Ballinamore
| Ballinamore Béal an Átha Móir
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| — Town — | |
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 Ballinamore
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| Coordinates: 54°03′07″N 7°48′07″W / 54.052°N 7.802°WCoordinates: 54°03′07″N 7°48′07″W / 54.052°N 7.802°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Connacht |
| County | County Leitrim |
| Elevation | 74 m (243 ft) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| • Total | 805 |
| Irish Grid Reference | H131112 |
| Website | www.ballinamore.ie |
Ballinamore (historically Bellanamore, from Irish: Béal an Átha Móir, meaning "mouth of the big ford")[2] is a small town in County Leitrim, Ireland, 19 km (12 mi) from the border with Northern Ireland. It is located on the R202 regional road where it is joined by the R199 and R204. Béal an Átha Móir means "mouth of the big ford", and the town is so named because it was the main crossing point of the Yellow River, which flows past the town. This waterway become known as the Ballinamore-Ballyconnell canal, built to link the Rivers Erne and Shannon in the 1840s. It reopened as the Shannon-Erne Waterway in 1994.
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[edit] History
The history of Ballinamore has enabled it to grow through the centuries as a town with a large variety of trades and tradesmen. The first mention was under the plantation of Leitrim in 1621 when the Manor of Ballinamore was granted to Sir Fenton Parsons with 600 acres (2.4 km2) of arable land.[3] By 1659 there were only 284 people in the parish. In the 18th century, settlers from County Down were dispossessed by landowners travelled to the west of Ireland looking for new habitats.[citation needed] They stopped in an area of land they found suitable notably for its location near the rivers Shannon and Erne. This was the origins of Ballinamore. These dispossessed people brought with them numerous skills such as blacksmiths, tinsmiths, skilled craftsmen and farmers. Between 1695 and 1750 there was a flourishing ironworks.[3]
On 16 December 1983, Private Patrick Kelly was killed in Derrada Woods, Ballinamore, along with Garda recruit Gary Sheehan. They were attempting to rescue a British businessman, Don Tidey, who had been kidnapped by the IRA.[4]
In 1987, the IRA constructed the bomb used in the Remembrance Day bombing in Ballinamore.[5]
[edit] Transport
Ballinamore railway station opened on 24 October 1887, but finally closed on 1 April 1959.[6] It was part of the narrow gauge Cavan and Leitrim Railway and was the hub of the line, with the locomotive depot and works. It was the point where the line from Dromod through Mohill and Ballinamore to Belturbet branched to Kiltubrid, Drumshanbo and Arigna.[7]
The Ballinamore and Ballyconnell Canal was opened in 1860 but was not a success and fell in to disrepair. It was restored in 1994 as the Shannon-Erne Waterway and now brings more tourists into the town.
[edit] Ballinamore Estate House
Elizabethan settlers located at first in County Sligo, from where they spread into Counties Mayo, Roscommon and Galway. The Ballinamore branch were descended from the Ormsby of Comyn or Cummin in county Sligo.
[edit] Notable Features
- The local Church of Ireland church is the oldest building in Ballinamore and was built in the 1780s from the ruins of the local Roman Catholic Church (St Patrick's) demolished during the reformation and penal laws.
- A monument to the IRA Chief of Staff, TD, and local councillor John Joe McGirl is located on the bridge crossing the Shannon-Erne Waterway. The monument bears the phrase: "An Unbroken and Unbreakable Fenian". The monument is very difficult to photograph due to the very polished surface[clarification needed] and is noted for its similarity to the 2001: Space Odyssey Monolith.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Census 2006 – Volume 1 – Population Classified by Area" (PDF). Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. April 2007. http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/census2006_volume_1_pop_classified_by_area.pdf. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
- ^ Placenames Database of Ireland (see archival records)
- ^ a b Fr Dan Gallogly (1991). Sliabh an Iarainn Slopes, History of the Town and Parish of Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim.
- ^ Article in Irish Times, 17 December 2008, page 3, by Ronan McGreevy: "Town honours murdered soldier".
- ^ Suzanne Breen (28 October 2007). "Attempt to airbrush Enniskillen from history". Sunday Tribune. Nuzhound. http://www.nuzhound.com/articles/Sunday_Tribune/arts2007/oct28_Enniskillen_airbrush__SBreen.php. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
- ^ "Ballinamore station". Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
- ^ Baker, Michael HC (1999). Irish Narrow Gauge Railways. A View from the Past. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-2680-7.
