Template:Infobox Place Ireland

Ballyshannon (Irish: Béal Átha Seanaidh) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located where the N3 and N15 cross the River Erne, and claims to be the oldest town in Ireland.^[6][7][8][9]

Ballyshannon, which means "The Mouth of Seannach's Ford", after a fifth century warrior Seannach, who was slain here, lies at the mouth of the river Erne. Just west of the town the Erne widens and its waters meander over a long sandy estuary. The northern bank of the river rises steeply away from the riverbank, while the southern bank is flat with a small cliff that runs parallel to the river. From its idyllic setting the town looks out over the estuary and has panoramic views of mountains, lakes and forests.

Archaeological sites dating as far back as the Neolithic Period (4000 BC – 2500 BC) have been excavated in Ballyshannon and surrounding areas, representing settlement and ritual activity from early periods of human settlement. Finds have ranged from fulachta fiadh (burnt mounds) dating from the Bronze Age, to a possible brushwood trackway thought to date to an earlier Neolithic period, to the recent discovery of a previously unknown medieval church and cemetery containing hundreds of skeletons) thought to date from between 1100 and 1400. This site yielded numerous artifacts including silver long cross pennies and halfpennies dating from the reign of Henry III (1251–1276) and Edward I (c.1280–1302). Other finds included bone beads, shroud pins, and pieces of quartz which were found placed in the hands of many of the skeletons.

Numerous other sites from various periods are thought to exist, including a neolithic tomb, and the grave of King Red Hugh (Aedh Rua) upon which St. Anne's church (Church of Ireland) was supposedly constructed, occupying the highest of the town's vantage points—Mullgoose. Nothing remains to mark either tomb, the last vestige of the mound on Mullaghnashee having been obliterated in 1798 when a fort was constructed on the hill-top. The 18th century churchyard and the paupers' burial ground were both referred to as Sidh Aedh Ruaidh, the Fairy Mound of Red Hugh. The 'sheeman' (Anglicisation of the Irish sidh) in Mullgoose means 'fairies'. Popular belief assigned the interior of hills to fairies' dwelling places and local tradition has handed down accounts of the exploits of the fairy folk, especially among the Finner sand-hills and in the Wardtown district of Ballyshannon.

The Vikings, according to the Annals of Ulster, attacked nearby Inishmurray Island in 795. Later they used the River Erne to attack inland, burning Devenish Island Monastery in 822. The Annals also record that in 836, all the churches of Loch Erne, together with Cluain Eois (Clones) and Daimhinis (Devenish Island) were destroyed by the "gentiles". In 923 and 916 respectively, "a fleet of foreigners on Loch Erne plundered the islands of the lake", as well as the surrounding territories.

In 1775 the salmon-leap of Assaroe at Ballyshannon was famously praised by the Dutch traveller Richard Twiss in A Tour in Ireland (p. 157):

The Giants Causeway is an object which is scarcely worthy of going so far to see; however that is to be determined by the degree of curiosity of which the traveller is possessed. But the salmon-leap at Ballyshannon is a scene of such a singular nature, as is not to be found elsewhere, and is as peculiar to Ireland as the bullfights are to Spain.....

A hydroelectric power station was built in the town in the 1950s. The project, or 'Scheme' as it was then referred to, brought engineers, electricians, and specialists in hydroelectricity from many parts of the country and abroad to the town, which experienced a boom during the decade-long construction period. This involved building a dam upriver from the town at Cathleen's Falls (also known as Assaroe Falls) and digging out a deep channel to lower the riverbed through the town to increase the head of water at the dam in order to drive the turbines. Before the station was built, the river was wide, and the water level much higher than it is today. A long bridge spanned from the northern shore to the 'port' on the southern bank. The waters spilled over a number of waterfalls, among them Cathleen's Falls, before meandering out to sea. Today, however, the river runs through a narrow channel, far below the level of either bank and a narrower single arch bridge has replaced the old one. The newly built Ballyshannon–Bundoran bypass has added a new, more modern bridge over the river. A pedestrian bridge was also constructed to mark the millennium.

During the Second World War the British and Irish governments quietly reached an agreement to create an air corridor between nearby Belleek and Ballyshannon, the "Donegal Corridor", which was used by British Royal Air Force flights from Northern Ireland into the Atlantic Ocean^[10] . This was used by the aircraft which located the German battleship Bismarck^[11].

