Until around 1600, the O'Donnells were one of Ireland's richest and most powerful native Irish ruling families. What Pennsylvania state route is Abington Hospital located along ? This tour is written for joining special tour leaders/guides, subject to availability. The Gaelic Athletic Association (G.A.A.) It has been labelled the 'forgotten county' by its own politicians, owing to the perception that it is ignored by the Government of Ireland, even in times of crisis.[26][27]. The leaked report included, accurately, the Boundary Commission recommendation that parts of east Donegal would be transferred to Northern Ireland. St Johnston Cricket Club play in the North West Senior League, while Letterkenny Cricket Club play in the Derry Midweek League.[38]. In the east of the county lies the Finn Valley (centred on Ballybofey) and The Laggan district (not to be confused with the Lagan Valley in the south of County Antrim), which is centred on the town of Raphoe. Vast swathes of the county were devastated by this catastrophe, many areas becoming permanently depopulated. The modern County Donegal was shired[25] by order of the English Crown in 1585. Donegal's rugged landscape and coastline lends itself to active sports like climbing, mountain biking, hillwalking, surfing and kite-flying. Many of Friel's plays are set in the fictional Donegal town of Ballybeg. Singer Daniel O'Donnell has become a popular ambassador for the county. Only 1 in every 25 Northern Irish Catholics would have been placed under Free State rule. Uniquely, County Donegal shares a small border with only one other county in the Republic of Ireland – County Leitrim. For the town, see, The O'Donnell County, The Forgotten County, Location in Ireland, indicated in darker green. Sometimes they are woven in a rustic herringbone format and other times in more of a box weave of varied colours. By the time of the 1951 Census the population was only 44% of what it had been in 1841. 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. The county suffered several bombings and assassinations. [31] 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.). Harps' main rivals are Derry City F.C., with whom they contest Ireland's North-West Derby. However, the greater economic and administrative integration following the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998 has been of benefit to the county. or the Lough Swilly Company for short). Northern Ireland was set as the maximum extent of significant unionist populations in the north. The town of Raphoe and the nearby village of St Johnston, both in The Laggan, are the traditional strongholds of cricket within the county. The county is the most mountainous in Ulster consisting chiefly of two ranges of low mountains; the Derryveagh Mountains in the north and the Blue Stack Mountains in the south, with Errigal at 749 metres (2,457 ft) the highest peak. The Glashedy Links has been ranked 6th in a recent ranking taken by Golf Digest on the best courses in Ireland. [10] Indeed, what became the City of Derry was officially part of County Donegal up until 1610.[11]. St. Another Gaeltacht district is located in the north-west: Cloughaneely (Irish: Cloich Chionnaola), centred on the town of Falcarragh (Irish: An Fál Carrach). Derry and west Tyrone, and Donegal, are in … Two permanently inhabited islands, Arranmore and Tory Island, lie off the coast, along with a large number of islands with only transient inhabitants. Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal had a larger Catholic population, and so they stayed as part of the rest of Ireland. THE decision not to allow inter-county travel until one week before Christmas has been cited as one of the main reasons why many hotels in Donegal will remain temporarily closed for the remainder of this year. The Freedom of Donegal is an award that is given to people who have been recognised for outstanding achievements on behalf of the people and County Donegal. Full control over the new County Donegall was only achieved after the Flight of the Earls in September 1607. I mean geographically of course, was there a referendum on voting wether they wanted to be with the Irish Free State or Northern Ireland There are two Gaeltacht districts in the west: The Rosses (Irish: Na Rosa), centred on the town of Dungloe (Irish: An Clochán Liath), and Gweedore (Irish: Gaoth Dobhair). The version of the Irish language spoken in County Donegal is Ulster Irish. Donegal was not part of the treaty, and hence never joined. Vacations in County Donegal - Why Ireland County Donegal, the most northern Irish county boasts spectacular surroundings, with 200 miles of rugged shoreline, stunning mountains and sandy beaches. Hey if it’s good enough for Star Wars, it’s good enough for us. This geographic isolation from the rest of the Republic has led to Donegal people maintaining a distinct cultural identity[8] and has been used to market the county with the slogan "Up here it's different". Bundoran, like several destinations in Donegal, saw an influx from many counties as well as Northern Ireland this summer. 