'the Gravelly Stream' or 'the Gravelly River'), part of the Shannon–Erne Waterway, a boating route that was re-opened in 1993. The Woodford River is also known in English as the River Gráinne or the Graine River. Part of the Woodford River at Ballyconnell has been canalised; this small section is known as the Woodford Canal. Ballyconnell sits at the foot of Slieve Rushen mountain and is a mile from the border between County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland and County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The town has an altitude of 55 metres above sea level. The mean daily January temperature is 4.5 degrees Celsius and the mean daily July temperature is 15 degrees Celsius. The average annual rainfall is 1,000 mm. The average annual hours of sunshine are 1,250. Transport Rail transport Ballyconnell railway station opened on 24 October 1887, but finally closed on 1 April 1959. It was part of the narrow gauge Cavan and Leitrim Railway. Bus transport Leydon's Coaches operate route 930 linking Ballyconnell to Belturbet, Cavan, Bawnboy and Swanlinbar. Enniskillen is also served on Saturdays. Bus Éireann local route 465 serves the town on Tuesdays only providing a link to Cavan, Arvagh, Ballinagh, Killeshandra and Carrigallen. Economy The industry in the area is mainly agricultural, but it also has a large cement factory (formerly owned by former billionaire businessman, Sean Quinn), a plastics factory and an animal feeds plant. Tourism is an important part of the town's economy with cabin cruisers using it as a stopping place when navigating the Shannon-Erne Waterway. The town has a proud record in the National Tidy Towns Competition, winning the overall award in 1971 & 1975, together with many County winner awards through the years. In the 18th century lead, silver, coal, limestone, granite, marble, gravel, sand and iron were all mined from Slieve Rushen mountain. Sport The first GAA club in Ulster was founded in Ballyconnell in 1885 and named 'Ballyconnell Joe Biggars' in honour of the then MP for West Cavan, Joseph Biggar, but later changed its name to "Ballyconnell First Ulsters". Their original strip consisted of horizontal stripes coloured black, red and yellow. Census See also Market Houses in Ireland Mary Freehill James Dillon (Bishop) Leona Maguire Lisa Maguire References External links Old Ballyconnell maps & Photos Ballyconnell on Cavantourism.com (archived 2012) Drone footage of Ballyconnell, 24 Nov 2016, flying south from Mount Pleasant towards Main