Landscape – proof Donegal is the best county in Ireland As a result of famine and emigration, the population had reduced by 41,000 by 1851 and further reduced by 18,000 by 1861. The existence of a border cutting Donegal off from her natural hinterlands in Derry City and West Tyrone greatly exacerbated the economic difficulties of the county after partition. County Donegal was the home of the once mighty Clann Dálaigh, whose best known branch were the Clann Ó Domhnaill, better known in English as the O'Donnell dynasty. Other courses of note are Murvagh (located outside Donegal Town) and Rosapenna (Sandy Hills) located in Downings (near Carrigart). The Glashedy Links has been ranked 6th in a recent ranking taken by Golf Digest on the best courses in Ireland. Still, its beaches are perfect for a leisurely stroll. Ulster Scots is often spoken in both the Finn Valley and The Laggan district of East Donegal. Many Donegal students also attend the Limavady Campus of the North West Regional College (popularly known as Limavady Tech) and the Omagh College of Further Education of South West College (popularly known as Omagh Tech or Omagh College). These weaves are known as donegal tweeds (with a small 'd') and are world renowned. [citation needed] The park is a 140 km² (about 35,000 acre) nature reserve with scenery of mountains, raised boglands, lakes and woodlands. Sometimes they are woven in a rustic herringbone format and other times in more of a box weave of varied colours. The population was 159,192 at the 2016 census. Donegal, one of Ireland’s thirty-two counties, is the most northerly part of the Republic of Ireland, but it is not the most northerly part of Northern Ireland (ruled by Britain). Records of flowering plants include Dactylorhiza purpurella (Stephenson and Stephenson) Soó. Time and infrastructure has stood still in this, the least commercialized part of Ireland. It has a deeply indented coastline forming natural sea loughs, of which both Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle are the most notable. The version of the Irish language spoken in County Donegal is Ulster Irish. image caption Thousands of people cross between Northern Ireland and Donegal daily. What became the City of Derry was officially part of County Donegal up until 1610.[11]. [18] As of 2016[update], the county's population was 159,192.[2]. A woman from Mauritius gave birth in Donegal when she couldn't return home during the lockdown. On 24 April 2011, Donegal added their third national title when they defeated Laois to capture the National Football League Division Two, they added another Division Two title in 2019. R0000576. County Donegal has a long literary tradition in both Irish and English. Donegal County Council is the local council and Lifford the county town. Any Star Wars fans will want to make it a point to visit Donegal as they shot part of The Last Jedi in Malin Head, the most northern point of the Ireland island. [9] While Lifford is the county town, Letterkenny is by far the largest town in the county with a population of just under 20,000. A survey of the macroscopic marine algae of County Donegal was published in 2003. Telephone area codes: Northern Ireland: 028 (from Great Britain) 048 (from Republic of Ireland) +44-28 (from rest of world) Donegal: +353-74 Cavan and Monaghan: +353-4x Patron Saints: Finnian of Moville and Columba a. Unfortunately all these lines were laid to a 3-foot gauge where the connecting lines were all laid to the Irish standard gauge of 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in). County Donegal (/ˌdʌnɪˈɡɔːl, ˌdɒn-, ˈdʌnɪɡɔːl, ˈdɒn-/ DUN-ig-AWL, DON-, -⁠awl; Irish: Contae Dhún na nGall)[6] is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster. The poet William Allingham was also from Ballyshannon. [2], In terms of size and area, it is the largest county in Ulster and the fourth-largest county in all of Ireland. 7 Reasons Why You Should Visit Donegal Star Wars Filmed There. It was the centre of O'Doherty's Rebellion of 1608 with the key Battle of Kilmacrennan taking place there. The Irish spoken in the Donegal Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) is of the Ulster dialect, while Inishowen (parts of which only became English-speaking in the early 20th century) used the East Ulster dialect. Cricket is chiefly confined to The Laggan district and the Finn Valley in the east of the county. This added further to the economic and social difficulties of the county. And economically, it neither benefited nor had the social drawbacks of the now deceased Celtic Tiger. Exclusive: Bitcoin transfer eyed in Capitol riot, Witherspoon 'heartbroken' over 'Election' co-star's death, 'Saved by the Bell' star reveals cancer diagnosis, This may be a bad time to buy a Mega Millions ticket, Democratic megadonor: 'Stop giving Trump a platform’, 'Mona Lisa of sports cards' sells for record amount, Texas megachurch pastor sent to prison for fraud scheme, Hailey Bieber opens up about toll of online trolls, Online extremists are ignoring Trump's call for calm, MLB owners donated to pro-QAnon Rep. Boebert, Poll: Majority favors barring Trump from office. [28] There are three Irish-speaking parishes: Gweedore, The Rosses and Cloughaneely. [21], The animals included in the county include the European badger (Meles meles L.). 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