Letterkenny
Letterkenny (Leitir Ceanainn in Irish) is the largest town in County Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland, located on the River Swilly, approximately 56 kilometres north of Donegal Town and 32 kilometres west of Derry in Northern Ireland. Its name is an anglicisation of the Irish language name, which, translated, means "The Hillside of the O'Cannons".
Letterkenny had a population of 17,723 (including rural area) at the 2006 census. Despite its size, it is not the administrative centre of Donegal, which is Lifford.
Some prominent buildings in Letterkenny include St. Eunan's Cathedral, St. Eunan's College, the Workhouse (now functioning as the town's museum), and St. Conal's Psychiatric Hospital. Letterkenny Institute of Technology is a higher education institution established in the town since 1971. The town also boasts not only the longest main street in Ireland, but also in the world.[1]
History
Letterkenny began as a market town in the 17th century (thus starting before the Great Famine) and was the first crossing point of the River Swilly. In the recent past the population of Letterkenny consisted of cattle and sheep grazing on what were then untilled hillside in those very early days when Conwall was the ecclesiastical and seaport centre (2 miles west of Letterkenny). The waters of the Atlantic had not yet reached from the basin of the Swilly whose estuary at that time extended up almost as far as New Mills - proof of this may be found in those alluvial flat-lands between Oldtown and Port Road.
Letterkenny takes its name from the Irish "Leitirceanainn" – meaning the "Hillside of the O'Cannons" – the O'Cannons being the last of the ancient chieftains of Tir Conaill. Another derivation of the name Letterkenny from the Irish "Leitir Ceann-Fhoinn" could possibly be the "Fairheaded Hillside".
Although the O'Cannons were the last chieftains of Tir Conaill no evidence of forts or castles belonging to the clan exists in or around the Letterkenny district.
Rory O'Cannon, the last chieftain of the O'Cannon clan was killed in 1248. Godfrey O'Donnell succeeded Rory O'Cannon as King of Tir Conaill. He stood six feet in height, and was famed throughout the land for his shock of red hair. He engaged Maurice Fitzgerald, the Norman Lord, in battle at Credan in North Sligo in 1257 in which both received finally fatal wounds. Godfrey retired to a crannog in Lough Beag (Garten Lake). O'Neill of Tyrone taking advantage of Godfrey's fatal illness demanded submission, hostages and pledges from the Cenél Conaill since they had no strong chieftain since the wounding of Godfrey. Godfrey summoned his forces and led them himself although he had to be carried on a litter (stretcher). O'Neill and his men were completely defeated here by the Swilly 1258. Godfrey died after the battle as he was being carried down Letterkenny Main Street. He was buried in Conwall Cemetery. A cross-shaped coffin slab marks his grave to this day.
The receding of the waters of the Atlantic eastwards enabled progress - the building of bridges etc., and the town of Letterkenny as we know it today took place. It all began in the wake of the Ulster Plantation 1610-'11 when 1000 acres were granted to a Scotsman Patrick Crawford who then formed a compact community presumably made up of his own friends.
But the honour of formally launching the town is supposed to go to Sir George Marbury, famed for his shock of red hair and bright red beard, who married Patrick Crawford's widow, - Crawford having died suddenly while on a return visit to his native Scotland. Initially there were about fifty drab habitations possibly sited where the Oldtown is situated today - perhaps that's how the area got it's name as it is the oldest part of the town.
The main streets as we know them today with their traffic congestion, were then no more than pony tracks used by the hill farmers to come to the markets - these were started by Patrick Crawford with only a few animals - a far cry from the busy mart days of the present.
Letterkenny achieved town status in the early 1920s following the partition of Ireland, when the Irish punt replaced the British Pound Sterling as the national currency of Ireland. This led to many Irish banks that had been previously located in the closest city, Derry (now in Northern Ireland), being forced to open branches in Co. Donegal, including in Letterkenny.
"Fastest growing town in Europe?"
It has been and continues to be referred to as the fastest growing town in Europe; however this has never been substantiated. Information from the Central Statistics Office in Ireland and the EU Statistical Office, EuroStat, going as far back as 1977 make no mention of Letterkenny in their reports on the fastest growing towns or cities within either Europe or Ireland. It has been and continues to be referred to as the fastest growing town in Europe; however this has been proven to be false. This is not to say that the town has not experienced rapid expansion in recent years. Between 1996 and 2002 the population of the town and its environs has risen from 11,996 to 15,231. This increase by 27.0% has made Letterkenny is one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland, outside the Dublin commuter belt.[1]
Climate
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average daily maximum temperature (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 14 | |
| Average daily minimum temperature (°C) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 7 | |
| Mean total rainfall (cm) | 9.85 | 9.79 | 6.06 | 7.74 | 6.66 | 6.99 | 7.13 | 6.83 | 8.06 | 12.68 | 9.55 | 9.86 | 52.95 | |
| Source: | ||||||||||||||
Politics
Town Council
Services such as waste disposal/recycling, maintenance of town parks, provision of social housing and traffic management are the remit of a nine member town council, elected by the town's electorate every four years. The make-up of the current town council following the last election was one Fine Gael, four Fianna Fáil, one Green Party, one Sinn Féin, one Independent Fianna Fáil and one Independent.
