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| Publican | Mick McGrath |
| Address |
Bridgend, Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland. |
| Telephone | +353-(0)71-9851430 |
| Mobile | +353-(0)86-0696744 |
| mckmcgra@yahoo.co.uk | |
| Website | www.bridgendbar.com |
The Bridgend is situated at the mid point of East and West Port and has long been established as a meeting place in Ballyshannon.
The building was constructed in the late 1600s and has survived and maintained its historical and traditional appeal. Built at the bottom of the famous Rock and its Barracked walls,it housed Military personel in its early days and became an overnight Tavern in the early 1800s, accommodating travelling horsemen, with a stable at the rear, accessed through an archway from the front which was the main road into town.
It changed ownership on several occassions, but in 1937 it was purchased by Mick and Bridie Ferguson who after some years trading decided to extend and remove some of the rock at the rear of the premises. This was painstakingly done by Mick with sledge and hammer.
With the construction of the new dam coinciding with Mick's hard work an idea was plotted over the counter late one night. The explosives expert working for the dam construction company, Cementation, was Letterkenny man Benny Boyce. The plot revealed the knowledge that each day around 1pm the main blast at the dam would shake the area, so a smaller blast to coincide with the main one would go unnoticed at the rear of the Bridgend. Any windows broken locally was blamed on the main blast, so a full insurance was included with the package.
In around the same time, mid 1940s the local GAA club Aodh Ruadh had purchased a field at the top of the Rock, now known as Father Tierney Park, and the blasted stone was filled daily by hand and drawn by horse and cart to assist the GAA fill and level the field. The dam which can be seen from the bridge at the front of the Bridgend was opened in 1947 by the then Minister of Industry and Commerce Sean Lemass, and the Father Tierney Park was opened in 1954.
The Ferguson family continued business at the Bridgend until their son Sean retired in 2004. The current proprietor Mick McGrath is steeped in GAA and sporting knowledge, and all major sporting games are available for viewing. All parties and occasions are catered for, and party nights are the staff's speciality.
During the summer months you will find ballads on a Sunday around 6pm and Traditional music can enhance that summer evening on both Monday and Tuesdays,9.30pm. With both local and visiting musicians giving that nostalgic traditional feel to all patrons, especially visitors to the area.
The Ballytour completes its trail on a Tuesday night in July and August with a visit to the music session, and it comes highly recommended. That friendly at home feeling will help you enjoy that relaxing drink and the banter will help you understand what the word craic really means, so a visit to Ballyshannon means a visit to the Bridgend.
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