Ballingeary

Ballingeary
Béal Átha an Ghaorthaidh
Village
The former An Óige Youth Hostel
The former An Óige Youth Hostel
Ballingeary is located in Ireland
Ballingeary
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 51°51′N 9°14′W / 51.85°N 9.23°W / 51.85; -9.23
CountryIreland
ProvinceMunster
CountyCounty Cork
Population
 (2022)[1]
235
Websiteballingeary.com

Ballingeary (Irish: Béal Átha an Ghaorthaidh, pronounced [ˌbʲeːl̪ˠ aːh ənˠ ˈɣeːɾˠhiː]) is a village in the Shehy Mountains in County Cork, Ireland.[2]

The village is located within the Muskerry Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area). According to the 2016 census, over 42% of the population speak Irish on a daily basis outside the education system.[3][4] In 2022, Ballingeary had the highest proportion of Irish speakers among the population aged three years and over in Ireland, at 89%.[5]

It has an active Irish-language summer school, Coláiste na Mumhan (College of Munster), which was attended by Thomas MacDonagh in the summer of 1906. It also hosts a yearly agricultural and horticultural show.[citation needed]

Ballingeary is 19 km west of Macroom, on the R584 road. The River Lee rises a few kilometres west of the village, at Gougane Barra Park.

  1. ^ "Census Mapping - Towns: Béal Átha An Ghaorthaidh - Population Snapshot". Census 2022. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Béal Átha an Ghaorthaidh". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Béal Átha An Ghaorthaidh". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. April 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Irish Language and the Gaeltacht - CSO - Central Statistics Office". www.cso.ie. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Irish Language and the Gaeltacht - CSO - Central Statistics Office". www.cso.ie. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2024. Figure 1.4 Top 10 towns with the highest proportion of Irish speakers aged three years and over, 2022 [..] Béal Átha an Ghaorthaidh, Co Cork [..] Irish speakers. (89.3%)