Everything about County Donegal totally explained
County Donegal (;
Irish:
Contae Dhún na nGall. Sometimes unofficially known in Irish as
Tír Chonaill) is a
county located in the west of the Province of
Ulster, in the northwest of
Ireland. It is one of three counties in the Province of
Ulster that
does not form part of
Northern Ireland. It is the most northern county in all of Ireland, and although it has a very strong Ulster identity, the county is part of the
Republic of Ireland. County Donegal is the largest county in Ulster. The name 'Donegal' comes from the Irish, meaning 'The Fort of the Foreigners'. The county was named after the former administrative centre of
Donegal Town, the old stronghold of the O'Donnell royal family in the south of the county. When first created, it was sometimes referred to as
County Tyrconnell (
Irish:
Tír Chonaill), after both the old original
Tír Chonaill kingdom and the
Tyrconnell earldom that succeeded it. Calling the whole county
Tír Chonaill is technically incorrect as the
Inishowen Peninsula (
Irish:
Inis Eoghain) is historically distinct from Tír Chonaill.
Uniquely, Donegal shares a border with only one county in the
Republic of Ireland,
County Leitrim in north
Connacht. The rest of its land border is shared with the
United Kingdom (the Northern Irish counties of
Londonderry,
Tyrone and
Fermanagh). This apparent isolation has led to Donegal people and their customs being considered distinct from the rest of the country and has been used to market the county with the
slogan Up here it's different. As regards its culture and traditions, County Donegal has much more in common with
Northern Ireland than it does with the rest of the Republic of Ireland. The people of County Donegal are famous for their 'accent' (or more correctly 'accents'), which is very much an Ulster accent. Despite
Lifford being the
county town (and there also being a
Donegal town), the largest town is
Letterkenny.
County Donegal has always had a very strong and close relationship with the
City of Derry, the unofficial regional 'capital' of the North-West of Ireland. Before circa 1600, Derry was considered part of the
Inishowen Peninsula. Derry has acted for centuries as the main economic and transport hub and sea-port for both County Donegal and West Tyrone. This was especially so before the rapid growth and development of nearby
Letterkenny from the late 1960s. Nowadays, the vast majority of the Catholic population of the City of Derry are of County Donegal ancestry. Huge numbers of people from County Donegal work - and often live - in Derry. Likewise, many natives of Derry City also work - and often live - in County Donegal. In addition, large numbers of young Donegal people attend secondary schools in Derry and/or study at the city's third-level institutions, especially
Magee College (part of the
University of Ulster) and North-West Regional College (popularly known as Derry Tech). Both Donegal County Council and
Derry City Council co-operate closely with each other on many projects and initiatives.
History
County Donegal is famous for being the home of the once mighty Clan Dálaigh, whose most famous branch were the Clan Ó Domhnaill, better known today in English as the
O'Donnell Clan. Until around 1600 A.D., the O'Donnells were one of Ireland's richest and most powerful
Gaelic (native Irish) ruling-families. Within the Province of
Ulster only the Clan Uí Néill (known in English as the O'Neill Clan) of modern
County Tyrone were more powerful. The O'Donnells were Ulster's second most powerful
clan or ruling-family from the early thirteenth-century through to the start of the seventeenth-century. For several centuries the O'Donnells ruled
Tír Chonaill, a Gaelic kingdom in West Ulster that covered almost all of modern County Donegal. The head of the O'Donnell family had the titles
An Ó Domhnaill (meaning
The O'Donnell in English) and
Rí Thír Chonaill (meaning
King of Tír Chonaill in English). Based at
Donegal Castle in
Dún na nGall (modern
Donegal Town), the O'Donnell
King's of Tír Chonaill were traditionally
inaugurated at Doon Rock near
Kilmacrenan. O'Donnell royal or
chiefly power was finally ended in what was then the newly created County Donegal in September, 1607, following the
Flight of the Earls from near
Rathmullan. The modern
County Arms of Donegal (dating from the early 1970s) was influenced by the design of the old O'Donnell royal arms. The
County Arms is the official
coat-of-arms of both County Donegal and Donegal County Council.
