County Donegal is named after the town ofDonegal (from Irish Dún na nGall'fort of the foreigners')[9] in the south of the county.
It has also been known by the alternative name CountyTyrconnell orTirconaill (Tír Chonaill, meaning 'Land ofConall'). The latter was its official name between 1922 and 1927.[10] This is in reference to thetúath orGaelic kingdom ofTír Chonaill (on which the county was based) and theearldom that succeeded it.
County Donegal was the home of the once-mighty Clann Dálaigh, whose best-known branch was the Clann Ó Domhnaill, better known in English as theO'Donnell dynasty. Until around 1600, the O'Donnells were one of Ireland's richest and most powerful native Irish ruling families. Within Ulster, only the Uí Néill (known in English as the O'Neills) ofTír Eoghain (Tirowen or modern Tyrone) were more powerful. The O'Donnells were Ulster's second most powerfulclan or ruling family from the early 13th century through to the start of the 17th century. For several centuries, the O'Donnells ruledTír Chonaill (Tyrconnell), atúath orGaelic kingdom in west Ulster that covered almost all of modern County Donegal. The head of the O'Donnell family had the titlesAn Ó Domhnaill (meaningThe O'Donnell in English) andRí Thír Chonaill (meaningKing of Tír Chonaill in English). Based atDonegal Castle inDún na nGall (modern Donegal Town), the O'DonnellKings of Tír Chonaill were traditionally inaugurated, from the 1460s onwards, at Doon Rock nearKilmacrennan. The O'Donnells' royal or chiefly power was finally ended in what was then the newly created County Donegal in September 1607, following theFlight of the Earls from Portnamurray, nearRathmullan. The modernCounty Arms of County Donegal (dating from the early 1970s) was influenced by the design of the old O'Donnell royal arms. TheCounty Arms is the officialcoat of arms of both County Donegal and Donegal County Council.
The modern County Donegal was made ashire[11] by order of the English Crown in 1585. The English authorities atDublin Castle formed the new county by amalgamating the old Kingdom of Tír Chonaill with the old Lordship ofInishowen. Although detachments of theRoyal Irish Army were stationed there, the Dublin authorities were unable to establish control over Tír Chonaill and Inishowen until after theBattle of Kinsale in 1602. Full control over the new County Donegall was only achieved after theFlight of the Earls in September 1607. It was the centre ofO'Doherty's Rebellion of 1608 with the keyBattle of Kilmacrennan taking place there. The county was one of those 'planted' during thePlantation of Ulster from around 1610 onwards. What became theCity of Derry was officially part of County Donegal up until 1610.[12]
County Donegal was one of the worst affected parts of Ulster during theGreat Famine of the late 1840s in Ireland. Vast swathes of the county were devastated, with many areas becoming permanently depopulated. Vast numbers of County Donegal's people emigrated at this time, chiefly throughFoyle Port.
During theIrish Civil War (1922–1923), Donegal played a strategic role due to its proximity to Northern Ireland, whereanti-Treaty forces often sought refuge and resupplied. The county's rugged landscape, including areas likeDunlewey,[13] provided ideal terrain forguerrilla operations and hiding arms caches. Local communities were divided in their loyalties, with some supporting anti-Treaty forces by offering shelter and supplies, whileFree state forces carried out raids to suppress resistance.[14]
TheBallymanus mine disaster occurred on 10 May 1943 on a beach at Ballymanus, County Donegal, when local villagers attempted to bring ashore an unexplodedmarine mine.[15] Eighteen men and boys between the ages of 13 and 34 were killed in the explosion.[16]
Thepartition of Ireland in the early 1920s severely affected County Donegal.Partition cut the county off, economically and administratively, from Derry, which had acted for centuries as the county's main port, transport hub and financial centre. Derry, together with westTyrone, was henceforward in a new, differentjurisdiction which remained within theUnited Kingdom, officially calledNorthern Ireland. Partition also meant that County Donegal was now almost entirely cut off from the rest of the jurisdiction in which it now found itself, the newdominion called theIrish Free State (later called Ireland from 1937). The county is physically connected to the rest of theRepublic of Ireland by an internal border of only a few kilometres. The existence of a border cutting County Donegal off from its natural hinterlands in Derry City and West Tyrone greatly exacerbated the economic difficulties of the county after partition. The county's economy is particularly susceptible, like that of Derry City, to the currency fluctuations of theeuro againststerling.
