Ballyristle

keewik · Post by **keewik** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 6:21 pm

I've at last found a place to connect one of my Irish lines with - according to LDS there are 2 generations of a family all born in 'Ballyristle, Down'.

I've googled this name to distraction but I just keep getting asked if I mean 'Ballycastle'. Since Ballycastle is nowhere near Co. Down, I can't imagine it's been wrongly transcribed. Has anybody ever heard of Ballyristle?

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 6:29 pm

Hi Keewik
Given that you have found this on LDS, where there can be transcription errors, my inclination would be to try to find a list of townlands and/or parishes in Co. Down and see if you can find anything which sounds or looks similar.

Try here for parishes & associated townlands
http://www.ulsterancestry.com/ulster_to ... ounty.html
e.g. could it be Ballytrustan (parish)? (think of someone saying it......)

Or here for a list of townlands
http://applications.proni.gov.uk/geogindx/towndown.htm
Ballyrussell (townland) ?? (seems more likely

) though Ballyrusley may also be a contender. Check out the list and see if any others look likely.

The townland is, it seems to me, the key to Irish research - if you can identify that, you have usually managed to place the family in quite a small manageable area.

Best wishes
Lesley

JustJean · Post by **JustJean** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 8:18 pm

This is another great website for searching the various Irish townlands and such http://www.seanruad.com/

Best wishes
Jean

keewik · Post by **keewik** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 6:10 pm

Thanks, both of you. I now have 3/4 to choose from. Ballyrussell certainly sounds closest. I wasn't aware of Townlands before. However it remains to be seen whether I can find any way of confirming which place it is.

nelmit · Post by **nelmit** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 7:36 pm

keewik wrote:Thanks, both of you. I now have 3/4 to choose from. Ballyrussell certainly sounds closest. I wasn't aware of Townlands before. However it remains to be seen whether I can find any way of confirming which place it is.

Emerald Ancestors has quite a lot of records indexed at Down. Have you tried a search there?

Regards,
Annette

keewik · Post by **keewik** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 7:18 pm

No, I haven't. To be honest I'm a bit ignorant about how to get info on my Irish lines. I'll look at that.