Donegal

Donegal (Dun-nan-Gal, 'the fort of the stranger'), a seaport in the south of Donegal county, at the mouth of the Eske, on a shallow creek of Donegal Bay (a valuable fishing-ground, especially for herrings), 157 miles NW. of Dublin. It lies in a rich alluvial tract, surrounded on three sides by hills, behind which rise lofty picturesque mountains. Pop. (1851) 1580; (1891) 1323. Donegal exports corn and butter. A railway connects the town with Stranorlar, thence to the city and port of Londonderry. On the river is Donegal Castle, formerly belonging to the O'Donnells of Tyrconnel. The remains extant are those of the castle as rebuilt in 1601, on the former foundations, by Sir Basil Brooke. On the shore are the ruins of a Franciscan monastery, founded in 1474 by Hugh O'Donnell. Here was compiled the Annals of the Four Masters (q.v.). Near Donegal is a frequented sulphureo-chalybeate spa.