Added to all this, in the late 20th century, County Donegal was adversely affected byThe Troubles in Northern Ireland. The county suffered several bombings and assassinations. In June 1987,Constable Samuel McClean, a Donegal man who was a serving member of theRoyal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), was shot dead by theProvisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA) at his family home nearDrumkeen. In May 1991, the prominentSinn Féin politicianCouncillorEddie Fullerton was assassinated by the Provisional IRA's opponent, theUlster Defence Association (UDA), at his home inBuncrana. This added further to the economic and social difficulties of the county, although the greater economic and administrative integration with Northern Ireland following theGood Friday Agreement of April 1998 has been of benefit to the county.
Donegal has been labelled the "forgotten county" by its own politicians, owing to the perception that it is ignored by the government, even in times of crisis.[1]
The appearance of parts of County Donegal's landscape can vary from lush green in the summer to orange-brown in the winter
Located in the northwest corner ofIreland, Donegal is the island's northernmost county. In terms of size and area, it is the largest county in Ulster and the fourth-largest county in all of Ireland. Uniquely, County Donegal shares a small border with only one other county in theRepublic of Ireland –County Leitrim. The vast majority of its land border (93%) is shared with three counties ofNorthern Ireland:County Tyrone,County Londonderry andCounty Fermanagh. This geographic isolation from the rest of the Republic has led to Donegal people maintaining a distinct cultural identity[17] and has been used to market the county with theslogan "Up here it's different".[18] While Lifford is thecounty town,Letterkenny is by far the largest town in the county with a population of just under 20,000. Letterkenny and the nearby city ofDerry form the main economic axis in the northwest of Ireland.[19] Indeed, what became the City of Derry was officially part of County Donegal up until 1610.[12]It is part of theNorthern and Western Region (aNUTS 2 European statistical Region), within which it is part of theBorder strategic planning area.[20]
There are eight historicbaronies in the county.[21] While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they ceased to have any administrative function following theLocal Government Act 1898, and any changes to county boundaries after the mid-19th century are not reflected in their extent. The last boundary change of a barony in Donegal was in 1851 when the barony of Inishowen was divided into Inishowen East and Inishowen West. The barony of Kilmacrennan covers a large portion of northwest Donegal and is the largest in the county. With an area of 312,410 acres (1,264 km2), Kilmacrennan is also the largest barony in Ireland, being roughly equal in size toCounty Monaghan. The smallest barony is Inishowen West, at 77,149 acres (312.21 km2).
Townlands are the smallest officially defined geographical divisions in Ireland. There are 2,787 townlands in Donegal and an additional 47 historic town boundaries. These town boundaries are registered as their own townlands and are much larger than rural townlands. The smallest rural townlands in Donegal are just 1 acre in size, most of which are either lough islands or offshore islets (Corragh Island, Bishop's Island, Juniper Island, O'Donnell's Island, etc.). The largest rural townland in Donegal is 6,053 acres (Tawnawully Mountains). The average size of a townland in the county (excluding towns) is 438 acres.
The county may be informally divided into a number of traditional districts. There are twoGaeltacht districts in the west:The Rosses (Irish:Na Rosa), centred on the town ofDungloe (Irish:An Clochán Liath), andGweedore (Irish:Gaoth Dobhair). Another Gaeltacht district is located in the north-west:Cloughaneely (Irish:Cloich Chionnaola), centred on the town ofFalcarragh (Irish:An Fál Carrach). The most northerly part of the island of Ireland is the location for threepeninsulas:Inishowen,Fanad andRosguill. The main population centre of Inishowen, Ireland's largest peninsula, isBuncrana. In the east of the county lies theFinn Valley (centred onBallybofey) and The Laggan district (not to be confused with theLagan Valley in the south ofCounty Antrim), which is centred on the town ofRaphoe.