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. Get the latest Northern Irish news from BBC Northern Ireland: breaking news, analysis, features and debate plus audio and video coverage on topical issues from around Northern Ireland. [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. In absolute terms, Letterkenny has the largest number of Protestants (over 1000) and is the most Presbyterian town (among those settlements with more than 3000 people) in the Republic of Ireland. The game is mainly played and followed by members of the Ulster Protestants of Co. Donegal. ), Queen's University Belfast ('Queen's'), and NUI Galway. in the playoff final. Ulster Qualifying League Three sides include Ballyshannon RFC, Donegal Town RFC and Inishowen RFC. [2], In terms of size and area, it is the largest county in Ulster and the fourth-largest county in all of Ireland. Which country is better and why? Like all narrow gauge railways this became a major handicap after World War 1 when road transport began to seriously erode the railways goods traffic. The Old links was ranked 28th, Murvagh 36th and Sandy Hills 38th. This added further to the economic and social difficulties of the county. Why Ireland has no Trees According to the academic Dr. Richard O’Hanlon the causes behind Ireland’s deforestation are numerous, intertwining and historic . 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. He was thought of as the original freethinker by George Berkeley. [citation needed]. Parks, H.M. 1958. Donegal's inter-county football team have won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title twice (in 1992 and 2012) and the Ulster Senior Football Championship ten times. 7 Reasons Why You Should Visit Donegal Star Wars Filmed There. Anyways short answer: Donegal was excluded from Northern Ireland as it’s population was 78% Catholic, it’s inclusion in Northern Ireland thus would have posed an issue for Unionist domination of Stormont in the long run. The Church of Ireland is the largest Protestant denomination with Presbyterianism in second. The Donegal Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking district) also attracts young people to County Donegal each year during the school summer holidays. Here in Donegal, you’ll find the Slieve League cliffs, nearly three times the height of the Cliffs of Moher, and some of Europe’s highest sea cliffs (they are 609m (1,998 feet in height)! Authors in County Donegal have been creating works, like the Annals of the Four Masters, in Irish and Latin since the Early Middle Ages. Donegal Sinn Féin T.D’s, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Pearse Doherty, have said that the situation at Letterkenny University Hospital over the weekend, which saw patients being treated in ambulances should not have been allowed to occur. Donegal is on the northern coast, but is one of the three counties of Ulster which is not part of Northern Ireland. 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). Donegal is usually cold, wet, and windy throughout the year. Jim MacLaughlin and Seán Beattie (Editors). For several centuries the O'Donnells ruled Tír Chonaill, a Gaelic kingdom in West Ulster that covered almost all of modern County Donegal. In 2009 the members of the 28th Infantry Battalion of the Irish Defence Forces were also awarded the Freedom of the County from Donegal County Council "in recognition of their longstanding service to the County of Donegal". Parks, H.M. 1958. The Irish philosopher John Toland was born in Inishowen in 1670. We will have a real problem in Donegal if those levels of restrictions are relaxed because the incidence in Northern Ireland will not drop and we will get the spillover effect," he warned. Within Ulster, only the Uí Néill (known in English as the O'Neill Clan) of modern County Tyrone were more powerful. Higher education within the county is provided by Letterkenny Institute of Technology (L.Y.I.T. Cricket is chiefly confined to The Laggan district and the Finn Valley in the east of the county. The variant of the Irish language spoken in County Donegal shares many traits with Scottish Gaelic. Based at Donegal Castle in Dún na nGall (modern Donegal), the O'Donnell Kings of Tír Chonaill were traditionally inaugurated at Doon Rock near Kilmacrennan. 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. 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. 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). In June 1987, Constable Samuel McClean, a Donegal man who was a serving member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, was shot dead by the Provisional Irish Republican Army at his family home near Drumkeen. Registered in Northern Ireland, No. The Great Northern Railway (the G.N.R.) ... Northern Ireland. People from Donegal have also contributed to culture elsewhere. 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, 92 km (57 mi) from Derry City and 127 km (79 mi) from Letterkenny. At various times in its history, it has been known as County Tirconaill, County Tirconnell or County Tyrconnell (Irish: Tír Chonaill). Continue Reading. Ireland's second longest river, the Erne, enters Donegal Bay near the town of Ballyshannon. ; popularly known locally as 'the Regional'), established in the 1970s in Letterkenny. What became the City of Derry was officially part of County Donegal up until 1610.