My ancestors - Blennerhassett - Contents

The gable end (the E end of the house)
The "folly" (probably just the W end of the house)

Old Ballyseedy - The house

The house at Old Ballyseedy.

The gable end (the E end of the house)

Tall gabled structure with chimney.
Clearly the E end of a house that stretches off to the W.

Old Ballyseedy on 1887 to 1913 map.
Shows the building with curved walls (which survives as a ruin today).
To the S of it is a large ruin.
The gable end must be the E part of the ruin.

The gable end of the house.
From the SW (inside) side.
Photo 2013. See larger and full size.
See other shot.
See 2016 shot and 2016 shot.

Drawing on the sign at the location. Shows the outside (E side).
Photo 2013. See larger and full size.
See text.

The gable end. The inside (W side).
Photo 2013. See larger and full size.
See closer and closer.

The gable end. The inside (W side).
There have been some repairs since 2013.
Photo 2016. See larger and full size.
See other shot.
See 2024 photo.

View up the chimney.
Photo 2013. See larger and full size.

The outside. (E side.)
Photo 2013. See larger and full size.
See other shot.
See 2016 shot.

Wonder if these marks on the chimney mean anything.
Photo 2013. See full size.

Photo 2004 by Bill Jehan, before the path was restored.
See full size and hi-res.
See top of chimney.

The side.
Photo 2013. See larger and full size.
See other shot.

The "folly" (probably just the W end of the house)

There is a large ruin to the W of the gable end of the house.
The sign at the location says this is a "19th century folly".
However, this makes no sense:

This would be a very strange spot for a folly. No one lived here in the 19th century.
This does not fit with the old map, which strongly indicates this ruin is just the W end of the house.

The walls of the two ruins ("folly" and gable end) do approximately line up.
One problem with the theory is that there is ground excavated between them, with a big slope. There could not have been a house across this slope.
The creation of the slope could have happened since the house was abandoned though, for some reason, perhaps to do with access to the mill, and this would explain why the middle of the house has been removed.

Old Ballyseedy on 1887 to 1913 map.
Shows the building with curved walls (which survives as a ruin today).
To the S of it is a large ruin.
The "folly" must be the W part of this ruin, and the gable end must be the E part of the ruin.

View through the door of the gable end looking W towards the "folly". Shows that the two ruins roughly line up.
The "folly" must be just the W end of the house.
Photo 2016. See larger and full size.
See wider view.

The "folly" (LHS) and the gable end (RHS). They clearly line up.
Photo 2016. See larger and full size.

View along the N wall of the "folly" looking E towards the gable end. They clearly line up.
Photo 2016. See larger and full size.

The N wall of the "folly".
Photo 2013. See larger and full size.

View through the hole.
In the background is the outbuilding to the N.
Photo 2004 by Bill Jehan.
See larger and full size.

The N wall.
Photo 2004 by Bill Jehan.
See full size and hi-res.

The N wall.
Photo 2004 by Bill Jehan.
Light adjusted. See larger and full size and original.

View from inside. The NW corner.
Photo 2013. See larger and full size.

The W wall.
Photo 2013. See larger and full size.

The SW corner.
Photo 2013. See larger and full size.
See other shot.

The sign says this building is a folly, but as discussed, this seems unlikely.
N wall to the right. W wall straight ahead.
Photo 2013. See larger and full size.

Movies

Video 2016 starting with the W wall of the "folly", and rotating round to see the gable end to the E, with N wall of "folly" visible at end.

Video 2016 starting with the N wall of the "folly", and rotating round to see the gable end to the E.

Return to Old Ballyseedy.