Galbally

History

A number of archaeological sites and buildings in the Galbally area are included in the Record of Protected Structures. Among these is "Darby's Bed", a passage tomb which sits on a nearby hill in the townland of Duntryleague. It is cited in Irish legend as one of the places where Diarmuid and Grainne spent a night during their flight from the angry Fionn MacCumhaill. Also located just outside the village is Moor Abbey. This Franciscan friary was founded in the thirteenth century by Donach Cairbreach Ua'Briain. The only standing building from the site is the friary's church, which was built in 1471. The site had a tumultuous history, matching the ebbs and flows of Irish politics and religious freedoms, and was inhabited until 1748, though with periods of desertion. Present in the church is the remains of a tomb, which is perhaps that of the founder. In the centre of Galbally's village square is a statue of a soldier, erected in memory of named local volunteers who lost their lives during the War of Independence in 1921. The south side of the square was the site of a poor house during famine times. Charles Bianconi's carriages used to drive through the village, and the stables they used still stand on the north side of the village square. The Barons Massy of Duntryleague had their original seat in the area and their Charnel house (burial place) is still extant. The Massy's, an English family of Norman descent, received land in county Limerick in the Cromwellian plantation, and settled in Duntryleague, in the parish of Galbally. The family played a prominent role in the Anglo-Irish ascendancy class up to the 20th century. Their Summer house, Massy Lodge, stands near the neighbouring village of Anglesborough. Also located at Duntryleague are the remains of a…

Most-observed species

• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  103
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  88
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  79
• Rook

  Corvus frugilegus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  78
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  76
• Western Jackdaw

  Coloeus monedula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  68
• Eurasian Wren

  Troglodytes troglodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  66
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  54