[11]. Willie Cumming, Duncan McLaren and T.J. O'Meara, 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, List of monastic houses in County Donegal, List of National Monuments in County Donegal, List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland, List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Donegal), Donegal County (Parliament of Ireland constituency), "County Donegal – Welcome To Ireland – History of Ireland", "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: County Donegal", Government of Ireland – Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, "Donegal Town Website Donegal Town (Dún na nGall), Donegal", "Derry and Donegal Sinn Féin Councillors join forces to push North West tourism", "Server Error 404 – CSO – Central Statistics Office", "A collection of British Historical Population Reports", "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850", "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements An Bun Beag-Doirí Beaga", "Crex Crex Corncrake, Priority Species Northern Ireland", "County Donegal 'wiped off crisis HQ maps' – BelfastTelegraph.co.uk", Donegal ‘disappears’ from crisis response maps, http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/pdf/2014/en.act.2014.0001.pdf, "Even Donegal voted YES in the marriage referendum", "Closure of the 'Derry Road' a great loss to Ireland – Derry Journal", Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, "Donegal Gaelic football and hurling Clubs", "Howzat! Only a few miles of the county is physically connected by land to the rest of the Republic. The division of the island of Ireland into two separate regions – Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland – took place on the 3rd of May, 1921. 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. Donegal musical artists such as the bands Clannad, The Pattersons, and Altan and solo artist Enya, have had international success with traditional or traditional flavoured music. R0000576. 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. [22], There are habitats for the rare corn crake (Crex crex) in the county.[23]. The poet William Allingham was also from Ballyshannon. Experts tell Sky News "it's not looking good" - with just one of the seven northern bottlenose whales still alive. 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. There are eight historic baronies in the county: The county may be informally divided into a number of traditional districts. The most northerly part of the island of Ireland is the location for three peninsulas: Inishowen, Fanad and Rosguill. [28] There are three Irish-speaking parishes: Gweedore, The Rosses and Cloughaneely. What Delaware state roads pass near where Joe Biden lives . For the purpose of elections the county is divided into 5 Municipal Districts comprising the following local electoral areas: Donegal (6), Glenties (6), Inishowen (9), Letterkenny (10) and Stranorlar (6). [18] As of 2016[update], the county's population was 159,192.[2]. Other courses of note are Murvagh (located outside Donegal Town) and Rosapenna (Sandy Hills) located in Downings (near Carrigart). The Irish navvy-turned-novelist Patrick MacGill, author of many books about the experiences of Irish migrant itinerant labourers in Britain at around the start of the 20th century, such as The Rat Pit and the autobiographical Children of the Dead End, is from the Glenties area. At its heart is Glenveagh Castle, a late Victorian 'folly' that was originally built as a summer residence. Toland was also instrumental in the spread of freemasonry throughout Continental Europe. County Donegal is known for its textiles, whose unique woolen blends are made of short threads with tiny bits of colour blended in for a heathered effect. In more recent years, bands such as in Their Thousands and Mojo Gogo have featured on the front page of Hot Press magazine. Morton, O. The most northerly county in this so-called British-occupied Ireland is Antrim, while Rathlin Island is almost as far north as Malin Head, in Donegal. These include Ulster Qualifying League Two side Letterkenny RFC, whose ground is named after Dave Gallaher, the captain of the 1905 New Zealand All Blacks touring team, who have since become known as The Originals. Train services along the Belfast–Derry railway line run, via Coleraine railway station, to Belfast Central and Belfast Great Victoria Street railway stations. image caption Thousands of people cross between Northern Ireland and Donegal daily. This isolated idyll took the glory from our more northerly neighbors recently by welcoming the Aurora Borealis (Northern … Australia or Canada? When you think of “cliffs” and “Ireland,” you typically think of the Cliffs of Moher. The population was 159,192 at the 2016 census. because the vast majority of people in donegal were catholic nationalists, it would have been more trouble than it was worth for the unionists. also ran a line from Strabane through The Laggan, a district in the east of the county, along the River Foyle into Derry. The former was used as its official name during 1922–1927. How many counties are there in the United States total,? This meant that all goods had to be transhipped at Derry and Strabane. New Letterkenny Cricket Club Joins North West League", National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Census 2006 – Irish language stats for the county, Donegal County.com & Dún-na-nGall.com Bi-lingual County Site, On an Irish Jaunting Car through Donegal and Connemara (1902), Category:Mountains and hills of County Donegal, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=County_Donegal&oldid=994245780, Local administrative units of the Republic of Ireland, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox settlement with possible nickname list, Pages using infobox settlement with possible motto list, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2016, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2013, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. In addition, many young people from the county attend third-level institutions elsewhere in Ireland, especially in Derry and also at the Ulster University at Coleraine (U.U.C. 