Donegal 996491 223897663 2008-07-06T11:52:49Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other :''This article is about the [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] town of Donegal. For the county, see [[County Donegal]]. For other uses, see [[Donegal (disambiguation)]].'' {{Infobox Irish Place |name = Donegal |gaeilge = Dún na nGall |scots = Dinnygal |crest image = Donegal Town COA 3d.svg |motto = |map image = Ireland map County Donegal Magnified.png |pin coords = left: 58px; top: 100px |north coord = 54.650 |west coord = 8.117 |irish grid = G924789 |area = |elevation = 32 m |county = [[County Donegal]] |province = [[Ulster]] |dailconstituency = [[Donegal South West (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Donegal South West]] |EU constituency = [[North-West (European Parliament constituency)|North-West]] |IEpostcode = |stdcode = +353 74 |town pop = 2,339<ref name=cso> {{cite web |url = http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/census2006_Table_7_and_12.pdf |title = Table 7 - Persons in each town of 1,500 population and over, ... |accessdate = 2008-02-13 |date = 2007-04-26 |format = PDF |work = Census 2006, Volume 1 - Population Classified by Area |publisher = [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|Central Statistics Office]] |pages = pages 119 }} </ref> |rural pop = |census yr = 2006 |web = www.donegaltown.ie }} '''Donegal''' ({{pron-en|ˌdʌnəˈgɔːl}}; [[Irish language|Irish]]: ''Dún na nGall'')<ref>[http://www.donegaltown.ie/ Welcome to the Official Donegal Town Website for Hotels and Businesses<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> is a town in [[County Donegal]], in the [[Province of Ulster]], in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. Donegal is not the county town (capital) of County Donegal, despite being its namesake. Rather, the county town is [[Lifford]], and [[Letterkenny]] is the county's largest town. Donegal town is situated at the mouth of [[Donegal Bay]], on the [[River Eske]] and is overshadowed by the [[Bluestack Mountains]]. The town has been bypassed by the [[N15 road|N15]] and [[N56 road|N56]] [[roads in Ireland|roads]]. The Irish name translates into English as ''Fort of the Foreigners (Vikings)''. == History == There is evidence for settlements around the town dating back to prehistoric times including the remains of round forts and other earth works. There is a record of an early [[Denmark|Danish]] fortress being destroyed by [[Muirchertach MacLochlainn]], [[High King of Ireland]] in 1159. This [[Viking]] settlement is possibly the origin of the town's name. [[Image:Donegalcastle.jpg|thumbnail|left|Donegal castle showing keep built by the O'Donnell clan and wing added by Basil Brooke]]Donegal Town itself is famous for being the former home to the [[O'Donnell]] Clan, who played a pivotal role in Irish history. From the 15th to the 17th century, they provided the main opposition to the colonisation of Ireland by England. The town itself contains [[Donegal castle]], on the banks of the [[River Eske]] and the remains of a [[Franciscan]] abbey which dates back to the 15th century on the Southern shore of the Bay. The [[Annals of the Four Masters]] are traditionally thought to have been started in the abbey in the early 17th century. The story of [[Hugh Roe O'Donnell|Red Hugh O'Donnell]], Lord of [[Tyrconnell]], was the inspiration behind many books and films, not least, [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney's]] ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060408/ The Fighting Prince of Donegal]'' (1966). After the [[Flight of the Earls]] in 1607 the castle and its lands were given to an English captain, Basil Brooke, as part of the [[Plantation of Ulster]]. Brooke carried out major reconstruction work and added a wing to the castle in the [[Jacobean]] style. The current plan of the town was also laid out including an attractive town square or ''Diamond''. From the late 17th until the early 20th centuries, Donegal Town formed part of the vast estates of the Gore family (from 1762 Earls of Arran) and it while in their ownership that the town took on its present appearance. Donegal returned two members to the Irish Parliament until the Act of Union (1800). Evidence of the [[Irish Famine]] still