Today, in the post-Celtic Tiger economic recession, the town has slid into notable decline, in common with most small Irish towns. As is found across the country, Ballyshannon’s main streets feature one closed and shuttered shop after another, with various For Sale and To Let signs indicating the rapidity of the collapse of the town’s local economy. Again in common with most small Irish towns, Ballyshannon’s busiest commercial days arrive with clockwork in each week’s Pension and Unemployment Payment days, thereafter sinking back into a quiet slumber.

From the town’s half-empty small shopping centre to a number of ailing larger retailers in the town, Ballyshannon’s economic fortunes have significantly declined in recent years from its former, bustling hey-day, with several notable family-run and traditional market town employers and industries going bust, laying off staff and closing down – most notably so in the 2007-2010 period.

In contrast to the stark economic fortunes of the town, which is now reduced to an unemployment blackspot with few employment opportunities in the short- to medium-term ahead, several recent new-build apartment complexes and buildings dominate the built landscape of the town at key points, such as The Mall, and behind the central Shopping Centre.

As a sign of the economic brashness which swept across the country at the height of Ireland’s building boom, the town gained these, and other, significant new-build structures, which had little in common with the neighbouring heritage and urban footprint of the town, yet signified a clear confidence in the locale’s direction and expected prosperity.

As of mid-2010, however, the empty and unsold units found in these largely empty structures stand as a stark warning and highly-visible reminder of the rapid change in the town’s fortunes, with emigration, and a significant departure of the town’s brief influx of foreign residents, once again seeing a further leeching away of Ballyshannon’s lifeblood.

With through-traffic largely siphoned off by the surrounding motorway links from Donegal through towards the Border crossing, and towards neighbouring Sligo and Leitrim, the future direction and hoped-for return to prosperity of the once-thriving town seems anything but certain.

However, as has always been the case, Ballyshannon’s greatest asset remains her people, who are extremely community-minded and strive to create local and social cohesion. If opportunity afford her people the chance, Ballyshannon’s residents can assuredly once again steer the town back to prosperity and growth...

• The Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival took place in Ballyshannon in 2010 over a five-day period commencing on Wednesday 2 June and concluding on Sunday 6 June 2010. Over 6,000 people attended the event in 2009, the biggest music festival in the north west of Ireland. The Rory Gallagher Bronze adonnis Statue was unveiled on 2 June 2010 in Ballyshannon Town Centre on the opening night of the Rory Gallagher Festival.
• Ballyshannon Folk Festival takes place every year on the August bank holiday weekend.
• The annual Niall Mc Kee bridge tournament often stirs up a lot of interest from the local parishioners in the area. The host Niall, provides each visitor with savoury snacks and a six pack of Dutch Gold. The 4 time winner Darren "Chuckie" Gillespie will undoubtedly be the favourite in this years competition. His recent success is said to be attributed to his rustic ginger locks. This is event is synonymous with Ballyshannon culture and heritage.

Bus Eireann offers routes to major cities in the Republic of Ireland including Cavan and Dublin. Ulsterbus offers services to major cities in Northern Ireland including Belfast and Derry. Feda ODonnell offers routes to and from Gweedore to the west of Ireland, including Sligo and Galway, via Ballyshannon.

Commercial broadband is available in Ballyshannon, installed by Donegal County Council and provided by all major broadband providers.

Birthplace of:

• Charlie McGettigan, singer and winner of the Eurovision
• Elizabeth Dixon, grandmother to Mary Shelley^[12]
• Gallagher clan, originated in the barony of Tirhugh to the north of Ballyshannon
• Mathilda Blake Thornley, mother to Bram Stoker^[12]
• William Allingham, poet
• William Conolly, politician
• Rory Gallagher, musician
• James Rogan, founder of Rogan of Donegal, once the world's oldest fly-dressing firm^[13]
• Hazel Corscadden, British Prime Minister Tony Blair's mother^[14]

Hometown to:

• Seán McGinley, actor
• Martin Carney and Barry O'Neill, RTÉ Sports Celebrities
• Brian Roper Gaelic Footballer, Most appearances for the senior Donegal GAA Gaelic football Team

Ballyshannon is twinned with:

• Grenay, France
• Séné, France

• Local Gaelic Athletic Association club is Aodh Ruadh.
• The local rugby club is Ballyshannon R.F.C.
• The local soccer club is Erne Wanderers.

• The Holy Family National School (formerly known as St. Joseph's Primary School).
• St. Catherine's Primary School (known in Irish as Scoil Naomh Chaitríona).
• Coláiste Cholmcille Secondary School.

• List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Donegal)
• List of towns and villages in Ireland

• Ballyshannon Website
• The Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival
• Ballyshannon Council Website
• Ballyshannon Online
• Aodh Ruadh GAA Club Website
• Ballyshannon Folk & Traditional Festival