Blackskull

Blackskull
Letter box on Blackskull Road
Blackskull Location within County Down
Population	421 (2021 census)
Irish grid reference	J142519
•  Belfast	22 miles
District	Craigavon Borough
County	County Down
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DROMORE
Postcode district	BT25
Dialling code	028
UK Parliament	Upper Bann
NI Assembly	Upper Bann
List of places UK Northern Ireland Down 54°24′10″N6°14′26″W / 54.402865°N 6.240470°W / 54.402865; -6.240470

Blackskull is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies near Donaghcloney and Dromore. In the 2021 census it had a population of 421 people. ^[1] 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. ^[2] Formerly, the area was known as Ballygunaghan (from Irish Baile Uí Dhuinneagáin 'O'Donegan's settlement'), ^{[3] [4]} after the townland in which it lies.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Northern Ireland

References

1. "Blackskull in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (Northern Ireland)". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
2. Placenames NI: Blackskull
3. Placenames NI: Ballygunaghan
4. Placenames Database of Ireland