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| Ballyshannon |
LIKE DUBLIN, united by the Liffey River, Ballyshannon lies on both banks of the river Erne. Most likely, early settlers chose the setting aesthetically for the beauty of nature, practically for the promise of progress and protection. The town name itself derived from BEAL-ATHA signifying mouth of a ford; SEANAIDH, of the slope which climbs up from the Erne riverside. This original Irish placename became anglicised later to BALLYSHANNON. At the time of both Allingham and Maguire numerous hills and valleys, frequently interspersed with small lakes and streams, enhanced the view on the north side of the Erne. On the south one's eye moved from an extensive but broken plain known as the Moy to the mountain range of Dartry that forms the southern boundary to the area. Truskmore, the highest of this range, is 2,115 feet above sea level; Benbulben, 1722 feet. A large portion of the plain itself was at some period under water, probably forming part of what is now Lough Melvin. Through the gradual accumulation of such plants as reeds and mosses, the water was dried up, and peat bogs were formed. These offered an inexhaustible store of fuel, compensating for the absence of coal. The bark of many of the plants in the bogs contained tannin, which, when mixed with water, preserved from decay most kinds of animal and vegetable substances. In former days it was customary to sink containers of butter deep down in the bogs, so as to improve the flavour. According to some scholars Ptolemy bestowed on the waters of the region the designation of Ravios, but in Irish annuals the river has been always called the Erne. After many bends and curves, even before the diversion of the 1940s, the stream made its exit to the Atlantic at the Bar of Donegal Bay. At Coolnargit the extensive sandbanks composed of minute particles of shells and rocks were the sport of every passing storm even thoughsea-reed with wide spreading roots helped keep the sand together. As a result, with each generation hills decreased in size and shape. Stones and rocks made fields uneven but, aside from a sprinkling around country houses, few trees and shrubs varied the landscape. Yet, at one time extensive forests covered the surface of the country. Under the shelter of the oaks, wild boar and red deer evaded the huntsman and his wolf-dog. Through the prefix Derry, place names of the neighbourhood still recall the trees; e.g., Derryhirk, the oak wood of the boar; Derrynaseer, the oak wood of the carpenters. The treeless wind-swept region of Ballymacaward and Kildoney was once an extensive forest with trees growing even to the water's edge. With their absence have come milder temperatures and less rainfall. The wann waters of the Gulf Stream influence the temperature; westerly and south-westerly currents prevail during the greater part of the year and the district, though wetter than some places on the east coast, is drye& than the southern and more western sections of Ireland. The harbour or tidal portion of the river covered over 600 acres, measured by the British imperial system. 'rides at high water rose about 1 0 or 1 1 feet and at low water were about 2 feet on the Bar. For some hours the strength of the incoming tidal wave was sufficient to check the outward progress of the great volume of fresh water coming down from Lough Erne. Generally about half an hour before high water at the Bar, the pent up "fresh" became too strong for the rising tide and began to flow down, thus sometimes presenting a serious difficulty for the navigation of vessels crossing the Bar. At springs the channel itself was 20 to 30 feet deep. The town of Ballyshannon stands on the north-west margin of the carboniferous limestone forming the "Great Central Plain of Ireland". A series of faults (fractures in the rocks) separate the limestone from the metamorphic rocks found north of the town. Along the road leading from Ballyshannon northeast to Pettigo is the boundary line which divides the limestone and the metamorphic rock. The rocks south of the town consist chiefly of thin bedded dark carvemous limestone with shales, resting on which are dolomite or magnesian limestone. Over these are irregularly bedded light grey limestones, and shales, probably representatives of the 'calp' of the east of Ireland. Above these is a tolerable thickness of sandstones. Covering the sandstones are the upper limestones; surmounting all are specimens of the Goredale series, composed of sandstones and shales. The metamorphic series of rocks run in an eastward direction towards the mountainous district north-east of Ballyshannon. These rocks are for the most part mica schist and quartzites. Although their form has been altered, in the case of the rocks on the island, the foliation corresponds with the bedding. They were sandstones prior to