Ballintra Ballintra () is a village in the parish of Drumholm in the south of County Donegal, Ireland, just off the N15 road between Donegal town and Ballyshannon. Ballintra lies on the northern bank of the Blackwater river (sometimes referred to as t ...

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe :''See Diocese of Derry and Raphoe for the Anglican (Church of Ireland) counterpart The Diocese of Raphoe ( ; ga, Deoise Ráth Bhoth) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in County Donegal in Ulster, Irel ...

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

Tirhugh Tirhugh (; ) is a barony in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. Baronies were mainly cadastral rather than administrative units. They acquired modest local taxation and spending functions in the 19th century before being superseded by the Loca ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

Donegal Town Donegal ( ; , "fort of the foreigners") is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. The name was also historically spelt 'Dunnagall'. Although Donegal gave its name to the county, now Lifford is the county town. From the 15th until the early 17th ce ...

Laghey LaghyLaghy/An Lathaigh

Ballintra Ballintra () is a village in the parish of Drumholm in the south of County Donegal, Ireland, just off the N15 road between Donegal town and Ballyshannon. Ballintra lies on the northern bank of the Blackwater river (sometimes referred to as t ...

and

Rossnowlagh Rossnowlagh () is a seaside village in the south of County Donegal, Ireland. It is about north of Ballyshannon and southwest of Donegal Town. The area's long beach, or if measuring from the cliffs to Carrickfad (long rock in Irish, which jut ...

and the hamlet of Bridgetown. The parish has two Catholic primary schools: St Ernan's National School in Ballintra and St Eunan's National School in Laghey. The current parish priest is Fr Seamus Dagens, who succeeded Fr Daniel McBrearty in 2007. Drumholm is also a parish for the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...

and a civil parish.

Churches

Until recently there were three churches in the parish: St Bridget's Church, Ballintra; The Chapel of Ease, Laghey and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Rossnowlagh. The main church is St Bridget's on the outskirts of Ballintra; it along with St Ernan's NS, the new and old parochial houses and St Bridget's Community Centre, all lie in the same area. The main graveyard is also located adjacent to the front of the Church. St Bridget's was built in 1845 and was most recently restored at the turn of the century. The Chapel of Ease, located about eight kilometres east of Laghey, in the townland of Laghey Barr, is no longer used for regular services. The last mass was held on 8 June 2003, after which the then parish priest, Fr Daniel McBrearty, ended weekly Mass to the outrage of local residents. The Chapel opened in 1941 after the closure of the school which had previously been housed in the building; however, Mass had been said in its vicinity for centuries previously. Although Mass is no longer said, regular prayer meetings are held and the rosary is recited on Sundays. The final and newest church is the Immaculate Heart of Mary in

Rossnowlagh Rossnowlagh () is a seaside village in the south of County Donegal, Ireland. It is about north of Ballyshannon and southwest of Donegal Town. The area's long beach, or if measuring from the cliffs to Carrickfad (long rock in Irish, which jut ...

, opened in 1952. The new friary marked the return of the Franciscan Order to Donegal for the first time since the Four Masters and the dedication of the Church in June 1952 was attended by the then

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...

,

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of govern ...

and

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Sean T. O'Ceallaigh. It is part of the Franciscan Friary in the village. The friary has a visitors' centre and the Donegal Historical Society Museum which houses a small collection including stone age flints and old Irish musical instruments, as well as decorative gardens that incorporate the Stations of the Cross. Prior to the closing of the Chapel in Laghey, the local priest and the friary used to take turns saying mass in Laghey and Ballintra, swapping on a weekly basis. However, due to dwindling numbers at the friary, friars rarely say mass in the remaining church in Ballintra.

Other information

The patron saint of the parish is St Ernan who is believed to have been born in the parish and to have established a monastery there. It is this saint who has given his name to St Ernan's NS, Ballintra and to the small island in Donegal Bay. He is also honoured in St Bridget's Church, Ballintra with a window above one of the two minor doors at the front of the building. According to the parish website, there are 1,160 Catholics living in the parish, unfortunately there is no year or source given for these figures. The main graveyard in Ballintra has been used since 1820 and the parish has several sets of records, including baptismal records from 1866, confirmation records from 1920, marriage records from 1866 and a death register from 1968. There is no secondary school in the parish—children from the north of the parish (mainly from Laghey NS) go to the

Abbey Vocational School The Abbey Vocational School (also known as the AVS or the 'Tech'; ''Scoil na Mainistreach'' in Irish) (formerly known as the Donegal Technical School) is a non-denominational vocational secondary school situated in Donegal, County Donegal, Irela ...

in

Donegal Town Donegal ( ; , "fort of the foreigners") is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. The name was also historically spelt 'Dunnagall'. Although Donegal gave its name to the county, now Lifford is the county town. From the 15th until the early 17th ce ...

, while those from the south of the parish (mainly from Ballintra NS) go to Coláiste Cholmcille
The Ballyshannon Community School (Established 2000) in

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

.

Parish bodies

Several groups organise on a parish basis including: * St Bridget's GAA club * The Laghey/Ballintra Youth Project *

Foróige Foróige is an Irish organisation whose purpose is "to enable young people to involve themselves consciously and actively in their development and in the development of society". Macra na Tuaithe, the youth branch of Macra na Feirme, was formed o ...

(Teenage youth club) * Laghey/Ballintra Swimming Club *

St Vincent de Paul Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was a Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. In 1622 Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the galleys. After ...

References

External links

Drumholm Parish Homepage

Raphoe Diocese Homepage
{{coord missing, County Donegal Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe Civil parishes of County Donegal