placenamesLaurencetown
An Baile Mór
Laurencetown’s recorded village economy and later church buildings offer two views of its development.
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
- An Baile Mór · Irish · main form · validated name
- Laurencetown · English · main form
Place & story
A working village in 1837
Samuel Lewis recorded furniture and wooden goods being made in Laurencetown, with livestock fairs on 8 May, 22 August and 15 December. Petty sessions met on Thursdays, and a penny post linked the village with Ballinasloe and Eyrecourt. His account also noted Catholic and Wesleyan Methodist chapels, with the Methodists supporting a school. [2]
An unusual parochial house
The parochial house, dated by the architectural inventory to about 1910, combines an L-shaped building with an open arcade that fills the inner corner. Limestone walls and pillars, coloured glass around the entrance and patterned floor tiles distinguish it from a plain domestic building. Its varied roof includes gabled and half-hipped sections. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Laurencetown. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Laurencetown, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) · Samuel Lewis
- Parochial house, Laurencetown, NIAH 30410024 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2026-08-12. How this page was prepared.