their change, and the difference in time between their deposition and that of the superincumbent limestones marks a geological period. The fault rocks nearer the Pool are composed of an aggregation of pieces of quartzites and schist generally bound together by a calcareous cement. Their origin is due either to the depression of the limestone or the elevation of the quartzite. From the testimony of the polished and striated surface of the rocks in the neighbourhood, ample and satisfactory proof exists that glaciers did pass over the district until they reached the sea and assumed the form of bergs, or floating ice. Good examples of transported blocks and boulder clay can be found at Shegus on the north side of the town and at Doon Hill on the south. Both mounds are typical of the hundreds of similar saddleback hills of Ireland which owe their existence to ice, and are nothing more than an accumulated mass of limestone boulders and drift, transported thither by the ice in its passage from east to west. The polishing and striation (ice action) are singular, inasmuch as the rock presents a wave-like polished surface produced by the ice in its progress along the line of the limestone beds, not across them. In Ballyshannon traces of minerals are frequent but the deposits are superficial. Vestiges of lead, copper and barytes have been found at Ballyshannon and trials have been made at the Abbey, at Finner, at Belleek, but none of the mines were productive. At one time, there were extensive iron works on the banks of Lough Erne, where ore was dug up, and smelting carried on by Sir Leonard Blennerhasset. Brick clay, plentiful in the district, has remained a serious obstacle to successful agriculture. The Erne itself receives only the drainage of a very small area around the town. The river rises in Lough Gowna (the Lake of the Calf) about 13 miles southwest of the town of Cavan, at a point about 214 feet above sea level. According to legend, a magical calf lived in a well in Rathbracken, a town one mile from Granard inCounty Longford. A door kept the calf enclosed. One day a woman drawing water forgot to shut the entrance; the wondrous calf jumped out; the water flowed out, expanding its course until both stream and animal leaped into the sea at Ballyshannon. Such is the tale of the origin and course of Lough Erne. Actually the Erne, after passing from Lough Gowna, flows as a narrow river into Lough Oughter, thence into Upper Lough Erne, and then into Lower Lough Erne. Prior to the natural devastation resulting from the Erne hydroelectric scheme almost half a century ago, the stream, through the four miles leading to its exit, passed over numerous falls and rapids, descending in many places the cavernous limestones through which it flowed, until it took its final plunge over the rocks at Assaroe (about 16 feet). Until hydro-electric development muted the striking river-falls, Eas-Aedh-Ruadh was celebrated as the most delightful feature of the varied landscape. In its course the Erne received the following tributaries:- the Annalee from the neighbourhood of Cootehill, the Woodford near Ballyconnell, the Colebrooke at Maguire's Bridge, the Claddagh at Swanlinbar; the Arney from Lough Macnean, the Sillees from Derrygonnelly. North of Ballyshannon, the drainage passed into the Tullymore (or Abbey) river which flowed into the estuary at the Abbey Bay. A mile and a half south of the town, the drainage about Stormhill passed into the river Bradogue (the little gorge), which flowed into Donegal Bay at Bundoran. Before a bridge spanned the river, the inhabitants contrived timber or hurdle bridges and cloghans, stone-steps, to cross the water by cart or on foot where there was no natural ford. The greatest attraction of Ballyshannon has always been its scenic beauty and native species. Varieties of fauna have inhabited the former forest land, the present plain, the waters of the Ballyshannon area. The hedgehog, wrongfully suspected of sucking cows, is common. Bats are plentiful. Unfortunately, so also are the brown species of rat. Red and brown hare abound, but foxes were rare even by the time of Allingham's observations. The stoat, usually mistaken for the weasel, and the badger are identifiable. Of the rabbits burrowing in the warrens on either side of the Erne, large numbers were exported in the past to England. At one time Wardtown Castle grounds included a large deer-park. The otter, regarded as a formidable enemy to salmon, was unwelcome in the streams. Seals visited the estuary, coming close to the Fall in search of fish. Numerous caves along the coast of Doengal Bay were the starting point for seals' excursions in the neighbouring rivers. Porpoises aired themselves in the vicinity of Kilbarron Castle and Coolmore. In the eighteenth century whales were so numerous in Donegal Bay that a fishery was planned. Boats on the Greenland