County Donegal



County Donegal (: Contae Dhún na nGall) is a in the northwest of. It is one of three counties in the province of that does not form part of. The name "Donegal" comes from the Irish, meaning "the fort of the foreigners". The county was named after the former administrative centre of. When first created, it was sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel (: Tír Chonaill), after the earldom it succeeded. Calling the whole county is technically incorrect as the  peninsula (: Inis Eoghain) was historically distinct from Tír Chonaill.

Uniquely, Donegal only shares a border with one county in the, in north. The rest of its land border is shared with the (the Northern Irish counties of,  and ). 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 Up here it's different. Despite being the  (and there also being a  town), the largest town is.

Geography
The county consists chiefly of low mountains, with a deeply indented coastline forming natural s, of which is the most notable. The famous mountains or Hills of Donegal consist of two major ranges, the in the north and the  in the south, with  at 749 metres the highest peak. The cliffs are the second highest sea cliffs in, while Donegal's  is the most northerly point on the island of Ireland.

The climate is temperate and dominated by the, with cool damp summers and mild wet winters. Two permanently inhabited islands, and  lie off the coast, along with a large number of islands with only transient inhabitants. Ireland's second longest river, the, enters near the town of. The river Erne, along with other Donegal waterways, has been dammed to produce power.

An extensive rail network used to exist through out the county and was operated by the and the. Even though the railways in Donegal are fondly remembered, the network was completely closed by 1960. The county is served by.

Culture and heritage
The variant of the spoken in Donegal is distinctive, and shares traits with. The Irish spoken in the Donegal (Irish speaking area) is of the West, while , which became -speaking in the early 20th century, used the East Ulster dialect. is still spoken to a degree in the Laggan district 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.

Like other areas of western Ireland, Donegal has a distinctive 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 and  and solo artist, all from , 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. is also common, the county's most famous rock artist being the born.

Donegal has a long literary tradition in both and. The famous Irish -turned novelist, author of many books about the experiences of Irish migrant labourers in  at around the turn of the 20th century, such as  and the autobiographical , is from the  area. There is a literary summer school in Glenties named in his honour. The Republican and novelist hails from  in west Donegal.

Modern exponents include the playwright and poet  and the playwright. Many of Friel's plays are set in the fictional Donegal town of.

Authors in Donegal have been creating works, like the, in and  since the. In modern Donegal has produced famous, and sometimes controversial, authors such as the brothers  and  from  and the contemporary Irish-language poet  from, and where he is known to locals as Gúrú na gcnoc ("the guru of the hills").

In addition to its Gaelic culture, Donegal has also had a significant Protestant presence, being the most Protestant county in the Republic of Ireland - a community with many links and similiaries to their Northern Ireland correligionists and whose history dates to Scottish and English settlement during the 17th century plantation of Ulster. . With its complex mix of cultures, Donegal could be seen as a microcosm for the Island of Ireland as a whole.

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.

Politics
Donegal County Council has responsibility for local administration, running alongside Town Councils in, , and. Both the County Council and Town Councils have elections every five years (alongside local elections nationally, and elections to the ), the last of which took place on the. Twenty nine councillors are elected using the system of, across five electoral areas (, , , , and ). Donegal County Council's main offices are located in the County House in, but regional offices are located in , Milford, , and.

For general (national) elections, the county is divided into two constituencies, and, with both having three representatives in. For elections to the, the county is part of the constituency (formerly ).

Sport
The sport of  is popular in Donegal, as is soccer —. is not such a big sport in the North-West of Ireland. Donegal's Gaelic football team have won the All-Ireland title once (in 1992), and in 2007 Donegal won only their second national title by winning the national football league, but the hurling team has never managed a title. There are 16 senior GAA Clubs in county Donegal.

Football
Finn Harps play in the but are not currently (2007) in the Premier League alongside their arch-rivals Derry City. No other Donegal teams have achieved the status of Finn Harps, but football teams abound across the county.

Donegal's rugged landscape lends itself to active sports like, , and kite-flying. Many people travel to Donegal for the superb 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 to boulder challenges of excellent quality in the west and in the  Peninsula.

Surfing on Donegal's Atlantic coast is considered to be as good as any in Ireland and up there in the world ratings.

Tourism
With its sandy beaches, unspoilt boglands and friendly communities Co.Donegal is a favoured destination for many travellers, Irish and foreign alike. One of the county treasures is  National Park. The park is a 140 km² nature reserve with spectacular scenery of mountains, raised boglands, lakes and woodlands.

The Donegal Gaeltacht also attract young people to 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.

Towns in Donegal

 * (also spelled 'Laghy'), ,
 * (also spelled 'Laghy'), ,
 * (also spelled 'Laghy'), ,
 * (also spelled 'Laghy'), ,
 * (also spelled 'Laghy'), ,
 * (also spelled 'Laghy'), ,
 * (also spelled 'Laghy'), ,

Flora and Fauna
The marine macroalgae of County Donegal, Ireland. ''Bull. Ir. Soc.'' No. 27: 3–164.

Trivia
County Donegal was the birthplace of Elizabeth Catherine Ball, the mother of.