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| BALLYHOOLY, CO. CORK. -The neat little village of Ballyhooly, which now boasts a railway station of considerable convenience to tourists and travellers in general, stands on the banks of the Blackwater, not far from Mallow, near a shallow part of the river, which was called in Gaelic, according to the Book of Lismore, Ath-ublah, pronounced Ahoola, the Ford of the Apples. "The present name," says Joyce, "was formed by prefixing Bally (town) - Baila-atha-ubhla (now pronounced Blaa-hoola) - the Town of the Apple Ford." The situation of the village is delightful, and the fruit which gives it name still grows plentifully, as it did in remote ages, in the orchards which bloom around it. Within a few miles of Ballyhooly, in the direction of Glanworth, can be seen the peculiar formation called by the Gaelic-speaking country people the Leaba Caille, or the Hag's Bed, with which some hair-raising traditions are associated. The superstitiously inclined give the locality a wide berth, particularly after night-fall, when "sperrits" quite "unaisy in their minds" are supposed to come forth from their sepulchral retreats and enjoy the fresh air of the physical world. The Hag's Bed is supposed to be of Druidic origin, as it has many features of the cromlechs, so common throughout Ireland. |
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