Dungloe

Dungloe An Clochán Liath
—  Town  —
Dungloe Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 54°57′07″N 8°21′29″W / 54.952°N 8.358°W / 54.952; -8.358Coordinates: 54°57′07″N 8°21′29″W / 54.952°N 8.358°W / 54.952; -8.358
Country	Ireland
Province	Ulster
County	County Donegal
Dáil Éireann	Donegal South West
EU Parliament	North–West
Elevation	16 m (52 ft)
Population (2006)[1]
– Total	1,068
Dialing code	074, +000 353 74
Irish Grid Reference	B766115
Website	dungloe.info

Dungloe (Irish: An Clochán Liath)^[2] is a Gaeltacht town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the main town in the Rosses and the largest in the Donegal Gaeltacht.^[3] 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.

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, which means the grey stepping-stone.^[3] The bridge was built in 1762.

Dungloe Courthouse.

The name an Clochán Liath was formerly anglicised as Cloghanlea.^[3] The name Dungloe or Dunglow is believed to come from the Irish Dún gCloiche.^[3] This name came into common English usage in the later years of the 18th century when the monthly fair, formerly held at Dún gCloiche (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. Today, an Clochán Liath is the only officially recognised name of the town.^[2]

Language

Despite being within the Gaeltacht region, there are few native Irish speakers in Dungloe, and English is the everyday language of the locals.^[4] Nevertheless, there are small Irish-speaking pockets outside the town.^[4]

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,and restaurants. The town is the current headquarters of the Rosses' indigenous supermarket chain, The Cope.

Tourism

Dungloe Main Street.

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.

Dungloe Roman Catholic Church.

Transport

The town is serviced by a number of private bus companies, which provide a link to national Bus Éireann routes through Donegal Town, and to the north of the county and 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.^[5]

Popular culture

Dungloe is mentioned in Fox Broadcasting Company series Sons of Anarchy as the source of the motorcycle club's weapons from the True IRA, a fictional representation of the Real IRA.

People

• Alexander Campbell, American businessman
• Goats Don't Shave, Irish folk group
• Paddy "the Cope" Gallagher, businessman
• Pat the Cope Gallagher, MEP
• Peadar O'Donnell, republican Marxist*

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. ^ "Census 2006 – Volume 1 – Population Classified by Area" (PDF). Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. April 2007. http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/census2006_volume_1_pop_classified_by_area.pdf. Retrieved 2011-06-19. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Placenames Database of Ireland
4. ^ ^{a b} Dungloe / An Clochán Liath on www.dun-na-ngall.com
5. ^ "Dungloe station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-05.