placenamesKilbarron
Cill Bharrainn
Lewis’s 1837 account looks beyond Ballyshannon to the parish’s fields and fishing grounds.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Cill Bharrainn · Irish · main form
- Kilbarron · English · main form
Place & story
Carrots and onions in the fields
Samuel Lewis described large quantities of carrots and onions grown in open fields in Kilbarron parish. He estimated that about half the parish was arable, with meadow, pasture, mountain land and bog making up the wider landscape. The account includes the greater part of Ballyshannon, while extending into its surrounding countryside. [2]
Long-line fishing off the coast
Lewis recorded large catches of skate and thornback using long lines off this coast. He also noted eels, trout and salmon in the Abbey River, which entered Ballyshannon harbour through Abbey Bay. These observations describe the fishery as he reported it in 1837. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Kilbarron. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Kilbarron, Donegal: A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) · Samuel Lewis
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2026-07-03. How this page was prepared.