pri;vate enterprise) have done much to a~leviate the problem of housing sho:;.,tage which, as in so many places to-day, had attained serious proportions. Industrial History-Created a Borough by Royal Charter in 1613 the town was for many years a prosperous centre, its main industries being distilling, b1,ewing, tanning, soap making, tobacco manufacture and flour and saw mil:ing. At the beg,inning of the nineteenth century there was direct shipping between Ballyshannon and many fm.,eign ports. To-day, of these industries there remains only saw milling and some grain milling. However, in these days of the nation's rev1vmg trade Ballyshannon seems destined to play a part in the future. Present industries include a hosiery factory, a canning factory, a bakery, a printing and publishing house, a tweed factory (in its infancy at the time_of writing), a laundry, fishing and, as mentioned arbove, a saw mills and grain mill. On the second Monday of each month is held the fair which is attended by dealers from over a wide area. The weekly market, however, is but a shadow of what it formerly was. .In this connection an .outstanding- annual event is the ho:ding of the harvest fair (on 16th September) which, tradition says, was established by Partholan said to be a contemporary of the patriarch, Abraham. The town produces two newspapers, "The ·Donegal Democrat" and ''The Donegal Vindicator." The town is a shoppin.£? centre f-Or an extensive nnd fairly prosperous hinterland and three banking companies have branches in it, housed in buildings which, architecturally, grace the main thorouahfare. Churches. Schools, 1• u b I i c Buildin2'S - There are f o u r churches in the town-St. Patricks, Chapel St.; and St. Joseph's, The Rock, serving the Catho:ic oooulation. On the Mall are the Me1ho<list and Presbyterian churches and at Church Avenue (~.fullinashea) is St. Annes, an ancient pile standing on a historic site, serving the Church of Ireland congregation. There are two secondary schools, one for girls-conducted hy the Sisters of Mercy, whose beauti.. ful convent and schools are in College St.-and one for boys conducted by the Brothers of the De La Salle Order in a fine airy building at The Rock. In addition to the district hospital at the Rock where there is a clinic with the services of eminent consultant specialists available, the town has another fine hospital-The Sheil Hospital, built at a cost of over £6,000 and some years a,go improved iby funds from the Hospitals' Trust. A first-class institution it has facilities for major operations far beyond those.·usually found in provincial centres. Amusements and !Sports- For angling and fishing generally see · separate article. Swimming (there is a progressive swimming and life saving club in the town) and golfing may he had at Bundoran -( 4 miles), or Rossnowlagh ( 5 miles) and the Erne Swimming Club has provided facilities {diving boards, platform, etc.) nt Creevy pier, (3 mile~) where they hold an annual gala 342.
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