placenamesBallywaltrim
Baile Bhaltraim
Ballywaltrim’s growth as a Bray community can be traced through classrooms in temporary halls, a new parish and the development of its library.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Baile Bhaltraim · Irish · main form · validated name
- Ballywaltrim · English · main form
Place & story
Classrooms in parish halls
St Fergal’s Junior National School began in the early 1970s, initially using rooms at Queen of Peace Church before moving to Ballywaltrim’s parish hall. That building temporarily accommodated both school and church. The junior school moved to its present site in 1977, and a senior school followed in 1979. The two schools were combined as St Fergal’s National School in September 2015, continuing to use both buildings. [2]
A new parish
St Fergal’s parish was constituted in May 1976 from Our Lady Queen of Peace, Bray. Archbishop Dermot Ryan invited the Franciscan friars to care for the new parish. Its patron was the Irish missionary associated with Salzburg. The friars continued their pastoral work until 2000, when responsibility passed to diocesan priests. This sequence records the development of a distinct parish alongside the area’s new schools. [3]
The library and local history
A new library building opened at Ballywaltrim in 2000. Its local-studies service later became the subject of parliamentary debate when staff shortages led to its closure in 2014. During the Dáil discussion that July, the importance of preserving Wicklow’s historical collections and providing research assistance was stressed. The Minister acknowledged the closure and undertook to make inquiries about staffing approval, recording the service’s significance beyond ordinary book lending. [4]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Ballywaltrim. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- History of St Fergal’s National School · St Fergal’s National School
- Bray St Fergal’s, Ballywaltrim: parish history · Archdiocese of Dublin
- Library Services Provision, Dáil Éireann,9 July2014,pp59–61 · Houses of the Oireachtas
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.