The modern County Donegal was
shired by order of the
English Crown in 1585. The English authorities at
Dublin Castle formed the new county by amalgamating the old Kingdom of Tír Chonaill with the old Lordship of
Inishowen. However, the English authorities were unable to establish control over Tír Chonaill and Inishowen until after the
Battle of Kinsale in 1602. Full control over the new County Donegal was only achieved after the
Flight of the Earls in September, 1607.
County Donegal was one of the worst affected parts of
Ulster during the Great Famine of the late 1840s in
Ireland. Vast swathes of the county were devastated by this catastrophy, many areas becoming permanently depopulated. Vast numbers of County Donegal's people emigrated at this time, especially through the Port of
Derry. Huge numbers of the county's people who emigrated were to settle in
Glasgow in southern
Scotland. This created a very strong link between County Donegal and the City of Glasgow, a link which endures to this day.
Geography
Physically, the county is by far the most rugged and mountainous in
Ulster. The county consists chiefly of low mountains, with a deeply indented coastline forming natural
loughs, of which both
Lough Swilly and
Lough Foyle are the most notable. The famous mountains or
Hills of Donegal consist of two major ranges, the
Derryveagh Mountains in the north and the
Bluestack Mountains in the south, with
Mount Errigal at 749 metres the highest peak. The
Slieve League cliffs are the second highest sea cliffs in
Europe, while Donegal's
Malin Head is the most northerly point on the island of Ireland.
The climate is temperate and dominated by the
Gulf Stream, with cool damp summers and mild wet winters. Two permanently inhabited islands,
Arranmore and
Tory Island lie off the coast, along with a large number of islands with only transient inhabitants. Ireland's second longest river, the
Erne, enters
Donegal Bay near the town of
Ballyshannon. The River Erne, along with other Donegal waterways, has been dammed to produce
hydroelectric power. The
River Foyle separates part of County Donegal from parts of both
County Londonderry and
County Tyrone
An extensive rail network used to exist through out the county and was mainly operated by the
County Donegal Railways Joint Committee and the
Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Company. The
Great Northern Railway (Ireland) L.t.d. also ran a line through the Laggan Valley in the east of the county, along the
River Foyle into Derry. Even though the railways in Donegal are fondly remembered, the network was completely closed by 1960. Today, the closest railway station to the county is Waterside Station in the City of Derry, which is operated by
Northern Ireland Railways (N.I.R.). County Donegal is served by both
Donegal Airport, located at Carrickfinn in
The Rosses in the west of the county, and by
City of Derry Airport, located at
Eglinton to the east. The nearest main international airport to the county is
Belfast International Airport (popularly known as Aldergrove Airport), which is located to the east at
Aldergrove, near
Antrim Town, in
County Antrim, around fifty-seven miles from Derry City and around seventy-five miles from Letterkenny.
County Donegal can be divided up into a number of traditional districts. In the west there's
The Rosses (Irish:
Na Rosa), centered on the town of Dungloe (Irish:
An Clochán Liath), and
Gweedore (Irish:
Gaoth Dobhair). Both of these are formally
Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) areas, although little or no Irish is spoken in Dungloe. In the county's north-west is Cloghaneely (Irish:
Cloich Chionnaola), centered on the town of
Falcarragh (Irish:
An Fál Carrach), also in the
Gaeltacht. Inishowen, Fanad and Rosguill are three peninsula in the north of the county.
Inishowen (centered on the town of
Buncrana) is one of Ireland's largest peninsulas. In the east of the county is located both the Laggan Valley (centered on the town of
Raphoe) and the
Finn Valley (centered on
Ballybofey), districts with very fertile land.
Culture and heritage
The variant of the
Irish language spoken in Donegal is distinctive, and shares traits with
Scottish Gaelic. The Irish spoken in the Donegal
Gaeltacht (Irish speaking area) is of the West
Ulster dialect, while
Inishowen, which became
English-speaking only in the early 20th century, used the East Ulster dialect. Ulster
Scots is still widely spoken in the Laggan Valley and Finn Valley of East Donegal. Donegal Irish has a strong influence on Irish speakers across Ulster, who find themselves speaking a dialect noticeably different from the Irish most commonly spoken and understood in
Dublin.
