Ballyshannon

Ballyshannon Béal Átha Seanaidh
Town
Ballyshannon from the Belleek Road
Seal
Ballyshannon Location in Ireland
Coordinates:54°30′05″N8°11′24″W
Country	Ireland
County	County Donegal
Government
•Dáil Éireann	Sligo–Leitrim
•EU Parliament	Midlands–North-West
Population (2022)	2,246
Eircoderouting key	F94
Telephone area code	+353(0)71
Irish Grid Reference	G876614
Website	www.ballyshannon.ie

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1821	3,831	—
1831	3,775	−1.5%
1841	3,513	−6.9%
1851	3,698	+5.3%
1861	3,197	−13.5%
1871	2,958	−7.5%
1881	2,840	−4.0%
1891	2,471	−13.0%
1901	2,359	−4.5%
1911	2,170	−8.0%
1926	2,112	−2.7%
1936	2,223	+5.3%
1946	2,514	+13.1%
1951	2,813	+11.9%
1956	2,434	−13.5%
1961	2,322	−4.6%
1966	2,233	−3.8%
1971	2,325	+4.1%
1981	3,066	+31.9%
1986	3,015	−1.7%
1991	2,838	−5.9%
1996	2,775	−2.2%
2002	2,715	−2.2%
2006	2,686	−1.1%
2011	2,503	−6.8%
2016	2,299	−8.2%
2022	2,246	−2.3%

Ballyshannon(Irish:Béal Átha Seanaidh,meaning 'the mouth of Seannach's ford')is a town inCounty Donegal,Ireland.It is located at the southern end of the county where theN3fromDublinends and theN15crosses theRiver Erne.Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland.

Location

Ballyshannon, which means "the mouth of Seannach'sford",after a fifth-century warrior, Seannach, who was slain there, lies at the mouth of theriver Erne.Just west of the town, the Erne widens and its waters meander over a long sandy estuary. The northern bank of the river rises steeply away from the riverbank, while the southern bank is flat with a small cliff that runs parallel to the river. From its idyllic setting, the town looks out over the estuary and has panoramic views of mountains, lakes and forests.

History

Archaeological sites dating as far back as theNeolithicperiod (4000 BC – 2500 BC) have been excavated in Ballyshannon and surrounding areas, representing settlement and ritual activity from early periods of human settlement. Finds have ranged fromfulachta fiadh(burnt mounds) dating from theBronze Age(2500–500 BC), to a possible brushwood trackway thought to date to an earlier Neolithic period, through an early find of a pair of goldsun-discsfromc. 2500–2150 BCEto the recent discovery of a previously unknown medieval church and cemetery containing hundreds of skeletons thought to date from between 1100 and 1400. This site yielded numerous artefacts including silver long cross pennies and halfpennies dating from the reign ofHenry III(1251–1276) andEdward I(c. 1280–1302). Other finds included bone beads, shroud pins, and pieces ofquartzwhich were found placed in the hands of many of the skeletons.

Numerous other sites from various periods are thought to exist, including a neolithic tomb, and the grave ofAed Ruad,High King of Ireland, upon which St. Anne's church (Church of Ireland) was supposedly built, occupying the highest of the town's vantage points—Mullgoose. Nothing remains to mark either tomb, the last vestige of the mound on Mullaghnashee having been obliterated in 1798 when a fort was constructed on the hill-top. The 18th-century churchyard and the paupers' burial ground were both referred to asSidh Aedh Ruaidh,the Fairy Mound of Red Hugh. The 'sheeman' (Anglicisation of the Irishsidh) in Mullgoose means 'fairies'. Popular belief assigned the interior of hills to fairies' dwelling places and local tradition has handed down accounts of the exploits of the fairy folk, especially among the Finner sand-hills and in the Wardtown district of Ballyshannon. In 1906, the hill-top at Mullgoose was excavated and found to contain subterranean chambers.

TheVikings,according to theAnnals of Ulster,attacked nearbyInishmurrayIsland in 795. Later they used theRiver Erneto attack inland, burningDevenish IslandMonastery in 822. The Annals also record that in 836, all the churches of Loch Erne, together with Cluain Eois (Clones) and Daimhinis (Devenish Island) were destroyed by the "gentiles". In 923 and 916 respectively, "a fleet of foreigners on Loch Erne plundered the islands of the lake", as well as the surrounding territories.

In March 1613, Ballyshannon was incorporated as a borough byJames I.In 1775 the salmon-leap of Assaroe at Ballyshannon was praised by the travellerRichard TwissinA Tour in Ireland:

The Giants Causeway is an object which is scarcely worthy of going so far to see; however that is to be determined by the degree of curiosity of which the traveller is possessed. But the salmon-leap at Ballyshannon is a scene of such a singular nature, as is not to be found elsewhere, and is as peculiar to Ireland as the bullfights are to Spain...

It was in Ballyshannon, around 1793, thatViscount Castlereagh,the futureChief Secretary for Irelandand, later, BritishForeign Secretary,had his famous vision ofthe radiant boy.Known at the time as The Hon. Robert Stewart (he became Lord Castlereagh in 1796), he was serving as a youngArmyofficer andMPforCounty Downin theIrish Parliamentat the time. Lodging in the old Military Barracks in the town, Stewart (as he then was) retired for the night. Looking into the fire he saw the form of a boy emerge from the flames, grow larger and larger and vanish.The radiant boy is a well-known figure in English and Irish folklore, and is often supposed to foretell death.William Allinghamlater wrote a poem about the incident.

