Ballyliffin 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...

 located in the North Western tip of Inishowen

Inishowen

Inishowen is a peninsula in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in the north of Ireland. It is also the largest peninsula in all of Ireland. Inishowen is a picturesque location with a rich history...

, County Donegal

County Donegal

County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

.

The surrounding landscapes are picturesque, with the village being surrounded by Pollan Strand, Binion hill and Crockaughrim hill.

History

Local history of the area is covered in Charles McGlinchey's publication, ‘The Last of the Name’. It includes accounts of feuds between landlords and tenants, battles and other nuances.

Places of interest

A small island off Pollan Bay called Glashedy

Glashedy

Glashedy Island is a rock island approximately from Pollan Bay in Ballyliffin, and about south of Malin Head, Donegal, Ireland. Its former name up until the early 19th century was Seale Island....

 is located roughly one mile off the coast. The English translation of the name is the Island of the Green Cloak derived from the layer of grass present on the top. Throughout the ages various ships have become wrecked near to the island, which provide rich fishing grounds and also contributed the rat population to the island.

The nearby Isle of Doagh (no longer separate from mainland) is also worth a visit.
Find out more about the area, facilities and things to do at www.visitballyliffin.com

People

• Ballyliffin is the birthplace of "The Heretic" John Toland
  John Toland
  John Toland was a rationalist philosopher and freethinker, and occasional satirist, who wrote numerous books and pamphlets on political philosophy and philosophy of religion, which are early expressions of the philosophy of the Age of Enlightenment...
  
  , who coined the ideals of Pantheism
  Pantheism
  Pantheism is the view that the Universe and God are identical. Pantheists thus do not believe in a personal, anthropomorphic or creator god. The word derives from the Greek meaning "all" and the Greek meaning "God". As such, Pantheism denotes the idea that "God" is best seen as a process of...
  
  . Folklore tells us that John Toland exchanged his soul for a book of wisdom on Binion hill, in a Faust
  Faust
  Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
  
  ian pact with the devil. It is now understood that these stories are derived from Toland's stance opposing the Catholic
  Catholic
  The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
  
   church.
• Former Bohemian FC footballer Fergal Harkin
  Fergal Harkin
  Fergal Harkin is a former Irish footballer who played for Bohemians in the League of Ireland over 8 seasons.-Career:...
  
   is originally from Ballyliffin.

Transport

Ballyliffin railway station opened on 1 July 1901, but finally closed on 2 December 1935. It is now a private residence.

Sport

Ballyliffin also has two 18 hole golf course

Golf course

A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...

s. Among Nick Faldo

Nick Faldo

Sir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No...

's favourite links courses, they were designed by top course designers, Eddie Hackett

Eddie Hackett

Eddie Hackett was an Irish golf course architect.Eddie Hackett was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1910. As a boy he suffered from tuberculosis, the effects of which left him without the strength or stamina to play active sports. He began playing golf with his father, and as a teenager got a job at his...

, Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddoc. In 2006 the old course was upgraded by Nick Faldo.

Ballyliffin Golf Club hosted the 2008 Irish Seniors Open in June 2008

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland