| Dungloe An Clochán Liath |
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| Location | ||
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| Irish grid reference B766115 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Ulster | |
| County: | County Donegal | |
| Dáil Éireann: | Donegal South West | |
| Dialling code: | 074, +000 353 74 | |
| Elevation: | 137 m | |
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Population (2006) |
1,068 | |
| Website: dungloe.net/ | ||
Dungloe (official name: An Clochán Liath, meaning the grey stepping stone)[1] is a town in the Gaeltacht of County Donegal, Ireland, and is the main town in the Rosses. Dungloe developed as a town in the middle of the 18th Century, and now serves as the administrative and retail centre for the west of Donegal, and in particular the Rosses, with the only mainland secondary school for the area.
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Name
There is a river at the bottom of the town and years ago the only crossing was over a grey granite slab lying in the riverbed, hence the Irish name of the town, An Clochán Liath, or in English, The Grey Stepping Stone. The bridge was built in 1762.
On 18th century maps (e.g. Taylor & Skinner 1776), Dungloe is written as Cloghanlea. The name Dungloe came into common English usage in the later years of the 18th Century when the monthly fair, formerly held at Dún an Gleó five miles north of the nascent town, was transferred to An Clochán Liath. In time the name of the fair and that of the town were subsumed. Dungloe is in the Parish of Templecrone. The early cartographers, notably the marine cartographers of the mid 19th Century, confused the issue by spelling the name of the town as Dunglow. This mistake is often still seen, even on signage of Donegal County Council. It was also the English name used in the Placename Order, which made An Clochán Liath the only official name for the town.[1]
Language
Dungloe is officially in the Gaeltacht, and its only officially recognised name is the Irish version, An Clochán Liath. This means that the Irish version is the only one to be seen on Donegal County Council signage. However, the English version is more often seen on unofficial signage. Despite falling under the Gaeltacht region, there are few native Irish speakers in Dungloe, and English is the everyday language of the locals. Nevertheless, there are small Irish-speaking pockets outside the town.
Administration
Dungloe is home to the Dungloe District Court, which covers the south-west area of County Donegal. There are a number of banks, a Garda station, and a credit union located on the main street. Also, there are pubs, convenience stores, supermarkets, cafes, restaurants and two hotels. The town is the current headquarters of the Rosses' indigenous supermarket chain, The Cope.
Tourism
The town attracts many tourists every August when the Mary From Dungloe International Festival takes place. It was founded in the 1960s and it has been frequented by many special guests over the years including Daniel O’Donnell, Cliff Richard, Gay Byrne and Sharon Shannon. The picturesque Dungloe Bay and surrounding hills have proved very popular with visitors and have enabled Dungloe to sustain a healthy tourism industry. There is also a festival dedicated to the socialist writer Peadar O'Donnell in Dungloe each autumn. A little to the north of the town is the site of the ancient church of Templecrone.
Transport
The town is serviced by two private bus companies, which provide a link to national Bus Éireann routes through Donegal Town, while Lough Swilly Bus provides services to the north of the county, including Letterkenny, and to Derry. In 1903, the town was linked , through Dungloe railway station, to the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway. However, the station was closed on 3 June 1940 as part of a process that saw the closure of all railways in the county.[2] Dungloe's station was located four miles outside the town, and was known as Dungloe Road or Lough Meela station. The company that once operated the railways continues to play a part in the transport infrastructure in the county, and runs the Lough Swilly Bus service.
Popular Culture
The Town is mentioned in Fox Broadcasting Company series Sons of Anarchy as the source of the motorcycle clubs weapons from the True IRA, a fictional representation of the Real IRA.
People
- Pat "the Cope" Gallagher, politician
- Peadar O'Donnell, republican Marxist
See also
References
- ^ a b Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004
- ^ "Dungloe station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-09-05.
Coordinates: 54°57′N 8°22′W / 54.95°N 8.367°W
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