The Man who Bought Ballyshannon

     William Conolly the man who bought Ballyshannon, 300 years ago  was

 born in the vicinity of the town clock in a building long since demolished

 Saturday 25th April 2020. The clear No. 1 in the top ten on Facebook was perhaps a surprise as it is about the man who bought Ballyshannon. This finishes the top ten 
5 Fun Quiz on this blog
1.Conolly was born near what modern public building in Ballyshannon?
2.How much did Conolly pay for Ballyshannon?
3. Where was the Connolly summer house near Ballyshannon?
4. William Conolly's mansion still stands in Celbridge in what county?
5. Why was Conolly called "The Speaker Conolly"?
Monday 27th April 2020. On Monday next 27th April a new blog will be posted on "The Most Famous One Line Comment in Ballyshannon History" Any ideas?

Three hundred years ago the town of Ballyshannon and surrounding areas was bought by William Conolly for £52,000. William Conolly  was born in Ballyshannon in 1662 and went on to become the richest man in Ireland, in the early 18^th century, with widespread estates throughout the country. He also built the largest and grandest Palladian country mansion in the country called Castletown House in Celbridge, County Kildare which still stands today and is open to the public. From 1715-1729 William Conolly was the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons in Dublin.

 His Family Connections in Ballyshannon

We know that his parents Patrick and Jane Conolly owned an inn, which was in the general vicinity of the present town clock. The streetscape is much altered since the Connolly’s had their inn and, indeed, the current building which contains the town clock was built at a much later date in 1878. The location of their inn was very favourable for trade as it was adjacent to the ford and later the bridge on the river, and was also close to the military barracks. William had a brother Patrick and two sisters Jane and Elizabeth.  His sister Elizabeth married Capt. Thomas Dickson of Ballyshannon and Leitrim. How William Conolly came to become a lawyer is the stuff of legend:
 “It happened that there came to Ballyshannon two gentlemen who were sent to secure the return of members to the Irish Parliament. They lodged at Connolly’s inn, and perceiving that William was an unusually smart, and intelligent boy, they induced him to follow them up to Dublin, where they promised to have him educated and started in life. Having availed himself of their generous offer, the young man in due time became an attorney”.

William Conolly a Lawyer, Land Agent, Landlord and Married a Wealthy Lady

William Conolly did practice as a lawyer, but also acted as agent to a number of landlords, including Captain James Hamilton from 1692-1700, and these contacts led him to purchase many estates throughout the country. 
In 1694 William Connolly married Katherine Conyngham, daughter of Sir Albert Conyngham, who was a sister of Henry Conyngham of Mountcharles. She brought with her a marriage settlement of £2,300 an immense sum at the time. His marriage now allied him to some of the most powerful families in the countryside including the Montgomerys, Knoxes, Leslies and Hamiltons.  As a result of the Jacobite-Williamite War, Conolly purchased forfeited estates in Donegal, Derry and Kildare

Secured a Government Position by a Bribe
His first permanent home was at Rodanstown near Kilcock which contained an estate of over 1,400 acres.. In 1692 he succeeded in getting elected to Parliament for the Borough of Donegal and soon learned how to use political advantage. With the appointment of Thomas Lord Wharton as Lord Lieutenant in 1709, Conolly, by a bribe of £3,000, secured for himself the post of Commissioner of the Revenue and was now in a position to advance himself politically and financially. 

His finest political achievement was when he was elected Speaker of the Irish House of Commons despite objections by some in his party, to his humble background as the son of an innkeeper. He was also one of three Lord Justices appointed whenever the Lord Lieutenant was absent from Ireland.

Ballyshannon's William Conolly the richest man in Ireland in his day

Conolly Bought his Hometown of Ballyshannon in 1718

The purchase of the town of Ballyshannon, including all of the Folliott’s estate, by William Conolly in 1718, was surely a case of the local boy making good and returning in triumph to the place of his birth. 

The Folliotts were a military family who had been granted Ballyshannon and surrounding areas, by the English Crown, at the time of the Ulster Plantation.  The Gaelic chieftains the O’Donnells, their historians the Ó Cléirighs and their poets the Mac a Bhairds, who had been in possession of the lands for centuries, were dispossessed following the Battle of Kinsale. 

The Speaker Conolly  purchased the Folliott estate in 1718 for £52,000. The estate had an annual income from rentals of £2,000. This sale also included the fisheries of the river Erne, the yearly income from which was £450. 

Ballyshannon man William Conolly built Castletown House Co. Kildare open to the public at fixed times

Speaker Conolly had earlier bought Castletown House and its estate in Celbridge Co. Kildare in 1709 for £15,000. Conolly’s reputation as a wealthy man was recorded by Jonathan Swift, who was protesting against the introduction of a new copper coinage by William Wood. There had been no consultation about this new currency and William Conolly was the Speaker of the Irish Parliament. Woods Half-Pence as it was called would prove very bulky as the following reference by Swift to Connolly’s wealth indicates: 

“They say Squire Conolly has Sixteen Thousand Pounds a Year; now if he sends for his Rent to Town, as it is likely he does, he must have Two Hundred and Fifty Horses to bring up his Half-Years Rent, and two or three great Cellars in his House for Stowage”.

William Conolly’s health deteriorated in the summer of 1728. He had been leading an extremely busy life with his business interests, his role as Speaker in the Irish House of Commons and two major building projects including the new parliament building and his own mansion at Castletown. 
He resigned as Speaker in October 1729 and died on the 31^st October 1729 at his house in Capel Street in Dublin. His funeral cortege along the Quays in Dublin to his final resting place in Celbridge Co. Kildare was full of pomp and ceremony. 

What became of the Ballyshannon Estate?

The Speaker had no family and to his wife Katherine he left his mansion house in Dublin, his mansion house and manor of Castletown, all his manor lands and tenements in Counties Kildare, Meath, Westmeath and Roscommon and his estate in North and South Wales. After the death of his wife they were to pass to his nephew William, to whom he bequeathed directly, his estates in Donegal, Dublin, Fermanagh, Wexford and Waterford.  

Cliff House between Ballyshannon and Belleek the summer house of the Conolly

family. It was demolished to make way for Cliff Power Station 

Cliff House- A Summer House for the Conollys and a Victoria Cross
The Conolly’s resided for the summer months at Cliff House, their country house near Ballyshannon. In 1831 Colonel Thomas Conolly commenced work on building “Cliff House” overlooking the Erne.  By August 1832 he had moved into his new house. The Conolly’s had resided at Cliff  prior to the building of Cliff House in 1831-1832, and John Augustus Conolly was born at Cliff, on the 30th May 1829. He joined the 49th Princess of Wales’s Hertfordshire Regiment and fought in the Crimean War, where on the 26th October, 1854,  the day after the charge of the  Light Brigade, he  won the Victoria Cross. The Conolly Estate at Ballyshannon was sold in the 1860s.

Major Moore later resided at “Cliff House” and  was involved in the ownership of the Erne Fisheries. He unsuccessfully contested the 1918 General Elections as a Unionist candidate in the East Donegal constituency. 

Cliff House was demolished during the Erne Hydro-Electric Scheme in the late 1940s. 

A  Local History Book suitable for those at Home and Away

"Ballyshannon. Genealogy and History" reveals newly researched history and genealogy of the town, extending as far as the Rossnowlagh, Cashelard, Corlea, Clyhore, Higginstown and Finner areas. Includes the parishes of Kilbarron and Magh Ene. 

• The genealogy material provides detailed guidelines for anyone tracing their roots in the area or anywhere in County Donegal or Ireland. The book contains 500 pages and is richly illustrated with stunning colour, aerial photography, original illustrations and rare photographs of the area not seen before.
• It  includes much new material on the independence struggle which is being remembered throughout Ireland. It also contains the full story of  The Green Lady which  was  performed in Ballyshannon  to great acclaim. 

Available from anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com and local bookshops when things settle.

