Ballitore Images

In 1685 Abel Strettel and John Bancroft , travelling along the main Dublin to Cork road, were pausing to rest their horses when their eyes were caught by the valley and the winding river Griese which flows through it.

The two decided to buy the land and "began to plant…groves, orchards and thick hedgerows" in the vale that had been until then "very bare of wood".

Thus was born the village of Ballitore.

The valley was transformed into fertile farmlands, and developed as a Quaker Settlement. In fact, Ballitore is the only planned and permanent Quaker Settlement in Ireland.

Ballitore takes its name from the Gaelic 'Baíle' meaning a town, and 'Togher' meaning a marsh.

In the mid 1720s the valley attracted a considerable number of Quaker families and in 1726, Abraham Shackleton established Ballitore boarding school .

Today, a small museum, numerous buildings and the old village cemetery reflect the Quaker Tradition.