Balbriggan (IE)
Balbriggan (Irish: Baile Brigín) is a town in the northern part of Fingal, Ireland.
According to P.W. Joyce, the name arises from Baile Breacain, which literally means "Brecan's Town". Brecan is a common medieval first name and there are several other Brackenstowns in Ireland. There is also a possible link to the local Bracken River, in which case the name could derive from breicín, meaning "little trout".
Many locals however have traditionally felt that Baile Brigín means "Town of the Little Hills", due to the relatively low hills that surround the town.
The town's name could be derived from the word brecan, as the area was part of a Medieval kingdom known as Brega, populated by a tribe or clan known as the Bregii,[3] and the aforementioned River Bracken.
There is no consensus about when the foundation of the town occurred, other than there may always have been a small settlement of fishermen, weavers and some sort of agricultural trade post. The assault on the village's population by the British Black and Tans based in the nearby Gormanston military barracks on 20 September 1920 was one of the more infamous acts of the Irish War of Independence. This event, known as the "Sack of Balbriggan", resulted in the destruction of 54 houses and a hosiery factory, and the looting of four public houses. The attack received much international attention due to Balbriggan's position close to foreign news correspondents in Dublin. A subsequent delegation from the United Stat pledged to rebuild thirty homes in the village and a local factory. Other deaths followed during the war, most noticeably those of Séamus Lawless and Sean Gibbons who were bayoneted to death by the British forces on 21 September 1920. A plaque on Bridge Street in the town commemorates their murder.
Ireland 1920-
Great Britain Period -1920
![]() July 1842 cover from Balbriggan to Dublin with 1d Red Plate 24 TL |
![]() Dublin diamond receiver on reverse |