet Union. In 1831, Ballycroy had a population of 2,925, with most residents in the upper townlands like Claggan and Kildun. Landlords Thomas Birch and Edward Clive relocated tenants to poorer coastal areas, offering minimal or no rent on reclaimed lands for seven years to encourage settlement. Summer boolies, a form of transhumance, were used as temporary shelters. In the mid-19th century, sheep and cattle farming was introduced on the mountains, with herders' dwellings built and herders paid based on their livestock.

A hunting lodge was constructed for the gentry at Gleann Dubh in the townland of Maumaratta, but it now lies in ruins. Another hunting lodge was built around 1850 in Bellyveeny townland on the Bangor to Mulranny road. This lodge was used as a station for the Black and Tans in 1921 and was destroyed, along with a nearby police station, during the Troubles of the 1920s. The lodge now forms part of Rock House. In the 1920s Republican Courts were held in the area, in the townland of Knockmoyleen.

In the early 20th century, the Congested Districts Board and the Irish Land Commission purchased the land around Ballycroy and gradually distributed it to tenants, moving herders to the lower lands and providing them with houses. Electricity was brought to Ballycroy starting in 1958, with the final connections made by 1978. The area was featured in the 1982 film The Ballroom of Romance. The original dance hall opened in 1948.

Geography
The village is located on the N59 road. The two Ballcroy EDs cover approximately 51,943 acres, with a large portion consisting of mountain pasture. William Hamilton Maxwell in Wild Sports of the West (1832) described the terrain as characterised by bogs, morasses, expansive waters, and grazing lands. Most of the rock is composed of Mica Slate and Quartz, limestone for burning into lime, was brought on the return journeys from Newport. The area includes several townlands and stretches from Aughness to Dooghill, marking the boundary between the baronies of Erris and Burrishoole.

Due to historical restrictions during the Penal Laws, which limited Catholic priests, several parishes including Ballycroy were part of the parish of Kilcommon. For civil purposes, these areas are still classified under the civil parish of Kilcommon.

Since the Composition of Connacht in 1585, Ballycroy has been part of the Barony of Erris. Several rivers run through the area, including the Owenduff River and the Bellyveeny River, which originates from Lough an Aifrinn. This natural reservoir is located about three and a half miles southeast of Bellyveeny Bridge, at the base of the Corranabinna mountain range. In 1980, water from Lough an Aifrinn was piped to homes in Ballycroy.

Religion
A Church of Ireland church dedicated to the Holy Trinity was constructed in the townland of Castlehill. Built in 1850 and consecrated in 1854, this three-bay, double-height church, designed by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, is now in ruins. Originally featuring a gabled breakfront, tooled cut-limestone details, and a pitched roof, the church was closed in 1963 and fell into disrepair by 1991. It had a mix of coursed sandstone walls and limestone dressings, with lancet windows and a decorative bell-cot.

The local Catholic church was completed in 1853 and is dedicated to the Holy Family. The foundation stone for the church was laid in 1845 and was built in the shape of a cross. The old Roman Catholic Church, a thatched building, was situated on a hillside near the original main road through the village in the townland of Gortbrack. It was destroyed during the Night of the Big Wind in January 1839.

Amenities
In the village of Ballycroy there is a school, Garda station, two pubs, a cemetery and the visitor centre for the Wild Nephin National Park. A community centre opened in 1976.