Ballingarry is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. It is located near the village of Granagh and between the towns of Rathkeale and Kilmallock on the R518 road. Ballingarry lies in a civil parish of the same name, and within the ecclesiastical parish of Ballingarry-Granagh in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick. The village had a population of 570 as of the 2022 census, up from 521 at the 2016 census.

History

Evidence of ancient settlement around Ballingarry includes several ringfort and holy well sites. A number of early medieval religious houses, including a preceptory associated with the Knights Templar or Knights Hospitaller, were founded nearby from the 12th century. On Knight Street, within the village, is the 15th century Ballingarry Castle. This Norman tower house is traditionally associated with the De Lacy family. The village's Church of Ireland church was built, in 1820, at the site of an earlier church and graveyard enclosure. The current Roman Catholic church is dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and opened in 1879. These churches are among seven buildings, in Ballingarry, included in the Record of Protected Structures for County Limerick. Ballingarry had a significant weaving and linen industry until the Great Famine of the mid-19th century.

Sport

The local Gaelic Athletic Association club, Granagh-Ballingarry GAA, is primarily involved in hurling and camogie. The club's hurling team won the Limerick Intermediate Hurling Championship in 2023. The Granagh-Ballingarry camogie team won the All-Ireland Senior Club Camogie Championship in 1998, 1999 and 2003. The local association football (soccer) club, Ballingarry A.F.C., won the Desmond League Premier Division in 2003/2004.

Notable people