TheEnniskillen and Bundoran Railway(E&BR) opened in 1868 and had a station at Ballyshannon.TheGreat Northern Railway(GNR) operated the E&BR line from 1876 and absorbed the company in 1896.Thepartition of Irelandin 1922 turned the boundary withCounty Fermanaghinto an international frontier. Henceforth Ballyshannon's only railway link with the rest of theIrish Free StatewasviaNorthern Ireland,and as such was subject to delays for customs inspections. TheGovernment of Northern Irelandclosed much of the GNR network on its side of the border in 1957, including the E&BR as far as the border.This gave the Republic no practical alternative but to allow the closure of the line through Ballyshannon between the border andBundoran.Thereafter the nearestrailheadsfor Ballyshannon wereSligoin the Republic andOmaghin Northern Ireland, until in 1965 theUlster Transport Authorityclosed the line through Omagh as well.

River Erneand Ballyshannon

Ahydroelectric powerstation was built in the town in the 1950s. The project, or 'Scheme' as it was then referred to, brought engineers, electricians, and specialists in hydroelectricity from many parts of the country and abroad to the town, which experienced a boom during the decade-long construction period. The scheme involved building a dam upriver from the town and digging out a deep channel or tailrace to lower the riverbed through the town to increase the head of water at the dam to drive the turbines.The new plant was namedCathaleen's Fall hydroelectric power station.Before the station was built, the river was wide, and the water level much higher than it is today. A long bridge spanned from the northern shore to the 'port' on the southern bank. The waters spilled over a number of waterfalls, among themAssaroe Falls,before meandering out to sea. Today, however, the river runs through a narrow channel, far below the level of either bank and a narrower single arch bridge has replaced the old one. The newly built Ballyshannon – Bundoran bypass has added a new, more modern bridge over the river. A pedestrian bridge was also constructed to mark the millennium.

During theSecond World Warthe British and Irish governments quietly reached an agreement to create an air corridor between nearbyBelleekand Ballyshannon, the "Donegal Corridor",which was used by BritishRoyal Air Forceflights fromNorthern Irelandinto the Atlantic Ocean.This was used by the aircraft which located theGerman battleship Bismarck.

Festivals and culture

Town centre

TheRory GallagherInternational Tribute Festivaltakes place in Ballyshannon on June Bank Holiday weekend.

Ballyshannon Folk Festivaltakes place every year on the August bank holiday weekend. This Festival is now the longest running Folk and Traditional Festival in the world. It has just returned to its roots in The Marquee for its 40th Birthday.

Ballyshannon & District Museum is located on the second Floor of Slevins Dept Store in Ballyshannon. The museum opened in April 2013 and has had 30,000 visitors to date.The museum has exhibitions on Rory Gallagher, the story of the Kildoney Fishermen, the Battle of Ballyshannon (1598), the Mysterious Leprechaun and Devil Stones, the Great Famine, the workhouse, the building of the power station, fishing industries, people from Ballyshannon, sport, World Wars I and II, and the Donegal Railway.

Transport and communications

Bus Éireannoffers routes to cities and major towns in Ireland includingCavan,Dublin,Sligo and Galway. Ulsterbusoffers services to cities and major towns inNorthern IrelandincludingBelfastandDerry.Feda ODonnelloffers routes to and fromGweedoreto the west of Ireland, includingSligoandGalway,via Ballyshannon.

The nearest railway to Ballyshannon isSligo stationwhich is served by trains toDublin Connollyand is operated byIarnród Éireann.

Commercial broadband is available in Ballyshannon, installed byDonegal County Counciland provided by all major broadband providers.

Sport

The localGaelic gamesclub isAodh Ruadh.Other local sports clubs include Ballyshannon RFC (rugby), Erne Wanderers (soccer) and the Eightyeighters (Basketball).

Schools

There are a number ofnational (primary) schoolsserving the area. The Local secondary school is Coláiste Cholmcille Secondary School.

People

Statue of Ballyshannon native, musicianRory Gallagher

See also:Category:People from Ballyshannon

• William Allingham(1824–1889) – poet, diarist and editor
• John Barclay(1749–1824) – American politician; Mayor ofPhiladelphia
• Mark Boyle(born 1979) – social activist and writer, also known as the "Moneyless Man" for deliberately choosing to live without money since 2008 as he considers it harmful.Boyle also gave up technology in 2016 after deciding that it was also part of the same problem.
• Mary Boyle(born 1970) – disappeared 1977 (suspected murder victim)
• William Conolly(1662–1729) – politician, lawyer and landowner
• Rory Gallagher(1948–1995) – guitarist and singer; born in Ballyshannon; town centre contains a statue erected in his memory
  • TheGallagherclan,originated in thebaronyof Tirhugh to the north of Ballyshannon. The Rory Gallagher statue is sometimes dressed in a Donegal jersey.
• Robert JohnstonVC(1872–1950) – international (Ireland & Lions) rugby player; soldier
• Niall McCready–Gaelic footballer
• Charlie McGettigan(born 1950) – singer;Eurovision Song Contestwinner
• Brian Murray(born 1963) –Gaelic footballer
• James Myles(1877–1956) – politician, soldier, buried in the town
• Mícheál Ó Cléirigh(1590–1643) – chief author of theAnnals of the Four Masters
• Brian Roper(born 1974) –Gaelic footballer
• Gary Walsh,Gaelic footballer

International relations

See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in Ireland

Ballyshannon istwinnedwith:

• Grenay,France
• Séné,France

See also

• List of populated places in Ireland
• List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Donegal)

External links

• "Ballyshannon".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 3 (11th ed.). 1911.
• Ballyshannon Council Website