Slieve League cliffs, the second tallest in IrelandGlengesh Pass, nearArdara
Donegal is the most mountainous county in Ulster. It consists of two ranges of low mountains, theDerryveagh Mountains in the north and theBlue Stack Mountains in the south, withErrigal at 751 m (2,464 ft) the highest peak, making it the 11th-highestcounty top in Ireland. It has a deeply indented coastline forming naturalsea loughs, of whichLough Swilly andLough Foyle are the most notable. Donegal boasts thelongest mainland coastline of any county in Ireland, and has either the longest or third longest total coastline (including islands), depending on how it is measured. Estimates of the length of the coastline range from less than 1,000 km (621 mi) to 1,235 km (767 mi).[23] The official figure used by Donegal County Council is 1,134 km (705 mi).[24] TheSlieve League cliffs are among the highest sea cliffs in Europe, whileMalin Head is the most northerly point on the island of Ireland.
Two permanently inhabited islands,Arranmore andTory Island, lie off the coast, along with a large number of islands with only transient inhabitants. The 129 km longRiver Erne, Ireland's ninth-longest river, entersDonegal Bay near the town ofBallyshannon. The River Erne, along with other Donegal waterways, has been dammed to producehydroelectric power. A canal linking the Erne to theRiver Shannon was constructed between 1846 and 1860, creating Ireland's longest navigable waterway. The project was plagued with setbacks and closed in 1870, ten years after its completion. A joint effort between the Irish and Northern Irish governments restored the canal in the late 20th century, and theShannon–Erne Waterway reopened in 1994.[25]
Historically, the eastern boundary of the kingdom ofTír Chonaill was demarcated by theRiver Foyle. In the 17th century, an area of land west of the Foyle was transferred to the newly established city of Derry. The Foyle still demarcated a large section of Donegal's eastern border. To the south, the Drowes River forms a 9 km (6 miles) long natural boundary with County Leitrim.
Kinnagoe Bay
Donegal has a population density of 34.2 people per square kilometre, the lowest in Ulster and the fifth lowest in Ireland. The county has an expansive network of wildlife and conservation zones, including 46 European Union designatedSpecial Areas of Conservation (SACs) and 26Special Protection Areas (SPAs), as well as 14Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs), 74 proposed Natural Heritage Areas, 145 Irish Geological Heritage Areas (IGHs) and Ireland's second largest national park,Glenveagh, which extends to over 42,000 acres (170 km2) in northwestern Donegal.[26]
Owing to its scenic landscape and "world-class wilderness", Donegal was namedNational Geographic's "Coolest place on the Planet" in 2017.[27] The county was also ranked the 4th best region in the world byLonely Planet'sBest in Travel series for 2024, which called Donegal "purely wild with a big heart".[28]
The forested area in the county extends to 55,534 ha (137,228 acres), the 4th highest total forest cover in Ireland.[29] Historic deforestation left Donegal devoid of forest cover by 1900. Much of the county's forests are commercial timber plantations which were initially established in the 1930s as a way to create rural employment in areas with poor agricultural land and high rates of emigration.[30] The county contains extensive tracts ofblanket bog which are concentrated in western and upland regions. Blanket bog covers an area of 148,656 ha (367,337 acres), or roughly 30 percent of the entire county.[31]
Donegal has a wide variety of habitats, and over half of Ireland's plant and animal species can be found within the county. Approximately 11.4 per cent of the county is covered in forest, which is about average nationally. Forest cover is not evenly spread across the county and some areas, such asPettigo and aroundLough Derg, are very heavily forested, while more exposed coastal and upland areas are virtually barren. Around 65 per cent of Donegal's forests are publicly owned.
