Ballina, County Tipperary
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Ballina (historically ''Bellanaha''), from , is a
census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...
that lies on the
River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...
in
County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...
,
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 ...
. It is situated on the eastern shore of Lough Derg across from its 'twin-town' of Killaloe on the west bank of the lake. The towns are joined by
Killaloe Bridge Killaloe Bridge is a road bridge over the River Shannon between Ballina, County Tipperary, Ballina in County Tipperary and Killaloe, County Clare in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Built on the site of an earlier structure (dating to c.1650), the ...
. The annual Brian Boru Festival takes place in early July each year. A joint celebration between the two towns of the ancient High King of Ireland, Brian Boru, it involves many community-based activities including a hurling match between the teams from both towns. Ballina has a
primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
, Ballina National School, with the nearest
secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
, St. Anne's Community College, present in Killaloe.


History

Ballina was, along with Killaloe on the other bank, an important stopping point for barges traveling up the
River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...
. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, bargemen would pass through Ballina on their way to deliver goods to Dublin. However, this began to decline when train lines were set up to link it to other major lines, making the transport of goods cheaper. As a result the barges, while returning for a brief period during the Emergency (1939–1945), had disappeared by the 1920s and 1930s. Having been replaced by new lines which linked Limerick directly to Dublin and falling into disrepair, the railway tracks were removed in the 1950s. During the
Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...
(1919–1921), four young men were shot on the road bridge between Ballina and Killaloe as suspected IRA men by the Black and Tans and auxiliaries. There is commemorative plaque on the bridge, close to where the men were shot.


Transport

The main crossing point between Ballina and Killaloe is
Killaloe Bridge Killaloe Bridge is a road bridge over the River Shannon between Ballina, County Tipperary, Ballina in County Tipperary and Killaloe, County Clare in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Built on the site of an earlier structure (dating to c.1650), the ...
, an eighteenth-century single-lane bridge. For a long period, there was no traffic control system present on the bridge. While it was possible for cars to pass each other, it was difficult for HGVs and cars, and impossible for two HGVs, to pass. This led to the introduction of a traffic light system which, while leading to delays at peak times, improved safety and traffic flow on the bridge. In December 2006,
North Tipperary County Council North Tipperary County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Thiobraid Árann Thuaidh) was the authority responsible for local government in the county of North Tipperary, Ireland. The council had 21 elected members. The head of the council had the ti ...
sought tenders for a 'design and build' contract for a new crossing on the Shannon. As of October 2021, reports suggested that "Spring 2022" was a "target for the commencement of construction". A "
sod turning Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...
" ceremony was held in late 2022, at which point the projected completion date was updated to 2024.


Population

Identified as a "service town" in the North Tipperary County Development Plan 2010-2016, Ballina saw "record" population growth in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. In the 20 years between the 1991 and 2011 census, Ballina's population grew by more than 500%, from 477 to 2,442 inhabitants. As of the
2016 census of Ireland ''Census 2016'' in the Republic of Ireland was held on Sunday, 24 April 2016, to administer a national census. It was organised by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and reported a total population of 4,761,865, or a 3.8% increase since the pri ...
, the town had a population of 2,632.


Sport

Ballina has a
Gaelic games Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the ...
club which is made up of Ballina and Boher. In 1885 Ballina GAA club was formally established. At a convention in Nenagh on Sunday 20 November 1887, 35 affiliated clubs were represented by their respective delegates. This list of 35 included two from the parish, namely Ballina and Boher. In 1902 Michael Minihan of Boher became North Tipperary Chairman. In 1883 a Ballina / Boher combination under the name of Kincora, beat Killaloe. Which is one of the first inter-county games on record, with Kincora recording a victory of 2-1 to 0-1.
Mark Van Drumpt Mark van Drumpt (died 18 February 2021) served as lead physiotherapist for the Limerick county hurling team during its 2018 and 2020 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winning campaigns. He was also involved in a similar capacity with the ru ...
, who served as lead physiotherapist for the
Limerick county hurling team The Limerick county hurling team represents Limerick in hurling and is governed by Limerick GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior ...
during its
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
and
2020 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The 2020 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 133rd staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament, since its establishment in 1887. The 2020 fixtures ...
winning campaigns, lived in Ballina.


See also

*
List of towns and villages in County Tipperary This is a list of towns and villages in County Tipperary, Ireland. A *Ahenny – ''Áth Eine'' *Ardfinnan – ''Ard Fhíonáin'' B * Ballina – ''Béal an Átha'' * Ballingarry – ''Baile an Gharraí'' * Ballyclerahan – ''Baile Uí Chléi ...


References


External links


Ballina (Beal An Atha) GAA club
{{County Tipperary Populated places on the River Shannon Towns and villages in County Tipperary