Ballynacliffy

60 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Ballynacliffy, from 127 m² to 431,570 m² (43.16 ha, 106.64 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary; 26 neighbouring parcels touch it.

No zone of a development plan covers Ballynacliffy in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply to each application.

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

• 28 Mar 2026Conditional

  the construction of a new dwelling, proprietary effluent treatment system & polishing filter, new road entrance, and all ancillary site works

  Permission, 1 home · Westmeath County Council, 2660143

• 13 Mar 2026Conditional

  to carry out the following works to our existing dwelling house; -demolish existing extensions to side and rear of existing dwelling and existing porch -demolish 4no. existing agricultural sheds on site -construct a new extension to the rear and side of the existing dwelling house -alterations to the internal layout of the existing dwelling house -closing up of existing site entrance and creation of new site entrance -decommissioning of existing septic tank -installation of new treatment plant with percolation area and all associated site works

  Permission, 1 home · Westmeath County Council, 2660117

• 22 Apr 2025Conditional

  for an extension to existing house, changes to existing house elevations, demolition of adjoining substandard outbuilding and the construction of a Wastewater Treatment Plant, Percolation Area, and all associated services.

  Permission, 1 home · Westmeath County Council, 2560195

• 28 Jan 2022Refused

  Proposed construction of a two storey type dwelling house with detached garage, entrance, boundary fence/wall, wastewater treatment system with percolation area and all ancillary works

  Permission · Westmeath County Council, 2225

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

• Special Area of Conservation: Lough Ree SAC 000440
• Special Protection Area: Lough Ree SPA 004064
• Proposed Natural Heritage Area: Lough Ree 000440

Recorded monuments

• WM015-005 Castle - tower house
  Description

  Situated on a small knoll on the NW face of a ridge, with good views in all directions, especially over Lough Ree to the W and N. Lough Ree lies 840m to N with Creggan Lough 560m to SW. Bethlehem nunnery (WM015-002----) lies 1.8km to the N. Area of rock outcrop with evidence of quarrying in field immediately to SSW. According to the Ordnance Survey Letters Ballynacliffy Castle belonged to the Dillon's (RIA 14/G/13/3(19)). According to other sources the the castle was first built in 1401 by Geróid Dalton, son of Lucas Dalton and that the townland name was derived from Baile na Cloiche meaning the town of the stone house (Cox 1971-2, 43; Hogan 1910, 86). In 1641 the lands of Ballynacliffy were in the ownership of the Earl of Kildare (NLI MS 723-4). All that survives are the grass-covered foundations (H 0.5m) of a square-shaped building (internal. dims. 9m N-S; 9m E-W) which probably represents the remains of a tower house standing on low natural rock outcrop. An extensive complex of earthworks (WM015-005001-) surround the castle which may represent the remains of a bawn and possible settlement. These earthworks show up clearly on Digital Globe aerial photographs and on aerial photographs taken in 20/07/1970 (CUCAP BDU069-070). This castle was known in the 17th century as Ballineclossy Castle and was used as a garrison for English forces during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. The castle was described by Sir Henry Piers in 1682 as following; In 1642 'two foot companies of English forces, were commanded to quarter at Ballineclossy, a strong castle and dwelling house of a gentleman of antient family and good estate, situated in the promontory before mentioned these were commanded by a gentleman of a very noble extraction, captain Bertie or Bartie, brother to the lord chamberlain of England, the earl of Lindsey, who was general for the king at the battle of Edgehill' (Vallancey 1786, 82). According to Pies after the English burnt Bethlehem Nunnery (WM015-002---) they returned to 'their quarters at Ballineclossy aforesaid, which had been deserted by the inhabitants on their appearance, but left well stored with excellent strong beer and aquavitae, and all sorts of provisions for food' (ibid). Piers recorded that the castle was 'seated in the mentioned promontory, which jets out into the lake or Shannon, nearer to the main land then Bethlem, and hath over against it on the other side of the Inny, which here falls into Lough-Ree in the Shannon, a placed called Portenure' (ibid.). Compiled by: Frank Coyne and Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 4 September 2018

