Ballintra

Infobox Irish Place
name = Ballintra
gaeilge = Baile an tSratha
crest

motto =
map

pin coords = left: 57px; top: 108px
north coord = 54.5749 | west coord = 8.1234 | irish grid = G917700
area = | elevation =
province = Ulster
county = County Donegal
population = | town pop = 217 | rural pop =
census yr = 2002
web = |

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 the name "Baile an tSratha", town of the stream or dried up river.

Ballintra has two public houses (Jamesies and the Bay Bush), two grocery stores,a hairdressers, 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 two of the most scenic beaches Ireland has to offer, namely Rossnowlagh and Murvagh. Murvagh is also the home to the Donegal golf club.

Places of interest

*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 tree called the Bay Bush. The great tree, probably as old as the village itself, hung out across the junction but, sometime in the 1980s, the tree was deemed unsafe and was felled. The pub at the crossroads bears its name.

port

*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. Proceeds from this go to local amenities in the area.

*The local G.A.A. club is called Naomh Bríd (club also includes Laghey).

People

*Canadian scholar Leonard Boyle was born in Ballintra.

Transport

*Ballintra railway station opened on 21 September 1905, but finally closed on 1 January 1960. [cite web | title=Ballintra station | work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-09-10]

ocial 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. At least in recent years there has been very good relations between the communities. All make use of the Community Centre and the Orange parade in the village is usually undisturbed.

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 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 1980s and early 1990s. A further change was the bypass of the village in the early 1980s. 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. Community initiatives such as the Ballintra-Laghey Youth Project exist.

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(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". Irish has not been spoken in Ballintra, therefore, for a very long time.

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 ladys he visited lived to be 100 and died in 2005. It's a fair assumption that she was that last native speaker from the Townawilly area and it appears that no Irish is spoken in the area now.

References

*Drumhome by "Bernard Egan"

ee also

* List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Donegal)

External links

* [http://www.robertson.ie The Robertson National School website]