Ballynalliagh

Ballynagalliagh is a townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

Upper and Lower Galliagh form the townland of Ballynagalliagh in western County Londonderry. Upper Galliagh borders the townland of Elagh More which lies directly upon the border with County Donegal, between the Buncrana Road and Ballyarnett. Lower Galliagh is a buffer between Upper Galliagh and the outer urban edge of Derry and the townland of Shantallow.

Ballynagalligh is recorded in the 1604 Irish patent rolls of James I. It lies in the parish of Templemore, within the North-West Liberties of Londonderry.

Galliagh comes from the Gaelic (Calliagh/Galliagh) meaning 'nuns' or controversially in some translations 'old hags'. The area may originally have been called Clongoliagh or Glengalliagh. The anglicised name is appropriately Glenabbey.

It is important not to confuse Galliagh with the housing estates to the west of Shantallow which have recently attained the collective name of Galliagh. The boundary of lower Galliagh is the burn which runs behind the White Chapel at Galliagh estate.

The townland has been zoned for large scale housing and commercial development in the Derry Area Plan 2011. The completion of the Skeoge Link in 2008 will allow for some 3,000 new homes to be built in the area.This is the home town to local footballing legend Martin Smith who captained Northern Ireland to the quarter finals of the world cup in 1986.

[http://roadimprovements.roadsni.gov.uk/index/schemes/skeoge_link_revised.htm]