exists including a [[workhouse]], whose buildings are now part of the local hospital, and a famine grave. == Industry and tourism == {{Unreferencedsection|November 2007|date=November 2007}} [[Image:donegaltown.jpg|thumb|225px|Part of the ''Diamond'' in Donegal]] There are many sandy beaches in the area of Donegal boasting good [[surfing]] conditions. Donegal is also used as a base for hill-walking in the nearby [[Bluestack Mountains]]. Despite the town's many hotels catering for visitors, it suffers from a lack of social amenities for its local population. Many have to travel to nearby towns such as [[Letterkenny]] for facilities like public swimming pools, cinemas and large shopping centres.{{Fact|date=July 2007}} Traditionally the largest employer in the town has been [[Magee of Donegal]], who are manufacturers of [[tweed]] garments, some of which could, in the past, be seen being woven by hand on small [[looms]] in the company's department store.{{Fact|date=January 2007}} Like most clothing manufacturers in Ireland, the size of the workforce has been in decline for many years. == Transport == The town is a stop on the three bus companies that operate in the county: the [[Bus Éireann]] service number 64 [[Derry]]/[[Galway]] route which makes several other stops including [[Letterkenny]] and [[Sligo]] (which allows for rail connections) and the number 30 Donegal/[[Dublin]] route which makes stops at other key towns such as [[Enniskillen]] (which provides connections to Belfast via [[Ulster Bus]]).<ref>[http://www.buseireann.ie Bue Éireann homepage]</ref> Two private companies operate the other routes: 'McGeehan Bus' operate a regular service from West Donegal to Dublin Airport and the [[Busaras]] which passes through the town<ref>[http://www.mgbus.com McGeehan Bus homepage]</ref>; while Feda O'Donnell Coaches (also known as Bus Feda) operates a regular [[Glenties]]/Galway service that stops in Donegal.<ref>[http://www.fedaodonnell.com Bus Feda homepage]</ref> Donegal railway station opened on [[16 September]] [[1889]] and finally closed on [[1 January]] [[1960]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Donegal station | work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-09-23}}</ref> The site of the old station is now used by [[CIE]] as a bus depot while the actual building is the home of the [[Donegal Railway Heritage Centre]].<ref>[http://www.cdrrl.com/ County Donegal Railway Restoration Ltd. homepage]</ref> Donegal has a small airport for regional services offering flights to Dublin an [[Glasgow|Glasgow-Prestwick]].<ref>http://www.donegalairport.ie/index.htm</ref> == Sport == [[Image:DonegalTown.jpg|thumb|225px|right|Main Street, looking north towards Roman Catholic Church, made with local red granite]] Donegal town is home to many amateur sports clubs. The most popular sport in the area is [[Gaelic football]] and the local [[Gaelic Athletic Association]] club is ''The Four Masters''.<ref>[http://www.fourmastersgaa.com Four Master's GAA Club<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The club also has been developing [[hurling]]. Other popular sports clubs include [[soccer|football]] ([[Finn Harps]]), [[rugby union]], [[basketball]] and [[Athletics (track and field)|athletics]]. == Media == The town is home to the regional newspapers ''[[Donegal Democrat]]'' and ''[[Donegal Post]]'' and the local ''[[Donegal Times]]''<ref>[http://www.donegaltimes.com The Donegal Times On-line<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> newspaper. [[Ocean FM (Ireland)|Ocean FM]], an independent regional radio station, has one of its three studios in the town, which broadcasts to most of south County Donegal. == See also == *[[Abbey Vocational School]] * [[List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland#County Donegal|List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Donegal)]] *[[List of towns in the Republic of Ireland]] == References == {{Reflist}} == External links == * [http://www.donegaltown.ie/ Official town website] * [http://donegalpublicart.ie/ Donegal Public Art] {{County Donegal}} [[Category:Towns and villages in County Donegal]] [[bg:Донигал]] [[es:Donegal]] [[fr:Donegal]] [[ga:Dún na nGall]] [[it:Donegal Town]] [[hu:Donegal]] [[nl:Donegal]] [[pl:Donegal]] [[fi:Donegal]]