| Killybegs Na Cealla Beaga |
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| Location | ||
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| Irish grid reference G711767 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Ulster | |
| County: | County Donegal | |
| Dáil Éireann: | Donegal South West | |
| European Parliament: | North–West | |
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Population (2006) |
1,280 | |
Killybegs (Na Cealla Beaga in Irish) is an important harbour town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. It is located on the coast of the county, north of Donegal bay, near Donegal Town. The Killybegs fishing port is the most productive in Ireland, and over 60 boats may be in the harbour at any given time. It is well known as a famous fishing town throughout Ireland. In the summer, there is a street festival celebrating the fish catches and incorporating the traditional "Blessing of the Boats". Population in 2006: 1,280.[1]
Contents |
History
In 1588, Killybegs was the last port of call for the Spanish vessel La Girona, which had dropped anchor in the harbour when the Spanish Armada arrived in Ireland during Spain's war with England. With the assistance of an Irish chieftain, MacSweeney Bannagh, the Girona's rudder was repaired and she set sail for Scotland, but was wrecked off the Antrim coast with the loss of nearly 1,300 lives.[2]
Fishing industry
Killybegs is a natural deepwater harbour with a minimum of 12 meters of water at all times at a new €50 million pier completed in 2004. The harbour is home to many of the largest Irish-registered fishing trawlers, but it handles many other types of shipping as well. These include passenger cruise liners and mixed specialist cargoes, such as parts and containers for the oil industry and parts for windmills.
The harbour is important to the Irish bulk fishing industry, as it specialises in the processing and freezing of pelagic species such as mackerel and herring in bulk, and sending the finished frozen fish out to markets in Africa, the Middle East and Europe by ocean-going cargo ships. However, due to stricter enforcement of EU fishing regulations, starting in 2005, there has been a significant downturn in the fishing industry in the town. The EU have imposed strict quotas on the amounts of fish that can be landed and both the EU and the Irish government have also investigated irregularities in the reporting of fish catches by local processors as well as the fishing boats themselves. This has led to redundancies in the fish processing industry, in which the fish factory workers have been the hardest hit.
Pollution has become such a problem in recent years that the smell known as "The Stench", caused by the limitless effluent expelled by the fish processing factories, can be smelled as far away as Sligo. The recent development of the Fisheries Harbour Centre includes a development of a new fish meal rendering plant, which, in its new position closer to the mouth of the harbour, may extend the odor with surrounding communities, including the Blue Flag beach at Fintragh and the numerous fish farms in McSwines and Inver Bays.
Education
The area has always been well provided for. The first school, The Commons National School, opened during the reign of King James I[3] and a national school was established in 1838.
Today the town is home to the Tourism College Killybegs, the only dedicated tourism institute in Ireland, offering courses in hospitality and culinary skills. The college has been academically integrated with Letterkenny Institute of Technology since 2001.
Water sport
Killybegs is a great area beside the sea and is brilliant for water sports like surfing, canoeing, windsurfing, diving, kite-surfing and also water skiing. A new dive centre just opened last year and diving is available over 16s but for 12 and over swimming pool diving is available. At the dive centre there is a professional dive shop and the centre is a fully certified PADI centre and is fully professional. St Johns Point is also a great place for diving and snorkeling.
Donegal Carpets
Killybegs is famous for its tapestries and carpets, some of which were produced on the biggest carpet loom in the world at the "Donegal Carpet Factory". The carpets, known as Donegals, are hand-knotted in the Turkish style. The carpets have adorned many important buildings in Ireland such as Dublin Castle, the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Áras an Uachtaráin and internationally the Vatican, The White House, 10 Downing Street, the international space station and Buckingham Palace amongst others. The factory in Killbegs had been closed for many years but was reopened in 1999 by a local petition to the Irish Government.
References
- ^ Census 2006
- ^ "La Girona". Annual Report of the Advisory Committee on Historic Wrecks, 2005. Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites. pp. 35 pp.. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/ACHWS_annual_report_2005.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ^ Bygones-New horizons on the history of Killybegs Killybegs: Aghyeevoge (1989) ISBN 0732331085
See also
External links
- Official Tourism website
- Killybegs Online
- Donegal Carpets
- Tourism College Killybegs
- Tullycullion House B&B
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