Ballintra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ballintra Baile an tSratha |
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| Location | ||
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| Irish Grid Reference G917700 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Connacht | |
| County: | County Galway | |
| Population (2002) | 217 | |
Ballintra (Baile an tSratha in Irish) 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 Baile an tSratha, town of the stream or dried up river.
A minor road linking the hills with the coast at Rossnowlagh crosses the old N15 in Ballintra. Where these roads cross at the centre of the village stood a magnificent Horse Chestnut called the Bay Bush. The great tree, probably as old as the village itself, hung out across the junction, laying its branchy welcome on all who passed under its ancient crown. Alas, sometime in the 80s, the old sentry was deemed unsafe and was felled. The pub at the said crosswroads bears his name.
Ballintra has two public houses (The Swan and the Bay Bush), two grocery stores, two primary schools (St. Ernan's NS and The Robertson NS) and three churches (Methodist, Church of Ireland, and Roman Catholic). 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). This is a relatively large event in the area.
Canadian scholar Leonard Boyle was born in Ballintra.
Ballintra is also situated close to two of the most scenic beaches Ireland has to offer, namely Rossnowlagh and Murvagh. Murvagh is also the home to the Donegal golf club.
Social History
The people of Ballintra and the parish of Drumholm belong to three religious denominations - Methodist, Church of Ireland, and Roman Catholic. The first of these are a minority and the latter two make up the remainder in almost equal parts. The Village itself is probably now majority RC, but the census of 2006 will provide an interesting snapshot of how the religious persuasion of the village and parish has evolved. At least in recent years there has been very good relations between the communities. All and sundry make use of the Community Centre and The Orange parade in the village is usually undisturbed, though occasionally, idle teenagers attempt to show their dissapproval.
In the 70s Donegal Co. 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 or so houses were added. Unfortunately no facilities were provided by the Council for children. The gradual increase in the number of people from the same socio-economic group coincided with the economic depression of the 80s and early 90s. A further change was the bypass of the village in the early 80s. The result of these changes has been a gradual decline in the commercial life of the village itself and a fraying of its social fabric. The number of small shops dwindled. The garage and petrol outlet closed. Three pubs became two. And teenage delinquency has become a problem in recent years. The economic boom has brought some benefits (more jobs, increased private wealth), but the level of unemployment in Ballintra remains well above the national average. In the few small estates alcoholism and family breakdown are over-represented. Sadly, the local authority has turned a blind eye; and unfortunately the village suffers from a dearth of community leaders. Perhaps this may change if the amount of private housing close to the village can be increased, and if some of the younger generation can persevere with community initiatives such as the Ballintra-Laghey Youth Project.
The Death of the Irish Language in Ballintra
The 1911 census records only a handful of people in Ballintra who were Irish speakers. It seems there were very few speakers of Irish in the area by the time of the Great Famine. 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 Townawilly area at Lough Eske, 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". Irish has not been spoken in Ballintra, therefore, for a very long time.
References Drumhome by Bernard Egan