Like other areas on the western seaboard of Ireland, Donegal has a distinctive
fiddle tradition which is of world renown. Donegal is also well known for its songs which have, like the instrumental music, a distinctive sound. Donegal musical artists such as the bands
Clannad and
Altan and solo artist
Enya, all from
Gaoth Dobhair, have had international success with traditional or traditional flavoured music. Donegal music has also influenced people not originally from the county including folk and pop singer
Paul Brady.
Popular music is also common, the county's most famous rock artist being the
Ballyshannon born
Rory Gallagher,
Kilcar based indie band
The Revs also had some good success in the Irish charts. A well known fiddler from Donegal is P.V. O'Donnell. He currently live in Manchester, CT, USA.
Donegal has a long literary tradition in both
Irish and
English. The famous Irish
Navvy-turned novelist
Patrick MacGill, author of many books about the experiences of Irish migrant
itinerant labourers in
Britain at around the turn of the 20th century, such as
The Rat Pit and the autobiographical
Children of the Dead End, is from the
Glenties area. There is a literary summer school in Glenties named in his honour. The novelist
Peadar O'Donnell hails from
The Rosses in west Donegal.
Modern exponents include the
Inishowen playwright and poet
Frank McGuinness and the playwright
Brian Friel. Many of Friel's plays are set in the fictional Donegal town of
Ballybeg.
Authors in Donegal have been creating works, like the
Annals of the Four Masters, in
Gaelic and
Latin since the
Early Middle Ages. In modern
Irish Donegal has produced famous, and sometimes controversial, authors such as the brothers
Séamus Ó Grianna and
Seosamh Mac Grianna from
The Rosses and the contemporary (and controversial) Irish-language poet
Cathal Ó Searcaigh from
Gortahork in Cloghaneely, and where he's known to locals as
Gúrú na gCnoc ("the Guru of the Hills").
Although the vast majority of it's population is
Roman Catholic, County Donegal also has a large
Protestant minority. The county's Protestant community was founded during the
Plantation of Ulster in the early seventeenth-century. A large percentage of the county's Protestants are
Presbyterians. Many County Donegal Protestants are members of the
Orange Order, a religious and social society. The vast majority of the county's Protestants live in the Laggan Valley and Finn Valley of East Donegal. There is also a large Protestant population in
Donegal Town in the south of the county.
Donegal has also contributed to culture elsewhere. One Donegal native, Francis Alison, was one of the founders of the
College of Philadelphia, which would later become the
University of Pennsylvania.Rev Francis Makemie from Rathmullan founded the Presbyterian Church in America.
Politics
Donegal County Council has responsibility for local administration, running alongside Town Councils in
Letterkenny,
Bundoran,
Ballyshannon and
Buncrana. Both the County Council and Town Councils have elections every five years (alongside local elections nationally, and elections to the
European Parliament), the last of which took place on the
11 June 2004. Twenty nine councillors are elected using the system of
Proportional Representation, across five electoral areas (
Inishowen,
Letterkenny,
Donegal,
Stranorlar,
Glenties and
Milford). Donegal County Council's main offices are located in the County House in
Lifford, but regional offices are located in
Carndonagh, Milford,
Letterkenny,
Dungloe and
Donegal.
For general (national) elections, the county is divided into two constituencies,
Donegal South West and
Donegal North East, with both having three representatives in
Dáil Éireann. For elections to the
European Parliament, the county is part of the
Ireland North-West constituency (formerly
Connacht-Ulster).
Sport
Gaelic football and Hurling
The
Gaelic Athletic Association (G.A.A.) sport of
Gaelic football is very popular in Donegal.
Hurling isn't such a big sport in the North-West of Ireland. Donegal's inter-county football team have won the
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title once (in 1992). In 2007 Donegal won only their second national title by winning the
National Football League. The county senior hurling team has never managed a title. There are 16 senior G.A.A. Clubs in county Donegal, with many others playing at a lower level.
Soccer
Finn Harps play in the
Football League of Ireland and won promotion to the Premier League in 2007 following a 6-3 aggregate win in the playoff final. They are now back alongside their arch-rivals
Derry City F.C. with whom they contest the
North-West Derby. No other Donegal teams have achieved the status of Finn Harps, but teams abound across the county.
Cricket
Cricket is also played in County Donegal. This sport is chiefly confined to the Laggan Valley and Finn Valley in the east of the county. The town of
Raphoe and the nearby village of St. Johnston, both in the Laggan Valley, are the traditional 'strongholds' of cricket within the county. The game is mainly played and followed by members of County Donegal's
Protestant community.
Other sports
Donegal's rugged landscape lends itself to active sports like
climbing,
hillwalking,
surfing and kite-flying. Many people travel to Donegal for the superb
golf links — long sandy beaches and extensive dune systems are a feature of the county, and many links courses have been developed.
Rock climbing is of very high quality and still under-developed in the county. The complete
Donegal climbing guidebook
is available at the
Colmcille Climbers website. There is a wealth of good quality
climbs in the county from granite rocks in the south to quartzite and dolerite in the north; from long mountain routes in the
Poisoned Glen to boulder challenges of excellent quality in the west and in the
Inishowen Peninsula.
Surfing on
Donegal's Atlantic coast is considered to be as good as any in Ireland and up there in the world ratings. The old Victorian seaside resort of
Bundoran, located in the very south of the county, has been 'reborn' as the centre of surfing in County Donegal. Indeed, Bundoran is now the main surfing 'resort' in
Ulster.
Tourism
With its sandy beaches, unspoilt boglands and friendly communities, Co.Donegal is a favoured destination for many travellers, Irish (especially Northern Irish) and foreign alike. One of the county treasures is
Glenveagh National Park (formerly part of the Glenveagh Estate), as yet (February 2008) the only official
national park anywhere in the Province of
Ulster. The park is a 140 km² nature reserve with spectacular scenery of mountains, raised boglands, lakes and woodlands. At it's heart is Glenveagh Castle, a beautiful late Victorian 'folly' that was originally built as a summer residence.
The Donegal
Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking district) also attracts young people to County Donegal each year during the school summer holidays. The three week long summer Gaeltacht courses give young Irish people from other parts of the country a chance to learn the Irish language and traditional Irish cultural traditions that are still prevalent in parts of Donegal. The Donegal Gaeltacht has traditionally been a very popular destination each summer for young people from
Northern Ireland.
Towns and Villages in County Donegal
- Annagry, Ardara
- Ballintra, Ballybofey, Ballyshannon, Buncrana, Bundoran, Burtonport
- Carndonagh, Carrigart, Carrigans, Clonmany, Convoy, Creeslough, Castlefin, Culdaff
- Donegal, Downings, Dunfanaghy, Dungloe
- Glencolmcille, Glenties, Gort an Choirce, Greencastle, Gweedore
- Falcarragh
- Laghey, Letterkenny, Lifford
- Kerrykeel, Kilcar, Killybegs, Kilmacrennan
- Magheroarty, Manorcunningham, Milford, Moville, Muff
- Newtowncunningham, Pettigo
- Ramelton, Ranafast, Raphoe, Rathmullan
- Stranorlar, St. Johnston
- Termon
Notable residents and natives
John George Adair (1823-1885), builder of Glenveagh Castle and financier of the JA Ranch in the Texas Panhandle
Packie Bonner (b. 1960), former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper
Isaac Butt (1813-79), barrister, MP and founder of the Irish Home Rule movement
Columba or Colm Cille (521-97), one of the three patron saints of Ireland
Mary Coughlan, TD (b. 1965), Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment since May 2008
Enya (b. 1961), singer and songwriter
Pat 'the Cope' Gallagher, TD (b. 1948), politician, and former Junior Minister at the Department of Health and Children
Rory Gallagher (1948-95), guitarist and singer
Shay Given (b. 1976), current Republic of Ireland and Newcastle United goalkeeper
Brian McEniff, Gaelic football player and manager
Mícheál Ó Cléirigh (c. 1590-1643), chief author of the Annals of the Four Masters
Daniel O’Donnell (b. 1961), country music singer
Red Hugh O'Donnell or Aodh Ruadh (1572-1602), last great Lord of Tír Chonaill, one of the leaders of the Nine Years War, and main character in the Disney film, The Fighting Prince of Donegal
Tommy Tiernan, comedian
Flora and Fauna
Algae Seaweed: Morton, O. 2003. The marine macroalgae of County Donegal, Ireland. Bull. Ir. Soc. No. 27: 3–164.Further Information
Get more info on 'County Donegal'.
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