Ballela is a small village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 and parish in County Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It is about five miles (8 km) east of Banbridge

Banbridge

Banbridge is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road. It was named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. The town grew as a coaching stop on the road from Belfast to Dublin and thrived from Irish linen manufacturing...

, perched on top of one of the many drumlins

Drumlin

A drumlin, from the Irish word droimnín , first recorded in 1833, is an elongated whale-shaped hill formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine.-Drumlin formation:...

 that are common in the county. A number of prehistoric ringfort

Ringfort

Ringforts are circular fortified settlements that were mostly built during the Iron Age , although some were built as late as the Early Middle Ages . They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland...

s begird the village.

Name

Ballela is within the townland

Townland

A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...

 of Ballooly, which was historically spelt as Ballyely. It is believed that these three names all come .

Sport

The Ballela area has a long link with Gaelic games

Gaelic games

Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling...

, and hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 was first played in Ballela as far back as 1901. The first County Down Senior Hurling Championship win for Ballela Hurling and Camogie Club (Baile Aileach Cumann Lúthchleas Gael) came in the 1936 final played in Castlewellan

Castlewellan

Castlewellan is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is beside Castlewellan Lake and Slievenaslat mountain, southwest of Downpatrick. It lies between the Mourne Mountains and Slieve Croob. It had a population of 2,392 people in the 2001 Census....

against Kilclief. Further titles were won in 1937, 1940, 1941, 1948, 1951 and 1952. New playing fields, meeting rooms and changing facilities were developed during 2005 and the pitch was officially opened in 2007.

Education

A National School that existed at Ballela in 1837 was described as “a small cottage” with 100 Catholic and 10 Presbyterian pupils. A new school in the townland of Shanrod was opened in 1859 and extended in 1861. It became the Catholic school for Ballela for several generations. A new school at Ballela was opened in September 1969 and shut in June 2006. It was between the curate’s house and the Parochial Hall.