Trish at righton@talk21.com writes: << I would like to know if Balastin and Balemarstel are/ were areas of Cork. >> Trish, Off-hand, I don't find any very similar townland/town spellings in Co. Cork. Do you have names of any other locations which might be in their general area? Cork is a large (the largest) county to search, and any other hints would narrow the search. If these names are on hand-written documents, perhaps we could have a "second opinion" <gr> on alternative spellings? Eagerly awaiting.......with bated breath, Pete Schermerhorn, in the glorious Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts