Glenfarne

Glenfarne (Irish: Gleann Fearna) is a small village located in the north of County Leitrim, Ireland. It is the site of the original "Ballroom of Romance", which inspired a short story by William Trevor and was subsequently turned into a movie by the BBC. Glenfarne also has a lakeside forest near Lough MacNean, a lake bordering parts of Northern Ireland, including towns such as Belcoo in County Fermanagh.

The name of the village is an anglicisation of Gleann-fearna, meaning "valley of the alders". It was referred to by this name in the Annals of the Four Masters as far back as 1235 as a location in West Bréifne and under a further derivation, Clann-Fearmaighe as far back as 1217, where it is cited as "containing 20 quarters of land".

The Glenfarne Demesne lies on the shores of Lough MacNean. The lake marks the border between the counties of Leitrim, Cavan and Fermanagh. In 2000, a cross-border and cross-community arts project was concluded with the aim to promote the bonds between the communities of these three counties through the medium of sculpture and the visual arts. A number of sculptures are still in the Demesne.

The late John McGivern built the Rainbow Ballroom in Glenfarne in early 1934. John was a native of Brockagh, Glenfarne, and was well known in Sligo, where he lived up to his death some years ago. He managed the Savoy Cinema in High Street up to its closure. In his late teens John, like so many other people from North Leitrim, emigrated from Glenfarne to the U.S.A. While there he was involved in the radio and entertainment business. However, it was always his ambition to set up his own entertainment business, and he returned to his native Glenfarne in the early thirties. He purchased a plot of land at a crossroads in the townland of Brockagh Lower along the N16 Enniskillen to Sligo road, where he built the hall, locally known as the "Nissen Hut"; it got the name due to the fact that the galvanised iron construction looked like the old British army huts. The hall opened its doors for the first time in early 1934, known then as McGivern's Dance Hall. The first function held there consisted of a variety concert followed by the first dance in the new hall with music provided by the local Glenfarne Dance Band. Rainbowballroomofromance.ie

...
Wikipedia