Amazing Memories of the Circus in Ballyshannon way back in 1844

Sheil House College Street home of Mary Anne Sheil

28th March 2020. It is incredible to imagine that the circus visited Ballyshannon before Famine times in 1844. Mary Anne Sheil was a member of a prominent medical family whose diary gives us an insight into what Ballyshannon life was like at the outbreak of the Famine. She lived in "Sheil House" (photo in blog) which still stands at the entrance to the St. Patrick's church car park in College Street . Her brother was Dr. Simon Sheil who left  £6,000 in his will for the building of the Sheil Hospital. The 10th and final blog in the top ten tomorrow reveals that Fake News was around in Ballyshannon many years ago and also that a Ballyshannon tailor was brought to court for having too many pockets in his jacket! 

The Sheil family, like everyone else in town, were mesmerised by the circus parade through the town and the circus performance reminiscent of Donnybrook Fair at its best. Townspeople and anglers alike watched in amazement as the circus performers displayed their skill .through the streets of the town. Everyone wanted a good vantage point to view the Circus parade with seven pairs of beautiful horses and as the advertisement said:  “The Largest Elephant in the World”

Upstairs windows were at a premium as they offered a great view of the circus parade. That evening there was a parade and show through the streets of the town and Mary Anne watched the parade from her home in College Street.(Lane):

When we  got here we found our Lane equal to Donnybrook Fair particularly at our own door, there were jugglers, tumblers, people riding on stilts, dancers etc. etc. we all gathered into the windows and for two hours we laughed loud and long at the rival performers. Dr. Mc Gettigan came up by the upcoming coach from Ballintra and we stood so long watching all the varieties under the windows we did not dine till long after six.

On Friday 2^nd July, Hughes’s Modern Roman Amphitheatre of Arts, as the circus was called, was going to perform at 2 o'clock. Mary Anne Sheil and her sisters went for a sneak preview and: “got a peep through a keyhole at the elephant, which little Stephen Heyward who was with us particularly enjoyed.”

"Excitement continued when a message was brought that the show was commencing at the “Roman Arena”. We ran off to get on our bonnets and Florinda, Julia, Henny, Louisa, Mr. Allingham, Dr. Mc Gettigan, Mr. Hobson, Simon and myself started; Alas! We were in when one half of the performance was over. I was very sorry as I could have gazed on them for hours; I thought the riding so beautiful. In all my memory I never recollect a day of such variety in the town of Ballyshannon; it was a Fair day, which with the attractions of the Elephant etc. etc. caused the town to overflow with company".

The following day saw the departure of the circus and normality slowly returned to the town, which had been in a state of excitement for three days. The circus left in the direction of Bundoran, on its way to Sligo. Very few diaries have come to light which give eyewitness accounts of life in Ballyshannon in the nineteenth century. Mary Anne Sheil , in her diary, reveals glimpses of life in Ballyshannon, in the mid-nineteenth century, with insights into life in the big house, fishing on the Erne, Victorian protocol, customs, the Famine, the building of St. Patrick’s Church and the excitement generated by the arrival of the circus in town, over 170 years ago, on the  1^st July 1844. 

Limited edition quality hardback as above

A  Local History Book suitable for those at Home and Away

"Ballyshannon. Genealogy and History" reveals newly researched history and genealogy of the town, extending as far as the Rossnowlagh, Cashelard, Corlea, Clyhore, Higginstown and Finner areas. Includes the parishes of Kilbarron and Magh Ene. 

• The genealogy material provides detailed guidelines for anyone tracing their roots in the area or anywhere in County Donegal or Ireland. The book contains 500 pages and is richly illustrated with stunning colour, aerial photography, original illustrations and rare photographs of the area not seen before.
• It  includes much new material on the independence struggle which is being remembered throughout Ireland. It also contains the full story of  The Green Lady which  was  performed in Ballyshannon  to great acclaim. 

