When I had finished exploring Town Parks of Donaghadee and Ballyvester a few weeks ago, I drove away from the coast along the Craigboy Road. As the road moved inland, it climbed and it zig-zagged.
These aren’t gentle bends – they are almost right angles. At one of them I stopped to admire the view back towards the coast, with a hazy glimpse of Scotland across the Irish Sea.
One advantage of being on a winding road was that I was forced to drive so slowly that I didn’t even disturb the wildlife.
While looking at the Craigboy pheasant, I can tell you something more about the name of the townland. According to the PLACENAMESNI.ORG website, 17th century records show the name as “Creboy” and “Ballycreboy”, indicating that the name probably has nothing to do with the Irish creig meaning “rock”, but instead came from An Chré Bhuí meaning “the yellow clay”.
I am developing a habit of photographing gates and fences. Perhaps I can learn something from them about the culture or history of different parts of Ulster’s farmland, but for the moment I just like the way the sun glints off these metal bars.
Back down on the coast, in the Templepatrick graveyard in Miller Hill townland, I found a gravestone from 1820 for a family in Craigboy.
more information
Which townlands border Craigboy? To the north, Ballyvester. To the east, Miller Hill and Templepatrick. To the south, Ballycopeland. To the west, Killaghy.
Click here for a link to a 19th century map of Craigboy on the website of Ordnance Survey Ireland.
Which civil parish is Craigboy in? Donaghadee
Which council area is Craigboy in? Ards and North Down Borough Council
Which county is Craigboy in? County Down
And finally, click here to read about the townland’s name on my usual source – PLACENAMESNI.ORG.
Townlands of Ulster 
[…] skip straight to this month’s new posts: Craigboy, Ballynichol, Rathcunningham, Ballyreagh, Commons […]
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There’s a book written by a local man called “Blood ties of Craigboy” all about his childhood in that town land and the families who lived there in the early 1900s.
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Thanks, Lolly. Taking your lead, I’ve now found a clip on the BBC website of Wilbert Magill talking about his Craigboy book, and reading a short extract. So if anyone is interested in hearing more about Craigboy, click on this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ulsterscots/library/wilbert-magill-bloodties-of-craigboy
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[…] and (across Killaughey Road) Carryreagh and Ballyhay. To the west, Killaghy. To the south, Craigboy and Templepatrick. To the east, just the Irish […]
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Interesting Karolyn! Pictures are beautiful too!
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Thanks Glynns. I aim to keep you supplied with pictures of green places while you are living in the desert.
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PLEASE do…the lack of green is disheartening 🙂
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Great pictures of the pheasant. I just love those birds (no not the eating kind of way though they taste good but their unique look)
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[…] a different townland). Gravestones from here have already featured on this blog, in my posts from Craigboy and […]
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[…] townlands border Ballycopeland? To the north, Craigboy and Miller Hill. To the west, Killaghy. To the south, Ballybuttle and Ballymacruise. To the […]
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[…] townlands border Templepatrick? To the north, Ballyvester. To the west, Craigboy. To the south, Miller Hill. To the east, the Irish […]
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