Ballina, County Mayo

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Ballina
Béal an Átha

Location

WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
54°07′00″N 9°10′00″W / 54.1167, -9.1667

Irish grid reference
G240192

Statistics

7 m

Population (2006)
- Town:
- Environs:

10,056
353

Ballina (Irish: Béal an Átha or Béal Átha an Fheadha, lit. mouth of the ford) is the second largest town in County Mayo in the Republic of Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountain range to the east and the Nephin Beg Mountains to the west.

The recorded population of Ballina's urban area is 10,409. Census 2006 figures released by the Central Statistics Office in September 2007 showed that Ballina had the highest rate of unemployment amongst large towns in the Republic of Ireland. Some 15.8% of Ballina's population was out of work when the 2006 census was taken.^[1]^[2]

[edit] History

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Map showing old Mayo-Sligo border - see 'Old borders'

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica the first signs of settlement on the site of the town dates around 1375 an Augustinian friary was founded. Britannica refers to the "remains of an Augustinian friary, founded about 1375". Belleek, now part of the town, pre-dates the town’s formation, and can be dated back to the late 15th century, or early 16th century^{[citation needed]}. Although, what is now known as Belleek Castle was built in 1831. Ballina was officially established as a town in 1723 by O'Hara, Lord Tyrawley.^{[citation needed]}

The Belleek estate once occupied lands from the Moy River to the modern-day Killala Road. This included part of the ‘Old French Road’ which General Humbert marched on from Killala, and beside part of which in the Killala Road-Belleek area was Belleek’s reservoir – presumably destroyed in the construction Coca-Cola’s ‘Ballina Beverages’ factory; the ‘Old French Road’ is now closed off at that point, with what amount to diversion road signs claiming Humbert marched where he did not.

Old borders

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Ballina is located on the west side of the Mayo-Sligo county border. Part of what is now the town was once was part of County Sligo, with the border for the most part once being the River Moy, east of which was in Sligo, including Ardnaree, and Crockets Town (the Quay).

The 1798 Centenary memorial (the Humbert Monument) was dedicated on May 11, 1898. The monument was originally sculptured by a Dublin Craftsman but in recent years it has been restored locally. The figure on the monument is not Humbert but Mother Ireland. Maud Gonne, a famous Irish woman, unveiled the monument. At the event Maud Gonne famously poured water over another speaker's (an IRB member) head.

The Dolmen of the Four Maols is located at the back of Ballina's Railway Station. The Dolmen dates from c2,000 B.C.E^{[citation needed]} and is sometimes called locally the 'Table of the Giants'^{[citation needed]}. The Dolmen is said to be the burial place of the four Maols. The four Maols murdered Ceallach, a 7th century Bishop of Connacht and were hung at Ardnaree - the Hill of Executions^{[citation needed]}. Tradition says that their bodies were buried under the Dolmen^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Architecture, planning, and housing

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St Muredach's Cathedral on the banks of the River Moy in Ballina

The town has some notable architecture, including the 15th-century Moyne Abbey, and St Muredach's Cathedral, which is the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Killala. Work on the Cathedral began in 1827. The stone was quarried locally and the roof and ceiling were completed before the Great Famine (1845). The spire was completed in 1855 and by 1875 the organ had been commissioned. Outside Ballina, on a small hill to the west, stands a dolmen, thought to have been erected 4000 years ago. The only all-boys' secondary school in the town, St. Muredach's College, celebrated its centenary on 10 September 2006.

[edit] Infrastructure

[edit] Education

The primary schools that serve the town include Scoil Croí íosa of the Convent of Mercy (all-girls), Scoil Padraig (all-boys), the Quay NS (mixed), Culleens NS on the Killala Road (mixed), and Scoil na gCeithre Maol (mixed), a gaelscoil situated by the Ridgepool. There is also a Montessori school and many pre-schools.

There are also three secondary schools - St. Murdeachs College (all-male), Moyne College (mixed), and St Marys of the Convent of Mercy (all-female). Other local mixed secondary school options include schools in Crossmolina, Foxford and Lacken Cross (past Killala).

[edit] Communications and Media

Ballina is one of the towns due to have a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), the ductings and fiber optic cables are in place, but with no ISP Connections. The MANs are being built for the Department of Communications, they will be run by a private operator, but will remain the property of the government.

[edit] Local media

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The Western People is a local newspaper based in Ballina and until recently was also printed at its premises in the town, it is owned by the Cork-based Thomas Crosbie Holdings. Two freesheets, the Mayo Advertiser and the Mayo Echo are distributed throughout Ballina. The Connaught Telegraph, published in Castlebar and, to a lesser extent, the Mayo News published in Westport, also carry local news related to Ballina. Mid West Radio is the regional station with an office in the town.

