Blackskull is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies near Donaghcloney and Dromore. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 168 people. It is within the Craigavon Borough Council area.

The village is named after an old inn called the Black Skull, which had a picture of a black man's head on its sign. A grisly local tale tells how a black man was beheaded and his skull mounted above the door of the Inn.[1] Formerly, the area was known as Ballygunaghan (from Irish Baile Uí Dhuinneagáin 'O'Donegan's settlement'),[2][3] after the townland in which it lies.

See also

References

  1. ^ Placenames NI: Blackskull
  2. ^ Placenames NI: Ballygunaghan
  3. ^ Placenames Database of Ireland