Galbally (or Galboly) clachan is located in the townland of Galbally Upper (parish of Ardclinis) in Glenariffe.
Although Galboly is the spelling of the townland used in the Griffith’s valuation, locally the spelling ‘Galbally’ is more commonly accepted. It has been suggested that the name ‘Galbally’ derives from an Irish formulation meaning the bright dairly place or dairy place of the foreigner. The latter is the more popular local explanation of the name. Local tradition holds that the foreigner in question was a Dane. The Danes feature strongly in local folklore, a Danish fort is understood to have stood nearby Dunmaul while on the coast stands ‘the Soldier’s Rock’, from where a Danish soldier was reputed to have drowned himself.
The photographs below show a general view of the clachan and the remains of the individual buildings which make up the clachan area today. The photograph numbers correspond to the numbers on the sketch map and on the photograph which shows a general view of the clachan.
The houses were built of stone and single storey with the exception of one, photo 4 (1f in the Griffith’s valuation). This house and another three are detached dwellings, while the remaining ones are built in a terrace to form a narrow street. The only ‘modern’ building is the dwelling house built c. 1929, shown in photo 9, which is now occupied. The other buildings, which are now used for out-houses, and the adjoining lands are owned by two families.
The links on the right of this page will provide you with more information on the people who occupied the clachan during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.