model were built, then furnished with harpoons and other instruments. The Irish parliament made a grant of 500 pounds. Roughness of the local sea, however, in contrast to the calmness of Greenland, rendered the capture of the whales almost impossible. Before quitting the enterprise one company expended 3,000 pounds. Later, the Irish parliament allotted 1,500 pounds for a scheme to attack the whales by discharging harpoons from a swivel gun. Five whales were recorded as killed before that method was abandoned. No further tries were made. By the nineteenth century some animals had long since disappeared from the district. These included the great Irish elk, or 'big horn', that in prehistoric times moved through the dense woods on either side of the river. Wild boar once roamed throughout the woods of Magh Cedne. In the sixteenth century red deer were so plentiful they could be bought for half a crown each. All these are now extinct or not found in northern Ireland. Birds occupy a conspicuous place in the natural history of Ballyshannon. Due to the comparative lack of trees, birds of the sea are noticed more than those of the land. The white-fronted goose, sometimes referred to as the laughing goose, attracts attention by its peculiar v-shaped flight in flocks and its clamorous call. In winter the bird watcher can occasionally observe the wild swan. The showy and elegantly marked shell-drake, described as burrow-drake, frequents the sand hills where it rears its young. Wild ducks and their young, called flappers, are plentiful. Widgeon, teal, red-throated diver, great skua are frequent visitors. The common guillemot, the razor bill, and the puffin frequented the rocky shores of Kilbarron. Easily distinguishable from other birds by its long upright neck and immersed body, the cormorant was plentiful in the estuary. In Donegal Bay the gannet or solan goose has been observed. Common tern, arctic tern, and several species of gulls were plentiful. Tippet grebe and little grebe were common on Lough Erne. Among the wading birds along the estuary was the heron. Differing from almost all the birds of its class, the heron selects a tree for its breeding place. Like the rooks, it breeds in communities, heronries. The curlew is common but the whimbrel, a spring migrant, does not breed in the area. Lapwings or green plover occur in flocks; the ring plover or sand lark, in company with dunlin or stint, was noticeable on the strands at low water. Water hen, water rail, bald-coot, snipe could also be sighted. In the most inaccessible part of the cliffs of Kilbarron the perching bird, chough or sea crow, built its nest. The hooded crow was visible as it searched the shore for food left by the receding tide. In the evening blackening trains of crows hasten to the shelter of rookeries all over the country. Jackdaw and magpie are familiar. The most beautiful of the native birds, the kingfisher, hovered on the banks of the river. Brown hawk, peregrine falcon, golden eagle have been recorded in the area. Of scraping birds, rock pigeons and woodquests are numerous about cliffs and woods respectively. Smaller birds include the most beautiful of the finches, the goldfinch; the less common bullfinch; the snow bunting aptly noticed in winter; the creeper in wood plantations. The poor wren, so esteemed in England, has been locally known as 'the devil's bird', while the red breast was held sacred from molestation. From its proximity to the Erne, to Donegal Bay, to the Atlantic, one could expect anglers to come to Ballyshannon for the variety of fish available. Of ganoid fishes, allied to the shark and represenatative of the fish-remains found in the older geological formations, sturgeon was occasionally found in the estuary. Among osseous fishes was the perch, abounding in the lakes. Red gurnard as well as gray, or 'crooner' as the latter is called from its croaking noise, inhabited the bay. In summer fishermen caught seabream; in autumn, mackerel. A coarser sead or horse mackerel, recognizable by the row of spines on each side from the tail, was also hooked. More palatable was the John Dory. Herring caught in vast quantities in the bay occasionally came into the estuary. In winter common cod formed the principal supply; haddock, its more delicate relative, was scarcer. Whiting, coal fish, hake, ling, turbot, sole, plaice, flounder were abundant. Yet, by far the most interesting and important fish of the waters has been salmon. Species included bull trout, sea trout, common trout, great lake trout, gillaroo trout. On the other hand, the conger eel, with specimens measuring over six feet and serviceable in England for mock, turtle soup, was not valued. Common eels, though, were taken in large quantities, up to ten tons recorded in one night. In the mid-nineteenth century there were seven weirs on the Erne, five of which were attached to