When the storm passes Available in A Novel Idea, and Local Hands in Ballyshannon and 4 Masters Bookshop Donegal Town. Also available from Anthony Begley for postal enquiries email anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com

Memories of Early Cinema, Drama, Gaelic Games, Eurovision in the oldest community hall in Ballyshannon

Assaroe Ceili Band

Front: Cathal Flynn, Kevin O'Loughlin, Seamus Sweeney 

Back: Cyril Curran, Peggy Kelly, John Tierney, Breege Curran and Patricia Sweeney 

21/3/2020 Take a trip down memory lane in the second most popular blog on Ballyshannon Musings. No. 3 will be posted tomorrow and will continue daily for the top ten since 2012.

The Rock Hall has a long and continuous history in providing a venue for parish and community activities since 1892. It is the longest surviving hall in Ballyshannon which predates The ’98 Hall, The Masonic Hall, The Abbey Centre and The Marian Hall. Across the road from the Rock Hall in 1892 was the Fever hospital, a few doors away was the workhouse, where inmates were still being admitted ,and visible from the front of the Rock Hall, was the military barracks occupied by the Dorsetshire Regiment, where the East Rock houses were later built in 1936. The Rock Hall was constructed before Finner Camp became the new military barracks in 1896, before the foundation of the local G.A.A. club in 1909 and before the arrival of the De La Salle Brothers in 1912.

Rock Hall opened 25th May 1892-2018

The Opening of the Rock Hall 1892

On Monday 25^th May 1892, known as Lady’s Day in honour of Our Lady, the Rock Hall was officially opened.  James Monaghan, a well known contractor from West Port, built the hall at a most reasonable cost and also subscribed generously to the building fund. His name can be clearly seen on the tower of St. Joseph’s Church, next door,  which he constructed in 1886. He also built the Courthouse on the Mall now the Tyrhugh Centre. He was the grandfather of Mary and Paddy Monaghan, West Port, well known to older residents in Ballyshannon.

The official opening was marked by a concert and the local newspaper “The Donegal Vindicator” printed on East Port described the opening concert as follows:

The fine new Hall, Rock, Ballyshannon, was opened on Monday, Lady Day, with a very successful concert. Every inch of room was occupied by a most respectable audience. Mr. Starling Philson who organised the concert had advertised a grand Diorama of Irish views but unfortunately the hydrogen gas escaped from the cylinder in transit and he was unable to gratify his audience with a sight of the splendid views.

The concert went ahead despite the leaking gas and was the beginning of a wonderful era of local entertainment in the Rock Hall in the days before cinema and television. The hall has echoed to the sound of laughter and community endeavour as actors, singers, dancers and athletes developed a parish and community spirit which was a feature of events in the Rock Hall. 

Drama on the Rock

The drama movement in Ballyshannon can be clearly traced back to the 19^th century when Bernard Kelly of the Port, the first nationalist Member of Parliament for South Donegal, was a member of The Ballyshannon Amateur Dramatic Club. Kelly is buried at St. Joseph’s on the Rock, just beside the Rock Hall which was the popular local venue for plays and concerts. John (Pa) McAdam, editor of “The Donegal Vindicator,” produced countless plays in the Rock Hall. He was responsible for the old Dramatic Club who staged “The Colleen Bawn” and “Ara-na-Pogue” in the Rock Hall around 1904. He was an all round producer who taught  the local actors how to talk, walk and more importantly stand still. In the 1930s The Ballyshannon Players regularly performed plays by George Sheils including a three act comedy called “The New Gossoon”.  Audiences got great value for their money in those pre-television days as there were also singers and dancers accompanied by a small orchestra on the programme. The night concluded with The National Anthem.

1910 AGM of Aodh Ruadh Hurling and Football Club in Rock Hall

Promotion of Gaelic Culture

In the early 20^th century the Gaelic League was active in promoting the Irish language and culture in Ballyshannon. Classes for junior and senior students were provided by Aodh Ó Diver in the Rock Hall to encourage people to speak Irish. Dr. Mulhern P.P. gave the Rock Hall free to the Gaelic League for these classes which ran during the school year. Fr. Tierney who was a curate on the Rock from 1911-1917 was actively involved in the promotion of Irish classes; Irish history lectures and in Gaelic games. Following his tragic death on the Chinese Missions it was fitting that he was remembered in the name of the local football field and in a memorial beside St. Joseph’s Church. In October 1909 the Aodh Ruadh Hurling and Football Club was founded at a meeting in the Rock Hall. Officers elected were Rev. J O’Daly (President), James Rogan (Vice-President), John Downey (Treasurer) and Cecil Stephens (Secretary).

Rock Cinema- See "The Song of Bernadette" on for 6 nights

The First Cinemas

The Rock Hall as well as being a concert venue in the town was also the location of the town’s first permanent cinema. Films were shown earlier in venues like the shed in the Market Yard by travelling film companies but the first cinema in town with projection equipment installed was the Rock Hall. John Sweeny of the Commercial Hotel, Major Myles, Paddy Crose and a few interested business people formed the Ballyshannon Cinema Company. They brought in an operator from Glasgow and the cinema played to packed houses, for some years, as people came to the Rock Hall from far and near. During the War of Independence the  Bracey Daniel’s Picture Company booked the Rock Hall annually at Easter and showed silent movies nightly. Bracey Daniels (1884-1956) is buried in St. Joseph’s cemetery close to the Rock Hall and is described on his gravestone as an “Irish Cinema Pioneer”. By the 1930s the four penny matinee on a Sunday was the highlight of the week for young people in Ballyshannon . Mass in the morning and the ‘flicks’ in the afternoon with the Cisco Kid, Tom Mix, Buck Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers and  Dale Evans. The patrons crammed into the hall, sitting on wooden benches, no backs, no arms and noisily greeted their heroes on screen in the ‘talkies’ which had replaced the silent movies. The arrival of the Erne Hydro-Electric Scheme brought great changes to cinema viewing in the town. By 1946 two new cinemas opened in the town, The Erne Cinema and the Abbey Cinema which nowadays is called The Abbey Centre. Nevertheless the Rock continued for a while as a cinema but its heyday was in establishing cinema in Ballyshannon from the early 20th century. Fortunately the Rock Hall was able to move with the times and meet other needs of the community.

Ballyshannon native Charlie McGettigan 

   Eurovision winner had  early appearances

in the Rock Hall.

Memories

The Rock Hall was a mecca for variety shows and it would take a book to name all the artistes who provided entertainment for the community. Everyone has their own special memories. Charlie McGettigan who won the Eurovision Song Contest with Paul Harrington in 1994  rates the Rock Hall as a major influence on his early career. He was influenced by hearing Cyril Curran and the Assaroe Ceilí Band  playing in the Rock Hall. The Assaroe Ceili Band were to become nationally known and toured also in Great Britain. Charlie also remembered the fun provided by artistes such as Michael Gillespie, Maureen Kane and Lily Heresey to name but a few. Charlie McGettigan perfomed for the first time in the Rock Hall with his new Egbert electric guitar in 1963 where he sang “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.” And the rest is history.

The guardian of the hall who ensured that everything was properly looked after was Terry McDermott with his distinctive walking stick. His sister Annie looked after the church and Eileen Kennedy continued the family association with the parish as church sexton. Renovations to the hall in 1947 were continued over the years and developments in 2014  have resulted in an excellent modern facility which will serve the needs of the community far into the future. Activities such as parish events, drama, Gaelic culture, school events,cinema socials, bingo, meetings, badminton,  sport, dances, youth clubs, card playing and ceilí dancing have  provided enjoyment and community spirit  to generations of people in the wider community. The history of the Rock Hall is a proud one of service to the community and we remember all our clergy, friends, neighbours, parishoners and wider community  who have passed on this small but unique hall to our keeping in  the twenty first century.