• WM015-005001 Bawn
  Description

  Situated on a small knoll on the NW face of a ridge, with good views in all directions, especially over Lough Ree to the W and N. Lough Ree lies 840m to N with Creggan Lough 560m to SW. Bethlehem nunnery (WM015-002----) lies 1.8km to the N. Grass-covered foundations of a square-shaped tower house known as Ballynacliffy Castle (WM015-005----) standing on low natural rock outcrop with an extensive complex of earthworks to the N which may appears to represent the remains of a bawn and possible evidence of small house sites. These earthworks show up clearly on Digital Globe aerial photographs and on aerial photographs taken in 20/07/1970 (CUCAP BDU069-070). On the Digital Globe aerial photograph the bawn appears as the low earthwork of a rectangular shaped area (approx. int. dims. 93m E-W x 120m N-S) located to the N of the castle. The public road immediately S of the castle appears to cut across the S side of the bawn with no enclosing element visible on this side. Circular projections on NW angle and midway along N side of bawn appear to represent the remains of flanking towers. A sunken linear earthwork running NW from W side if bawn may be the remains of a medieval roadway or could be the remains of a drainage ditch. A series of rectangular shaped earthworks immediately N and NW of the castle could be the remains of some house site but this is uncertain. The bawn appears to be subdivided by a linear earthwork running N-S which is clearly visible on Digital Globe aerial photograph. Earthworks in field to S of public road and castle may be the result of post-1700 quarrying. A limekiln is depicted standing in the SE corner of this field on the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map. This castle was known in the 17th century as Ballineclossy Castle and was used as a garrison for English forces during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. The castle was described by Sir Henry Piers in 1682 as following; In 1641 'two foot companies of English forces, were commanded to quarter at Ballineclossy, a strong castle and dwelling house of a gentleman of antient family and good estate, situated in the promontory before mentioned these were commanded by a gentleman of a very noble extraction, captain Bertie or Bartie, brother to the lord chamberlain of England, the earl of Lindsey, who was general for the king at the battle of Edgehill' (Vallancey 1786, 82). According to Pies after the English burnt Bethlehem Nunnery (WM015-002---) they returned to 'their quarters at Ballineclossy aforesaid, which had been deserted by the inhabitants on their appearance, but left well stored with excellent strong beer and aquavitae, and all sorts of provisions for food' (ibid). Piers recorded that the castle was 'seated in the mentioned promontory, which jets out into the lake or Shannon, nearer to the main land then Bethlem, and hath over against it on the other side of the Inny, which here falls into Lough-Ree in the Shannon, a placed called Portenure' (ibid.). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 5 September 2018

• WM015-013 Burial ground
  Description

  Depicted as a circular shaped burial ground standing at the junction between the townlands of Coolaleena and Littletown on the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map. A 'Ruin' is shown at this location on Larkin's 1808 map of Co. Westmeath. The townland boundary of Coolaleena lies immediately to S with Littletown boundary immediately to E. Depicted on the 1837 OS Fair Plan map as a small circular-shaped enclosure delimited by a broken line and annotated as ‘Killeenaglina Burying Ground’. On the revised 1912 ed. OS 6-inch map the graveyard is depicted as a square-shaped burial ground. Present remains consist of a roughly square-shaped area (approx. dims. 29m N-S; 27m E-W) enclosed by a stone wall with entrance gate at E end of N wall. The remains of a roughly circular-shaped area defined by a scarp is visible to the N and W of the graveyard wall represents the remains of the earlier large circular earthen boundary of the graveyard. The burial ground contains memorials dating from the 18th - 20th centuries. See attached plan of monument surveyed and drawn by the ASI. Compiled by: Frank Coyne and Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 6 September 2018

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

No address of the register names Ballynacliffy with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Westmeath.

Name

Ballynacliffy

Area

1,883,575 m² (188.36 ha, 465.44 acres)

Civil parish

Kilkenny West, and its townlands

Barony

Kilkenny West

Electoral division

Muckanagh, the unit of the census

Neighbouring townlands

Bleanphuttoge, Coolaleena, Creggan, Doonis, Littletown, Muckanagh

Placenames

Ballynacliffy on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address; old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.