The nativeIrish red deer in Donegal went extinct around 1860 and were re-introduced in the 1890s. Due to interbreeding, most of the deer in the county are now a Sika-Red deer hybrid. The Wild Ireland wildlife park nearBurnfoot showcases some of Donegal's historic animal species that were hunted to extinction, includingbrown bears,lynxes andgray wolves.[36] In 2001, the golden eagle was re-introduced intoGlenveagh National Park and is currently Ireland's only breeding population.[37]
The majority of Donegal has atemperateoceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb), with upland areas in theDerryveagh andBlue Stack ranges classified asoceanic subpolar (Köppen climate classification: Cfc).[40] The county's climate is heavily influenced by theNorth Atlantic Current. Due to the topography of western Donegal, it receivesorographic rainfall, where the air is forced to rise on contact with its mountainous coastline and subsequently cools andcondenses, forming clouds. The mountains of Donegal are among the cloudiest places in Ireland,[41] and northern Donegal is the windiest. Irish monthly record wind speeds for March, June, July, September, November and December have all been set atMalin Head. The highest wind speed ever recorded in Donegal was 181 km/h (112 mph) on 16 September 1961, duringHurricane Debbie.[40]
TheAtlantic Ocean has a significant cooling effect and, due to the county's long, thin shape and punctuated coastline, nowhere in Donegal is particularly far from the ocean, giving it a generally cooler climate that is more similar to western Scotland than the rest of Ireland. The average maximum temperature in July at Malin Head is just 16.8 °C (62 °F).[42] However, due to its exposed coastal location, the climate at Malin Head is not representative of most of the county. Winds are much lighter in the county's interior and temperatures are cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer. Annual rainfall in the county ranges from around 850 mm (33 in) in the lowlands of north-eastern Donegal to over 2,000 mm (79 in) in western mountainous areas.[43] Precipitation exceeding 1 mm (0.04 in) will fall across all areas of Donegal on over 150 days per year.
While the prevailing wind direction in Ireland is south-westerly, which brings warm, moist air from theGulf of Mexico, a low-pressurePolar front regularly passes to the northwest of the island, bringing cold and unsettled weather to the region.[44] The upland areas of Donegal will reliably receive some covering of snow every year. In lowland areas, snow - while still relatively infrequent - is more common than in the rest of Ireland. Despite its coastal location, Malin Head records an average of 20 days of snowfall per year. In contrastValentia Island, a similarly placed coastal station in the southwest of Ireland records just 3.[45]
Donegal can be divided into six main geological subdivisions.[46] Of these, the most expansive sections are theLower Carboniferous limestones and sandstones of south Donegal, theDevonian granite of theDonegal batholith, which extends for about 75 km northeast to southwest fromArdara toFanad Head, and quartzo-feldspathicDalradian rocks from thePrecambrian era, which cover much of the rest of the county. The geology of Donegal is very similar to that ofCounty Mayo, and both counties are located within theGrampianTerrane. The oldest rocks in Ireland are agraniticgneiss found on the island ofInishtrahull, located ca. 10 km (6.2 mi) north-east of Malin Head. They are 1.78 billion years old, making themPaleoproterozoic in age.[47] The oldest rocks on mainland Donegal are a quartzo-feldspathic paragneiss found around Lough Derg, which have been dated to 1.713 billion years ago.[48]
Donegal is the most seismically active part of Ireland. TheLeenan Fault is a largestrike-slip fault that bisects the county from Lough Swilly to Donegal Bay, and dozens of tremors have been recorded along the fault since the late 19th century, although none have been larger than a magnitude 3 on theRichter scale.[49][50]
As the ice sheet thinned, topography became the dominant force driving the direction of ice and meltwater flow.[53] Erosion by glacial meltwater carved out large channels in southern Donegal which directed water and sediment tooutwash fans in Donegal Bay. The area south of Donegal town, where theRiver Eske flows into the bay, is an example of one of these outwash areas. Sea levels in the area began to stabilise around 5,000 years ago, and the balance of erosion and deposition along Donegal's coastline resulted in the development of many sandy beaches andspits interspersed with jagged sea cliffs.[54]
Letterkenny is by far the largest settlement in Donegal, with a population of just over 22,000. It is the largest town in theBorder Region and the21st largest urban area in the Republic of Ireland.
UnderCSO classification, an "Urban Area" is a town with a population greater than 1,500. As of the 2016 Census, Donegal is the most rural / least urbanised county in Ireland, with less than one-third of the population (27.3 per cent) living in urban areas and over 70 per cent in rural areas.
The DonegalGaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) is the second-largest in Ireland. The version of theIrish language spoken in County Donegal isUlster Irish.
Of the Gaeltacht population of 24,744 (16% of the county's total population), 17,132 say they can speak Irish.[62] There are three Irish-speaking parishes:Gweedore,The Rosses andCloughaneely. Other Irish-speaking areas includeGaeltacht an Láir:Glencolmcille,Fintown,Fanad andRosguill, the islands ofArranmore,Tory Island andInishbofin. Gweedore is the largest Irish-speaking parish, with over 5,000 inhabitants. All schools in the region use Irish as the language of instruction.
According to the 2022 Census, the number of people (aged three and over) who stated that they could speak Irish in Donegal was 59,130 (35.4% of the county's total population) compared with 56,738 in 2016.[63] Of these 7,750 said they spoke Irish daily while 4,533 spoke Irish weekly.[63]
Council elections are held every 5 years, with the next election due to be held in June 2029. The2024 Donegal local election had a voter turnout of 54.7%. The highest turnout was at Milford (63.1%) and the lowest was at Letterkenny (51.4%).[65]
Until 2014, there were town councils in Letterkenny,Bundoran, Ballyshannon and Buncrana. The town councils were abolished in June 2014 when provisions of theLocal Government Reform Act 2014 was commenced[66] and their functions were taken over by Donegal County Council.
Donegal voters have a reputation nationally for being "conservative and contrarian", and have often voted against amendments to theIrish constitution which received broad support in the rest of Ireland.[69] Conversely, voters in the county have also supported several referendums which were not enacted. The trend first emerged in 1958, when voters in Donegal overwhelmingly voted to alter theelectoral system fromproportional representation tofirst-past-the-post in a referendum which was defeated nationally.
In 1968, voters in the county backed two separate bills which were also widely rejected nationwide. The first vote was to allow rural constituencies to elect a disproportionate number ofTDs. Thirty-four constituencies voted against the amendment and four voted in favour, two of which wereDonegal North-East andDonegal South-West. In the second vote, both Donegal constituencies again voted for the introduction of afirst-past-the-post system, which was rejected.
The23rd Amendment permitting the State to join theInternational Criminal Court in 2001 received the lowest support in Donegal, with just 55.8% of voters backing the proposal, compared with 64.2% nationally. Donegal is the only county to have voted against theTreaty of Lisbon twice, in 2008 and 2009.[70] Voters in the county also rejected both the Fiscal Treaty and the referendum onchildren's rights and state care in 2012.
On the issue ofabortion andright to life vspro-choice, Donegal has consistently been the most conservative county in Ireland. In 1992, two referendums on the issue were held. The first was an amendment which specified that the State could not limit the freedom of travel of women seeking abortions abroad. The second specified that the distribution of information about abortion services available in other countries was not unlawful. In contrast to the rest of Ireland, Donegal voted decisively against these amendments.
Thetwenty-fifth amendment in 2002 to tighten the ban on abortion in Ireland received the most support in Donegal. Nationally, 50.42% of voters voted against the amendment, whereas 68.8% of voters in Donegal voted in favour of it. In May 2018, Donegal was theonly county in Ireland to vote against the repeal of theEighth Amendment of the Constitution which had acknowledged the right to life of the unborn.[71] In October 2018, 48.5% of voters in Donegal voted againstrepealing the offence of publishing or utteringblasphemous matter, the highest of any county and significantly above the national total of 35.15%.
In the2024 constitutional referendums, Donegal had the highest votes for "no" in the country where 80% voted "no" to family and 84% voted "no" to care.[72]
An extensive rail network used to exist throughout the county and was mainly operated by theCounty Donegal Railways Joint Committee and theLondonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Company (known as the L. & L.S.R. or the Lough Swilly Company for short). All these lines were laid to a 3-foot gauge, while the connecting lines were all laid to the Irish standard gauge of1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in). This meant that all goods had to be transhipped at Derry andStrabane. Like all narrow gauge railways, this became a handicap afterWorld War I, when road transport began to erode the railways' goods traffic.
