| Cathaleen's Fall | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location of Cathaleen's Fall in Ireland | |
| Coordinates | 54°29′58.21″N 8°10′26.68″W / 54.4995028°N 8.1740778°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1946 |
| Opening date | 1 October 1952 |
| Owner(s) | ESB Group |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Gravity |
| Height | 27 m (89 ft) |
| Length | 257 m (843 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Catchment area | 4,350 km2 (1,680 sq mi) |
| Power Station | |
| Commission date | 1951/1952 |
| Turbines | 2 x 22.5 MW (30,200 hp) Kaplan-type |
| Installed capacity | 45 MW (60,000 hp) |
| Annual generation | 206 206 GWh (740 TJ) |
Cathaleen's Fall hydroelectric power station is a hydroelectric plant located on the River Erne at Ballyshannon in County Donegal, Ireland. Also known as Ballyshannon, it is owned and operated by the ESB Group. The plant consists of two Kaplan turbines providing a combined capacity of 45 MW (60,000 hp) within a concrete gravity dam 257 m (843 ft) long. Constructed between 1946 and 1955, it is the larger of two hydroelectric plants built between Belleek and Ballyshannon at the same time. Despite construction of the dam meaning the destruction of Assaroe Falls, a local beauty spot, Camlin Castle and many other dwellings, there was no local or national resistance to the project. It was the Republic of Ireland's first act of major co-operation with Northern Ireland since independence. The site appears in Conor McPherson's The Weir, to represent the fictional location in the play.