Ballintra
Encyclopedia
Ballintra is a village in the parish of Drumholm
in South Donegal
, Ireland
just off the N15 between Donegal
town and Ballyshannon
. The village is geographically situated in a limestone
area and this natural resource is quarried locally for the building and civil engineering industries.
Ballintra lies on the northern bank of the Blackwater river. (The river is sometimes referred to as Ballintra River). The river rises in the hills that lie inland from the town, and flows through a number of small lakes before spilling over a small waterfall in a narrow gorge behind the village. The Blackwater runs low in summer, hence the name Baile an tSratha, town of the stream or dried-up river.
Ballintra has two public houses (Jamesie's and the Bay Bush), two grocery stores,a hairdresser, two primary schools (St. Ernan's NS and The Robertson NS) and three churches (Methodist, Church of Ireland, and Roman Catholic). Ballintra is also situated close to Rossnowlagh and Murvagh beaches. Murvagh is also the home to the Donegal golf club.
In the 1970s Donegal County Council built a small number of social housing units just off the Main Street on the Forge Road. A number of phases followed in which an additional twenty houses were added. A further change was the bypass of the village in the early 1980s.
area at Lough Eske(see below), and to the South around Sligo. In his paper "Irish Speaking in the Pre-famine Period", Dr. Garret Fitzgerald remarks that "near Ballintra the language seems to have disappeared by the time of the Famine. Around Ballyshannon it also seems to have been almost extinct".
As late as 1960 up to a few dozen native Irish speakers remained in Tamhnach a' Mhullaigh (Grassy upland). The famous Irish scholar and campaigner Mairtín Ó Cadhain visited the area in 1957 to record folklore stores in Irish from a family in the area, possibly the McGinley's. In fact, one of the ladies he visited lived to be 100 and died in 2005.
Drumholm
The Parish of Drumholm is the second most southerly parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe, which covers the majority of County Donegal in northwest Ireland...
in South Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
just off the N15 between Donegal
Donegal
Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
town and Ballyshannon
Ballyshannon
Ballyshannon is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located where the N3 and N15 cross the River Erne, and claims to be the oldest town in Ireland.-Location:...
. The village is geographically situated in a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
area and this natural resource is quarried locally for the building and civil engineering industries.
Ballintra lies on the northern bank of the Blackwater river. (The river is sometimes referred to as Ballintra River). The river rises in the hills that lie inland from the town, and flows through a number of small lakes before spilling over a small waterfall in a narrow gorge behind the village. The Blackwater runs low in summer, hence the name Baile an tSratha, town of the stream or dried-up river.
Ballintra has two public houses (Jamesie's and the Bay Bush), two grocery stores,a hairdresser, two primary schools (St. Ernan's NS and The Robertson NS) and three churches (Methodist, Church of Ireland, and Roman Catholic). Ballintra is also situated close to Rossnowlagh and Murvagh beaches. Murvagh is also the home to the Donegal golf club.
Places of interest
- A minor road linking the hills with the coast at RossnowlaghRossnowlaghRossnowlagh or Rosnowlagh is a seaside beach resort in south County Donegal, Ireland. It is about 8.5 km north of Ballyshannon and 16.0 km southwest of Donegal Town. The extensive beach is very popular with families and is frequented by walkers, surfers, wind-surfers, kite-surfers and swimmers,...
crosses the old N15 in Ballintra. Where these roads cross at the centre of the village stood a tree called the Bay Bush. In the 1980s, the tree was deemed unsafe and was felled. The pub at the crossroads bears its name.
Sport
- Ballintra is one of the greatest sporting towns in Donegal. Every August bank holiday, people are attracted to the Ballintra Races, in which horse races are held on in a field close to a nearby beach (Murvagh). Proceeds from this go to local amenities in the area.
- The local G.A.A. club is called Naomh Bríd (club also includes Laghey).
- The local Soccer club is called Copany Rovers (club also includes Laghey).
People
- Canadian scholar Leonard BoyleLeonard BoyleFather Leonard Eugene Boyle was an Irish and Canadian scholar in medieval studies and palaeography and was the first Irish and North American Prefect of the Vatican Library in Rome from 1984 to 1997....
was born in Ballintra. - St Asacus is buried in Ballymagroarty, Ballintra. He was St Patrick's blacksmith and was travelling from Elphin, County RoscommonElphin, County RoscommonElphin, sometimes spelt Elfin , is a village in north County Roscommon, Ireland. It forms the southern tip of a triangle with Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon to the north west and north east respectively. It is at the junction of the R368 and R369 regional roads...
en route County DownCounty Down-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
.Famous Gaelic football players include Matt Gallagher, David Walsh, Gary Walsh and the late Pauric Gallagher.
Transport
- Ballintra railway station opened on 21 September 1905, but finally closed on 1 January 1960.
Social History
The people of Ballintra and the parish of Drumholm belong mainly to three religious denominations - Methodist, Church of Ireland, and Roman Catholic. The first of these are a minority and the later to make up the remainder in almost equal parts. The village itself is probably now majority Roman Catholic. There has always been very good relations between the everyone in the community. All make use of the Community Centre.In the 1970s Donegal County Council built a small number of social housing units just off the Main Street on the Forge Road. A number of phases followed in which an additional twenty houses were added. A further change was the bypass of the village in the early 1980s.
The Decline of the Irish Language in Ballintra
The 1911 census records only a handful of people in Ballintra who were Irish speakers. Strangely enough, the language was stronger just to the north of Ballintra and Laghey and just to the south. For example, Irish seems to have survived longer on the northern outskirts of Donegal town, in particular around the TownawillyTownawilly
Townawilly is a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. Townawilly parish is situated near Donegal Town. The spelling of this placename can also be found as 'Tawnawully', after the Irish 'Tamhnach 'a Mhullaigh'....
area at Lough Eske(see below), and to the South around Sligo. In his paper "Irish Speaking in the Pre-famine Period", Dr. Garret Fitzgerald remarks that "near Ballintra the language seems to have disappeared by the time of the Famine. Around Ballyshannon it also seems to have been almost extinct".
As late as 1960 up to a few dozen native Irish speakers remained in Tamhnach a' Mhullaigh (Grassy upland). The famous Irish scholar and campaigner Mairtín Ó Cadhain visited the area in 1957 to record folklore stores in Irish from a family in the area, possibly the McGinley's. In fact, one of the ladies he visited lived to be 100 and died in 2005.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Donegal)