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Ballintra (Baile an tSratha in Irish) is a village 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. Donegal County Crest Fair Use - Reproductove quality negates copyright issues File links The following pages link to this file: County Donegal ...
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
GPS satellite in orbit, image courtesy NASA GPS redirects here. ...
The Irish national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Ireland. ...
The Central Statistics Office is the statistical agency responsible for the Republic of Ireland census and other related data collection activities to assist in government planning. ...
The Central Statistics Office is the statistical agency responsible for the Republic of Ireland census and other related data collection activities to assist in government planning. ...
Basic Definition In geography, the elevation of a geographic location is its height above mean sea level (or some other fixed point). ...
The island of Ireland has 32 counties, with Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland being nicknamed respectively the six counties and the twenty-six counties. ...
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: coord}}}_N_{{{west coord}}}_W_{{{region:IE_type:city}}} {{{north coord}}}° N {{{west coord}}}° W Irish Grid Reference grid}}} {{{irish grid}}} Statistics Province: Ulster County: District: County Town: Lifford Code: DL Area: 4,841 km² Elevation: Population: Website: www. ...
During late Gaelic and early historic times Ireland was divided into provinces to replace the earlier system of the tuatha. ...
Statistics Area: 24,481 Population (estimate) 1,931,981 Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh, IPA: ) forms one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland. ...
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: coord}}}_N_{{{west coord}}}_W_{{{region:IE_type:city}}} {{{north coord}}}° N {{{west coord}}}° W Irish Grid Reference grid}}} {{{irish grid}}} Statistics Province: Ulster County: District: County Town: Lifford Code: DL Area: 4,841 km² Elevation: Population: Website: www. ...
Donegal (Dún na nGall in Irish) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. ...
The River Erne in Ballyshannon Ballyshannon (Béal Atha Seanaidh in Irish) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. ...
Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ...
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. Father Leonard Eugene Boyle (November 13, 1923 – October 25, 1999) was a Canadian scholar in medieval studies and palaeography and was first North American Prefect of the Vatican Library in Rome from 1984 to 1997. ...
Nigel Mc Gee was also born and raised in Ballintra. He is currently studying in the field of Mechanical engineering in NUI Galway working for Medtronic Vascular.
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.
Ballintra and nearby village Laghey contribute a lot of talented football players that make up the local club Naomh Bríd. Laghey (sometimes spelled Laghy) is a small village in County Donegal, between Ballintra and Donegal Town. ...
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. Unforunately 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.
References Drumhome by Bernard Egan
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