Settlement deserted - medieval

The National Monuments Service's description

The present village of Ballybrittas is mainly 18th century in date. Old Ballybrittas village may have been located in the area where 'Ballybrittas Old' is marked on first edition of the. OS six-inch map. Old Ballybrittas was probably little more than a cluster of houses near the church and castle of the O'Dempsey's at Clonyhurk (Feehan 1983, 378). In 1659 census the townland of 'Ballibrittan' had a population of 30 families, 6 of whom were English (Pender 2002, 502). No surface remains of any earthworks of archaeological interest in area marked on the OS six-inch map. No buildings pre-1700 AD in area marked on OS six-inch map. The triangular shaped green may be the village green of Ballybrittas Village, the fields surrounding this triangular shaped area may contain sub-surface remains of dwellings belonging to the possible settlement of Ballybrittas. However without any surface remains to indicate the location of a possible clustered settlement it is not possible to precisely locate the fields in which this settlement may have been located.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload/revision : 15 September 2010