A  Local History Book suitable for those at Home and Away

"Ballyshannon. Genealogy and History" reveals newly researched history and genealogy of the town, extending as far as the Rossnowlagh, Cashelard, Corlea, Clyhore, Higginstown and Finner areas. Includes the parishes of Kilbarron and Magh Ene. It contains the full story of  The Green Lady which  was  performed in Ballyshannon  to great acclaim. The genealogy material provides detailed guidelines for anyone tracing their roots in the area or anywhere in County Donegal or Ireland. The book contains 500 pages and is richly illustrated with stunning colour, aerial photography, original illustrations and rare photographs of the area not seen before. Available in Novel Idea,and Local Hands in Ballyshannon and 4 Masters Bookshop Donegal Town. Also available from Anthony Begley for postal enquiries email anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com

Bundoran, Kinlough, Belleek, Rossnowlagh, Ballintra and Ballyshannon workhouse opened 175 years ago

Famine Orphan Girls Memorial Ballyshannon

Only one in Ireland

One hundred and seventy five years ago, on the 8th May 1843, a workhouse serving parts of Fermanagh, Leitrim and Donegal was opened in Ballyshannon. With the passage of time the workhouse has been forgotten in most of the  areas it served. In a sense its location in Ballyshannon has given the false impression that the 900 poor people who were in the buildings, at the height of the Great Famine in 1847,  were from that town and surrounding area. During the Famine years upwards of 1,000 people died in this workhouse and they originally came from areas in Fermanagh, Leitrim and Donegal. Recent research I completed on 19 Orphan girls from Ballyshannon Workhouse, who were shipped to Australia in 1848,  revealed that these girls were from  Belleek, Mulleek, Ballyshannon , Kinlough and  other areas served by this workhouse. Their names are recorded on a Famine Orphan Girls’ Memorial, beside the Workhouse in Ballyshannon, and this heritage also belongs to the wider area in the neighbouring counties, as the girls were from these communities. Ballyshannon Workhouse served the poor and disadvantaged from the following areas; Bundoran, Kinlough, Glenade, Ballyshannon, Ballintra, Belleek, Innismacsaint, Churchill, Devenish and Boho.

The workhouse at Ballyshannon has still got the outline of the original building and is well worth a visit by locals, visitors and school groups, who can explore the exterior and visit the Famine Orphan Girls’ Memorial. This is the only complete workhouse in County Donegal, although it is disintegrating at an alarming rate.

Workhouse in Ballyshannon still surviving after 175 years

Black ‘47’ with 900 people in the workhouse

The year 1847 is aptly called ‘Black ‘47’ in Irish history as Famine reached crisis proportions. People from parts of Fermanagh, Leitrim and Donegal flocked to this workhouse and, by January 1847, overcrowding became a problem. The medical officer recorded a wide incidence of diarrhoea and bowel complaints. The lack of a proper water supply added to the problems and hygiene was a major cause for concern. Alarm was also expressed that Famine fever was contagious and that those affected, should be segregated to curtail the spread of disease. Temporary sheds were built on the workhouse grounds in July 1847. Concern was also expressed at the accumulation of seven bodies in the mortuary in May as there was resistance to providing burial ground “at several burying grounds in the neighbourhood”.  A very conservative estimate of 360 deaths would indicate the number who perished in the workhouse in 1847.

Mary Allingham from Belleek  one of the 19  orphan girls who went  to Australia from Ballyshannon 1848