Historically there has been a number of newspapers directly linked with the town, these include:

Ballina Advertiser, Mayo And Sligo Commercial Gazette (Jan 10, 1840 - Nov 10, 1843)
Ballina Chronicle (May 2, 1849 - Aug 14, 1851; M/W Connaught Watchman)
Ballina Herald (1844 – Oct, 1961; C/A 'Ballina Herald and Mayo and Sligo Advertiser')
Ballina Herald and Mayo and Sligo Advertiser (Oct, 1891 - Apr 28, 1962; M/W 'Western People')
Ballina Impartial, or Tyrawly Advertiser (Jan 13, 1823 - Nov 16, 1835)
Ballina Journal and Connaught Advertiser (C/A 1880 - Mar 11, 1895)
Connaught Watchman (Aug 2, 1851 - Oct 3, 1863)
Tyrawly Herald; or Mayo and Sligo Intelligencer (1844 – 1870)
Western Gem (1843)
Western Journal (1977 - Feb 15, 1980; C/A Sligo Journal Feb 22, 1980 - Mar 11, 1983)
Western People (1883 - Present)
Western Star (1835 - 1837)

[M/W = merged with; C/A = continued as |Source: National Library of Ireland

[edit] Transport links

[edit] Roads

The N26 is the main road to Dublin, it leaves the town south to Foxford, and after Swinford joins the N5 to Dublin. N59 comes from Belmullet and Crossmolina in the west, goes through the town to Sligo to the northeast. The R314 makes up the road to Killala, and then Ballycastle. The R294 goes to south County Sligo via 'the Windy Gap' in the Ox Mountains, this is used by some to get to Dublin, via Tubbercurry and Boyle.

Ballina town centre

There is currently a plan to build a ring road around the town, but this has been in place for a number of years. A small stretch of the N26 leaving the town to Foxford was recently modernised. An inner-relief road was completed just before Christmas 2005, it links the Killala Road (R314) and Crossmolina Road (N59) - it goes through ‘Rockville’ housing estate on the Killala Road and joins up to other roads at St Patrick's Church, near the Crossmolina Road. A section of the N59 from the town to the Sligo boarder is currently been upgraded.

The 'Ballina & Environs Development Plan, 2003-2009' plans for cycle lanes "on all major traffic routes leading into town”, and for the building of stage one of the "outer ring road linking the N26 (Foxford Road) with the N59 – West (Crossmolina Road), and the R314 (Killala Road)”.

[edit] Bus

Ballina Bus Station is host to a Bus Éireann bus depot.

[edit] Train

Ballina Train Station is located on the N26 beside the bus station. Departing trains stop at Foxford before terminating at Manulla junction where commuters can connect to trains going to Castlebar, Westport or Dublin (Heuston Station). Trains to Dublin operate three times daily.

[edit] Air

Ireland West Airport Knock (Knock Airport, NOC) is about 40 minutes, 31.5 miles, or 50.7 km from Ballina. Bus Éireann now runs a shuttle service about five times a day from Charlestown to the Airport. There are nine or more services a day from the airport to London, Birmingham, Manchester, Dublin and Durham Tees Valley. Sligo Airport is about 45 minutes from Ballina and has two flights a day to Dublin, operated by Aer Arann.

[edit] Tourism, Sports & Events

[edit] Tourism

Ballina's location on the River Moy favours salmon fishing, and one of the best spots, the Ridge Pool, is situated in the heart of the town.

[edit] Sport

Ballina Stephenites, is one of the local Gaelic Athletic Association club teams. The name also refers to the town’s Gaelic Athletic Association grounds,James Stephens Park, so named after the famous Fenian from Irish history.

Ballina Town FC are the town's soccer club, playing their home matches at Belleek Park.

In basketball, Merry Monk Ballina represent the town in Ireland’s Men's ‘Superleague’.

[edit] Ballina Salmon Festival

The Ballina Salmon Festival is a 10-day festival held annually in July in the town. The festival includes Heritage Day, where most of the centre of the town is closed to traffic and the streets fill with arts and craft stalls and demonstrations of transport from days gone by. The festival finale is a Mardi Gras followed by a fireworks display.

The Salmon festival for 2008 will take place on the 11th - 20th July.

[edit] Additional information

[edit] Prominent residents (past and present)

Edward Whelan (1824 – December 10, 1867)
Mary Robinson (Born May 21, 1944)

[edit] Twin Towns and Sister Cities

Ballina is twinned with:

Athis-Mons, Île-de-France, France

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States of America

[edit] Photo gallery

Gate House at Belleek Forest Park.	The concrete ship the 'SS Creteboom' in the River Moy.	A side view of the Creteboom.	The Folrette also in the Moy river.
A view of the town from a beside Leigue graveyard - one of the highest points in area.	A view of Rockwell housing estate and the Killala Road area.	The Quay, at Crocketstown, Ballina.