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 new dominion called the Irish Free State, which in April 1949 became the Republic of Ireland. An article on the study stated that "The researchers were also able to analyse the county of Donegal in more detail than before, revealing it as the most genetically isolated region of Ireland observed to date. Up Next, Huge Alabama crowds ignore Covid to celebrate win. In 2007, Donegal won only their second national title by winning the National Football League. A general survey of the marine algae of Mulroy Bay, Co. Donegal: II. Donegal was voted number one on The National Geographic Traveller (UK) 'cool list' for 2017,[35] and the area's attractions include Glenveagh National Park (formerly part of the Glenveagh Estate), the only official national park anywhere in the Province of Ulster. 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. 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 vast majority of its land border is shared with three counties of Northern Ireland: County Londonderry, County Tyrone and County Fermanagh. Thirty seven councillors are elected using the system of proportional representation-single transferable vote (STV). One of the terms of the treaty was the surrender of all the counties in Ulster that had a Protestant majority, as well as Derry and I think Fermanagh (but it may have been Tyrone instead, I can never remember the second county). The MacGill Summer School in Glenties is named in his honour, and attracts national interest as a forum for the analysis of current affairs. The main population centre of Inishowen, Ireland's largest peninsula, is Buncrana. Gweedore is the largest Irish-speaking parish, with over 5,000 inhabitants. However, the railway network within County Donegal was completely closed by 1960. In May 1991, the prominent Sinn Féin politician Councillor Eddie Fullerton was assassinated by the Ulster Defence Association at his home in Buncrana. By 1953 the Lough Swilly had closed its entire railway system and become a bus and road haulage concern. 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. Get your answers by asking now. And economically, it neither benefited nor had the social drawbacks of the now deceased Celtic Tiger. Hurling (often called 'hurley' within County Donegal), handball and rounders are also played but are less widespread, as in other parts of western Ulster. An extensive rail network used to exist throughout the county and was mainly operated by the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee and the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Company (known as the L. & L.S.R. Finn Harps are Donegal's only League of Ireland club, with the county's other clubs playing in either the Ulster Senior League or the local junior leagues. Donegal music has also influenced people not originally from the county including folk and pop singers Paul Brady and Phil Coulter. I mean geographically of course, was there a referendum on voting wether they wanted to be with the Irish Free State or Northern Ireland, Co. Donegal: 3 Sinn Féin, 1 Nationalist, 0 Unionist, These were the results in the 1918 General Election, Donegal East*: Nationalist = 61.1% share of votes Unionist = 38.6% Turnout = 77.6%, Donegal North: Sinn Féin = 69.5% share Nationalist = 30.5% Turnout = 57.5%, Donegal South: Sinn Féin = 54.9% share Nationalist = 45.1% Turnout = 62.4%, Donegal West: Sinn Féin = 62% share Nationalist = 38% Turnout = 56.1%, Total Sinn Féin vote = 19,502 (44.5% of votes cast). [citation needed] The park is a 140 km² (about 35,000 acre) nature reserve with scenery of mountains, raised boglands, lakes and woodlands. Of the Gaeltacht population of 24,744 (16% of the county's total population), 17,132 say they can speak Irish. This is from the recent study on Scotland. This isolation shows little evidence of the migrations that have impacted the rest of Ulster." County Donegal was one of the worst affected parts of Ulster during the Great Famine of the late 1840s in Ireland. For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy 14 March 1865. Willie Nolan, Máiread Dunleavy and Liam Ronayne (Editors). The Donegal county senior hurling team won the Lory Meagher Cup in 2011 and the Nicky Rackard Cup in 2013. The county was one of those 'planted' during the Plantation of Ulster from around 1610 onwards. [24] This is in reference to both the old túath of Tír Chonaill and the earldom that succeeded it. The O'Donnells were Ulster's second most powerful clan or ruling-family from the early 13th century through to the start of the 17th century. It is named after the town of Donegal (Dún na nGall, meaning 'fort of the foreigners'[7]) in the south of the county. From missing out on All Ireland glory with Donegal to Ulster club success at last, why Kevin Cassidy's story is one worth hearing Declan Bogue Added to all this, in the late 20th century County Donegal was adversely affected by The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Donegal is part of the historic province