She died 100 years ago in 1917

Famine Orphan Girls’ Shipped to Australia

Nineteen orphan girls who were in Ballyshannon Workhouse, were shipped to Australia, at the height of the Great Famine in 1848. The girls have only recently been remembered in 2014, when an Orphan Girls’ Memorial was opened beside the Workhouse. The girls who  left Ballyshannon in October 1848 were: Mary Allingham Belleek, Jane Carleton Fermanagh, Jane Carberry Ballyshannon area, Ellen Feely Ballyshannon area, Sally Lennon Belleek or Mulleek, Margaret McBride and Ann McBride were sisters listed from Ballyshannon with their parents from the Belleek area, Mary McCrea and  Letty McCrea were sisters, Mary born in Belleek and Letty in Ballyshannon area,  Mary Ann McDermott and  Sarah McDermott were sisters with Mary Ann born in Belleek and Sarah born in the Ballyshannon area, Jane McGowan born Kinlough Co. Leitrim, Mary McGowan born Kinlough Co. Leitrim, Mary McGuire from the Ballyshannon area, Ann Muldoon born Mulleek Co. Fermanagh, Rose Reel born in U.S.A., Ann Rooney born in Ballyshannon area, Bridget Smith born Ballyshannon area and Margaret Sweeney birthplace unclear . It was agreed that each of the girls would be equipped with 6 shifts, 2 flannel petticoats, 6 pairs of stockings, 2 pairs of shoes and 2 gowns one of which must be made of some warm material. It was envisaged that it would cost Ballyshannon workhouse £5 per head to equip the girls and that the remaining costs would be borne by colonial funds.

Pam Barker a descendant of one of the orphan girls with
Anthony Begley, Peter Barker and Paddy Donagher

at Orphan Girls' Memorial

Orphan Girl Descendant opens Famine Memorial at Ballyshannon Workhouse

In the wider area around Ballyshannon, until recently, these Famine orphan girls have been largely forgotten .In 2014 a walled memorial, with their names and a brief history of how they came to be shipped to Australia, was erected to their memory. The memorial includes a Famine pot which originally was used in the workhouse at Ballyshannon. Each orphan’s name has been inserted on a separate stone on the wall and information stones tell of their journey to Australia. The memorial site contains a flower garden and overlooks the girls’ quarters in the workhouse, which still survive. The Orphan Girls’ Memorial is located beside the workhouse buildings and opposite the Fr. Tierney G.A.A. Park on the Rock in Ballyshannon. The memorial is open to the public at all times and is signposted for visitors.In September 2014 a large crowd attended from the Belleek, Kinlough, Bundoran and Ballyshannon areas, for the ceremony at the new Famine Orphan Girls’ Memorial in Ballyshannon, to welcome home a descendant of one of nineteen orphan girls who had left Ballyshannon workhouse during the Famine in 1848. Anthony Begley introduced Pam Barker and her husband Peter who had journeyed from Sydney, Australia to remember Pam’s great- great grandmother Mary Ann McDermott, originally from Belleek. She had left Ballyshannon along with 18 other girls from the nearby Fermanagh, Leitrim and Ballyshannon areas

In a dignified rose- laying ceremony to remember each of the girls, Cliodhna Kerr and Aisling O’Connor narrated brief lives of the 19 orphan girls, their backgrounds in Ireland, and how they got on in Australia.  The rose laying ceremony was conducted by nineteen local women who each planted a rose in memory of an orphan. A number of Australia descendants of the orphan girls have visited the Memorial but as yet no local descendant from Leitrim, Fermanagh or Donegal has been identified.Their descendants in Australia today, are proud of the courage and resilience of these orphan girls in the face of hardship and dislocation. In some symbolic way the girls have come back to Ballyshannon

The Workhouse buildings, the Paupers’ Graveyard and the Famine Orphan Memorial are some of the saddest, but most historic sites still surviving in Ballyshannon, and are a source of great interest to visitors from Australia, America, Canada, the Continent, Britain and Ireland. They are an important part of the history of the oldest town in Ireland.

 A  Local History Book suitable for those at Home and Away

"Ballyshannon. Genealogy and History" reveals newly researched history and genealogy of the town, extending as far as the Rossnowlagh, Cashelard, Corlea, Clyhore, Higginstown and Finner areas. Includes the parishes of Kilbarron and Magh Ene. It contains the full story of  The Green Lady which  was  performed in Ballyshannon  to great acclaim. The genealogy material provides detailed guidelines for anyone tracing their roots in the area or anywhere in County Donegal or Ireland. The book contains 500 pages and is richly illustrated with stunning colour, aerial photography, original illustrations and rare photographs of the area not seen before. Available in Novel Idea, Museum and Local Hands in Ballyshannon and 4 Masters Bookshop Donegal Town. Also available from Anthony Begley for postal enquiries email anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com