By 1953, the Lough Swilly had closed its entire railway system and become a bus and road haulage concern. The County Donegal lasted until 1960 as it had largely dieselised its passenger trains by 1951. By the late 1950s, major work was required to upgrade the track, and the Irish Government was unwilling to supply the necessary funds, so 'the Wee Donegal', as it was affectionally known, was closed in 1960. TheGreat Northern Railway (the G.N.R.) also ran a line fromStrabane through The Laggan, a district in the east of the county, along the River Foyle into Derry. However, the railway network within County Donegal was completely closed by 1960.[74] Today, the closest railway station to the county isWaterside Station in the City of Derry, which is operated byNI Railways (N.I.R.). Train services along theBelfast–Derry railway line run, viaColeraine railway station, toBelfast Lanyon Place andBelfast Grand Central stations.
The variant of theIrish language spoken in County Donegal shares many traits withScottish Gaelic. The Irish spoken in the DonegalGaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) is of theUlster dialect, whileInishowen (parts of which only became English-speaking in the early 20th century) used the East Ulster dialect.Ulster Scots is often spoken in both theFinn Valley and The Laggan district of East Donegal. Donegal Irish has a strong influence on learnt Irish across Ulster.
Like other areas on the western seaboard of Ireland, parts of County Donegal have a distinctivefiddle tradition which is of world renown. County Donegal is also well known for its songs which have, like the instrumental music, a distinctive sound. Donegal musical artists such as the bandsClannad,The Pattersons, andAltan and solo artistEnya, 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 singersPaul Brady andPhil Coulter. SingerDaniel O'Donnell has become a popular ambassador for the county.Popular music is also common, the county's most acclaimed rock artist being the Ballyshannon-bornRory Gallagher. Other acts to come out of Donegal include folk-rock bandGoats Don't Shave, Eurovision contestantMickey Joe Harte and indie rock groupThe Revs. In more recent years, bands such as in Their Thousands and Mojo Gogo have featured on the front page ofHot Press magazine.
County Donegal has a long literary tradition in both Irish and English. The Irishnavvy-turned-novelistPatrick MacGill, author of many books about the experiences of Irish migrantitinerant labourers inBritain at around the start of the 20th century, such asThe Rat Pit and the autobiographicalChildren of the Dead End, is from theGlenties area. The MacGill Summer School inGlenties is named in his honour and attracts national interest as a forum for the analysis of current affairs.[76] The novelist and socialist politicianPeadar O'Donnell hailed fromThe Rosses in west Donegal. The poetWilliam Allingham was also from Ballyshannon. Modern exponents include theInishowen playwright and poetFrank McGuinness and the playwrightBrian Friel. Many of Friel's plays are set in the fictional Donegal town ofBallybeg.
County Donegal is known for its textiles, whose unique woollen blends are made of short threads with tiny bits of colour blended in for a heathered effect. Sometimes they are woven in a rustic herringbone format and other times in more of a box weave of varied colours. These weaves are known asdonegal tweeds (with a small 'd') and are world-renowned.
There is a sizeable minority ofUlster Protestants in County Donegal, and most Donegal Protestants trace their ancestors to settlers who arrived during thePlantation of Ulster throughout the 17th century. TheChurch of Ireland is the largest Protestant denomination, withPresbyterianism second. The areas of County Donegal with the highest percentage of Protestants are The Laggan district of East Donegal, centred onRaphoe;[77] theFinn Valley; and areas around Ramelton, Milford and Dunfanaghy – where their proportion reaches up to 30–45 per cent. There is also a large Protestant population between Donegal Town and Ballyshannon in the south of the county. In absolute terms, Letterkenny has the largest number of Protestants (over 1,000).
Glenveagh National Park, the second largest in Ireland
The area's attractions includeGlenveagh National Park (formerly part of the Glenveagh Estate). The park is a 170 km2 (about 42,000 acre) nature reserve with scenery of mountains, raised boglands, lakes and woodlands. At its heart isGlenveagh Castle, a lateVictorian 'folly' that was originally built as a summer residence. TheShuggling Stone, a granite boulder near Glen village, is a picturesque site.[79] County Donegal was voted number one onThe National Geographic Traveller (UK) 'cool list' for 2017.[80]
The DonegalGaeltacht (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 fromNorthern Ireland.[81] Scuba diving is also very popular with a club being located in Donegal Town.
