Ballymagauran

Ballymcgovern is a village and townland in County Cavan, Ireland. It lies on the border with County Leitrim, within the parish of Templeport and barony of Tullyhaw on the Ballinamore to Ballyconnell road, the regional R205 road .

In medieval times the McGovern barony of Tullyhaw was divided into economic taxation areas called ballibetoes, from the Irish Baile Biataigh , meaning 'A Provisioner's Town or Settlement'. The original purpose was to enable the farmer, who controlled the baile, to provide hospitality for those who needed it, such as poor people and travellers. The ballybetagh was further divided into townlands farmed by individual families who paid a tribute or tax to the head of the ballybetagh, who in turn paid a similar tribute to the clan chief. The steward of the ballybetagh would have been the secular equivalent of the erenagh in charge of church lands. There were seven ballibetoes in the parish of Templeport. Ballymagauran was located in the ballybetagh named after it. The historical spellings of the ballybetagh are Ballymackgawran & Ballimacgawran .

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