the town(land) of the fairy mound

Sí, in Baile an tSí, the recommended Irish form for Ballyshea, most likely represents sí “fairy mound”. This is supported by the fact that there is a mound barrow just across the border to this townland in Pollnashinnagh, and also by the historical form from 1677 Ballythea which suggests the presence of the letter -t- in the last part of the name. The local pronunciation collected in 1979 by The Placename Branch and written in phonetics as [baləʃiː] (something akin to *baleshee) also supports this. The Irish version from the Ordnance Survey Parish Namebook (1835) Baile Ui Sia, may simply be a misunderstanding or a misinterpretation of the name heard locally, as the majority of the evidence points towards sí. (JÓG, 06 Bealtaine 2025)