fisheries. All would be destroyed after 1945. A guide book of Allingham's time recommended Ballyshannon as without equal in the whole of Ireland for its central location as a fishing station throughout the year. Of crustaceans large numbers of lobster were caught at Bunatroohan and Bundoran, fetching a good price in Ireland and England. Crayfish were located in Keeaghan, about five miles east of Ballyshannon. Crabs were profitable to fishermen who captured them in 'lobster pots' and sold their catch to local markets. True shrimp were present in small numbers in the sand but seldom caught. Prawns, numerous but not large, were easily distinguishable from shrimp by their red colour and sawlike prolongation of the head. A species of the sea-urchin made their cup-like nest in the soft limestone rocks at Bundoran. Heart-urchin was often found on the strands of Tullan. Shores of Bundoran and Coolmore still attract lovers of conchology. Blunt gaper shell, otter shell, porcelain shell, convex tellen, common and polished wedge shell, radiated and elliptical trough-shell, blunt, red-nosed and banded do draw the mollusk collector. Edible cockliand mussels are available. So, too, are varieties of scallops. From the Donegal river fresh water pearl shells, sought in the seventeenth century for the pearls they contained, could easily be taken. By the nineteenth century their worth has degenerated from thirty pounds each to a few shillings. The collection of shells also includes the common limpet, the horse limpet, the smooth limpet, the elephant's tusk shell, top shells, the wentle-trap, the common whelk. Specimens of the violet sea snail whose habitat is the Atlantic have been picked up at Bundoran. From the sands at Coolmore, microscopists have extracted a group of organisms, known as Foraminifers for the numerous holes in their beautiful shells. William Allingham's remembrance of Ballyshannon included sloping fields and stretching woods as well as trout rising to the fly, salmon to the fall. He found the flora extensive and interesting. The extensive coast line, as well as the country inland, still offers a wide field for investigation. The diversity of geological features provides plants characteristic of the varied strata of limestone or metamorphic rock. For example, the blood geranium or cranesbill is sometimes observed growing in luxuriance upon limestone and magnesian soils. The Dartry Mountains, regarded as the extreme southern limit of Ballyshannon district, are a resource for a lover of nature who is seeking plants of great rarity, flowering growths, diverse fems and mosses. Alpine meadow rue, Ben-Bulben, wood anemone, crowfoot are finds. March marigold, white water lily, yellow water lily are visible. In the fields sway common red poppies. Botanists find many representatives of cruciferous plants. Alpine and hairy rock cress grow on Benbulben. Water cress abounds in ditches and rivulets. Scurvy and whitlow grass are found on walls near the town and on the mount. Sea rocket throve on Tullan Strand. Sea cabbage, the progenitor of the garden variety, grows on the New Road. Dog violet is more common than wild mignonette or the wild pansy. Species of carnivorous plants, namely, the round-leaved sundew and the spathulate leaved do, are in the region. In marshy places the beautiful Grass of Parnassus is abundant. Milk wort with blue or pink flowers is common. Moss campion, a rare Alpine plant, grows on the mountain range. Of the varieties-bladder, red, and white-the white campion gives off a fragrance in the evenings. In fields one finds corn cockle; at the bar, sea purslane. Pearlwork-small, sea, knotted, fringed-grow in abundance. Occasionally, the sea-side shrub, tree mullow, is also seen in gardens. Other plants identified include shining cranesbill, doves foot, hemlock stork's bill, musky do, furse, broom, kidney vetch, purple trefoil, haresfoot do, bird foot do, arrow leaved do, tufted vetch, yellow meadow vetch. Wood sorrel, asserted by some writers to be the true Irish shamrock, thrives in shady places. Bogs nurture sweet gale, or bog myrtle. The ivy-leaved toadflax, alien to the area, has established itself in provision on old walls 'round the town. At the abbey are large flowered heap nettle and rare calamint. Cowslip, seldom seen in Ulster, grows at Wardtown. At Bundoran one finds mercury goosefoot, a plant cultivated in some parts of England as a vegetable. Bishop's weed, formerly held in repute as a remedy for gout, and introduced by the monks, grows plentifully in the town. Sun splurge, formerly reputed a cure for warts, is locally known as 'the seven sisters'. Less welcome is the American water thyme introduced into County Down about 1836, then spread rapidly throughout Ireland. This plant proved injurious to salmon fisheries and to river navigation, including the region of the Erne. |
| Geology and wildlife |