Hurling (often called 'hurley' within County Donegal), handball and rounders are also played but are less widespread, as is the case in other parts of western Ulster. The Donegal county senior hurling team won theLory Meagher Cup in 2011 and theNicky Rackard Cup in 2013.
Narin and Portnoo Golf club, one of the many links courses in the county
There are severalrugby teams in the county. These include Ulster Qualifying League Two sideLetterkenny RFC, whose ground is named afterDave Gallaher, the captain of the 1905 New ZealandAll Blacks touring team, who have since become known asThe Originals. He was born in nearbyRamelton.
Ulster Qualifying League Three sides include Ballyshannon RFC, Donegal Town RFC and Inishowen RFC. Finn Valley RFC and Tir Chonaill RFC both compete in the Ulster Minor League North.
Finn Harps play in theLeague of Ireland and play their home matches at Finn Park in Ballybofey. The club's colours are blue and white, and they go by the nickname "Harps". The club won the FAI Cup in 1973–74 which remains their highest profile achievement to date. They are the county's only League of Ireland club, with the county's other clubs playing in either theUlster Senior League or the local junior leagues.[citation needed]
Bundoran was included, in a 2012 edition ofNational Geographic magazine, in a list of the world's top 20 surf towns
There are a number of golf courses such asBallyliffin Golf Club, located in the Inishowen peninsula. Other courses of note are Murvagh (located outside Donegal Town) and Rosapenna (Sandy Hills) located in Downings (nearCarrigart). The Glashedy Links was previously ranked 6th in a ranking taken by Golf Digest on the best courses in Ireland.[citation needed] The old links were ranked 28th, Murvagh 36th and Sandy Hills 38th.[citation needed]
Cricket is chiefly confined to The Laggan district and the Finn Valley in the east of the county. The town ofRaphoe and the nearby village ofSt Johnston, both in The Laggan, are the traditional strongholds of cricket within the county. The game is mainly played and followed by members of theUlster Protestants of County Donegal.St Johnston Cricket Club play in theNorth West Senior League, while Letterkenny Cricket Club play in the Derry Midweek League.[83]
Athletic pursuits have been highly popular in Donegal over the years with numerous athletes from County Donegal going on to represent Ireland at the international level, with at least five winning medals at major events. Such athletes includeDanny McDaid in the World Cross-Country Championships in 1979, Bridie Lynch who won medals in the World Paralympic Games in 1992 and 1996,[84][85] Gary Murray who came 8th in theEuropean Junior Cross-Country Championship of 1999, andMark English who won medals in the European 800m Championships in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019. Sommer Lecky also achieved silver in theWorld Junior High Jump 2018. Other notable athletes from Donegal includePaul Dolan,Caitriona Jennings andBrendan Boyce each of whom has represented Ireland at the international level.
^Renamed "County Tirconaill" in 1922 by a resolution of the County Council. ('Place Name Confusion – Donegal or Tirconaill',The Irish Times, 24 April 1924). After historians and Gaelic scholars pointed out that the historic territory of Tirconaill did not include the whole county, the name County Donegal was re-adopted in 1927 ('Back to "Donegal"',The Irish Times, 22 November 1927).
^"Census 2013". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Government of the United Kingdom. 27 September 2010. Archived fromthe original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved9 July 2013.
^Lee, J. J. (1981). "On the accuracy of thePre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. (eds.).Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
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Tom Ferris,The Great Northern Railway: An Irish Railway Pictorial. Midland Publishing, 2003.
Samuel Lewis,Counties Londonderry & Donegal: A Topographical Dictionary. Friar's Bush Press, Belfast, 2004 (originally published as part ofA Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by S. Lewis & Co., London, 1837).
Jonathan Bardon,A History of Ulster.Blackstaff Press, Belfast, 2005.
John McCavitt,The Flight of the Earls. Gill & Macmillan, Dublin 2005.
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