of Ulster but it was not made part of Northern Ireland in 1921 because of its high Catholic population. The BBC has reported that fishermen in the north-west are saying that Post-Brexit restrictions on where Northern Ireland boats can land their catch in the Republic of Ireland have "created a hard border on the island",. The county's economy is particularly susceptible, just like that of Derry City, to the currency fluctuations of the Euro against sterling. Finn Harps play in the League of Ireland and won promotion to the Premier Division in 2015 following a 2–1 aggregate win over Limerick F.C. John Crowley, William J. Smyth and Mike Murphy (Editors). Like other areas on the western seaboard of Ireland, Donegal has a distinctive fiddle tradition which is of world renown. [citation needed]. If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Donegal Live editorial team any time. Y ou’re sitting in the dark on a quiet beach on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal and then it happens... the night sky comes alive with rolling waves of pink, green and blue. These weaves are known as donegal tweeds (with a small 'd') and are world renowned. Landscape – proof Donegal is the best county in Ireland In the Republic of Ireland, 326 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, including 22 new cases in Donegal. Its pretty clear what their desires were. A general survey of the marine algae of Mulroy Bay, Co. Donegal. There is also a large Protestant population between Donegal Town and Ballyshannon in the south of the county. There are 16 clubs in the Donegal Senior Football Championship, with many others playing at a lower level.[37]. [34] Francis Makemie (originally from Ramelton) founded the Presbyterian Church in America. Nuff said. 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. ), Ulster University at Jordanstown (U.U.J. 18%). A survey of the macroscopic marine algae of County Donegal was published in 2003. One of the constituent colleges of NUI Galway, Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, is based in Gweedore. This would have resulted in a 4 county Northern Ireland with an even lower proportion of Catholics (20–30%). Catriona J. McKenzie, Eileen M. Murphy and Colm J. Donnelly (Editors), This page was last edited on 14 December 2020, at 19:46. This is in reference to both the old túath of Tír Chonaill and the earldom that succeeded it. 1:34. Deputy Mac Lochlainn said: “We recognise the unprecedented public health emergency that has emerged due to Covid-19 and […] Letterkenny and the nearby city of Derry form the main economic axis of the northwest of Ireland. They retained their status in the Premier Division in the 2016 season. ^ The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency for 2011 combined with the preliminary results of Census of Ireland 2011 for Ulster (part of). Plus the Unionists in the 6 counties didn't want Donegal included as it would tip the balance towards the Nationalist cause. The Donegal Gaeltacht has traditionally been a very popular destination each summer for young people from Northern Ireland. There is a sizeable minority of Ulster Protestants in County Donegal and many Donegal Protestants trace their ancestors to settlers who arrived during the Plantation of Ulster throughout the 17th century. Donegal County Council is the local council and Lifford the county town. At various times in its history, it has been known as County Tirconaill, County Tirconnell or County Tyrconnell (Irish: Tír Chonaill). [36] Scuba diving is also very popular with a club being located in Donegal Town. Time and infrastructure has stood still in this, the least commercialized part of Ireland. Records of flowering plants include Dactylorhiza purpurella (Stephenson and Stephenson) Soó. According to the 1841 Census, County Donegal had a population of 296,000 people. Donegal emerged victorious from the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final on 23 September 2012 to take the Sam Maguire Cup for only the second time, with early goals from Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden setting up victory of 2–11 to 0–13 over Mayo. The Slieve League cliffs are the sixth-highest sea cliffs in Europe, while Malin Head is the most northerly point on the island of Ireland. There are a number of golf courses such as Ballyliffin Golf Club, located in the Inishowen peninsula. Vast numbers of County Donegal's people emigrated at this time, chiefly through Foyle Port. It was the centre of O'Doherty's Rebellion of 1608 with the key Battle of Kilmacrennan taking place there. The Boundary Commission's recommendations would have shortened the border by 51 miles (approx. Donegal: Fears for dying whale as rest of pod suffocate on Irish beach. For general elections, the county-wide constituency elects five representatives to Dáil Éireann. People often refer to Donegal as “the forgotten county.” The most northerly county on the island, it’s not in Northern Ireland. Take the Inishowen Peninsula . 2003. To see this amazing natural phenomenon, you need three things: the right solar conditions, clear skies to the north and no light pollution. 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). Renamed "County Tirconaill" 1922 by resolution of the county council.(. The Partition of Ireland in the early 1920s had a massive direct impact on County 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).