There has been significant political change in Letterkenny Town Council's composition since the last elections in 2004. Fine Gael lost its only seat when Jimmy Harte resigned from them to join the Independents and Independent Fianna Fáil amalgamated with Fianna Fáil as of 26 July 2006.
Elected Members of Dáil Éireann
Letterkenny is part of the Donegal North East constituency of Dáil Éireann. There are three TDs (Teachtaí Dáil) in this constituency, with two, Jim McDaid of Fianna Fáil and Joe McHugh of Fine Gael, living in Letterkenny town environs. The other Dáil Éireann representative is Niall Blaney of Fianna Fáil, from Milford, an area about eight miles to the north of Letterkenny.
Architecture
Letterkenny in general boasts some good quality architecture, capable of rivalling that of many of Ireland’s towns and cities. Many of the town's most famous buildings were built in the early or even earlier than the 1900s.
These include educational and ecclesiastical buildings. The town’s tallest building is St. Eunan's Cathedral, a neo-gothic Roman Catholic cathedral on the northside of the River Swilly which, alongside the nearby Parochial House, was built in 1901 in victorian style. Also within distance is the Loreto Convent which was built over 150 years ago.
Another dominant building in the town is the historic St. Eunan's College which was built as a seminary in 1906, using the money left over after the building of the Cathedral and the Parochial House. The college is a three-storey picturesque castle with four round towers at each corner of the building. The school is named after the Abbot of Iona St. Eunan, a native of Donegal and patron saint of the Diocese of Raphoe. It is an all-male education facility which today houses over 850 students.
Another attractive piece of architecture can be found at Mount Southwell Terrace. This Georgian terrace of red brick was built in 1837 by Lord Southwell. Located at the top of Market Square, just off Castle Street, the terrace contains all five of the best examples of Georgian houses to be found in Letterkenny.
The Donegal County Museum is housed in the old workhouse and is located on the High Road. It was built in 1843. Each year the museum attracts thousands of tourists, who seek to find out about the history of County Donegal, to the town.
Letterkenny has continued with its trend for inspiring original and unusual architecture in recent years. Some of the structures to have blossomed are listed below.
The new Letterkenny Town Council Offices, known locally as "The Grasshouse", were designed by Donegal-based Antoin MacGabhann Architects, though the inspiration clearly came from elsewhere; Tarla MacGabhann spent five years working in Berlin with Daniel Libeskind, the diminutive king of Deconstruction, on such projects as the Jewish Museum. Standing at the edge of Letterkenny, it is arguably the most unusual building to be erected in the county for many years. Its most notable feature is its distinct sloping grass roof situated above a broad band of aluka matt cladding although it is also noticeable for its runway-like ramp to the first-floor concourse.
Culture
During the Plantation of Ulster, Queen Elizabeth I confiscated the lands around Ulster. The land was divided into estates and rented cheaply to natives of England and Scotland. This was known as the Ulster plantation. The effect of this, and other plantations, was the introduction of new English and Scottish farming methods, with more crop-growing and less cattle farming than before. Despite having a long tradition of emigration that continued up until the early 1990s, Letterkenny has gained cultural diversity over many years, with people immigrating from all over the world, particularly from Poland, Romania, Latvia and various African nations. This is reflected in the recent growth of multi-cultural restaurants and shops, including Chinese, Indian and Thai restaurants, and Italian pizzerias, as well as specialised shops run by and providing goods for Africans, Asians, South Americans, and eastern Europeans.
Arts and entertainment
Pubs and Clubs
Letterkenny's cultural life is vibrant - the town is a popular nightlife location and attracts many revellers, especially at the weekends. Main Street, originally the retail centre of the town, has become a centre for popular night clubs, such as Voodoo and Milan as well as pubs such as The Casbah and The Cavern [2]. The Pulse may be found on Port Road and is popular with younger teenagers and older students whilst newly reopened The Grill is also a popular nightspot.
Film and theatre
There is a large cinema complex in the town. Located on Canal Lane, Century Cinemas [3] is an eight-screen cinema with full carparking facilities. An Grianán Theatre[4], the largest theatre in County Donegal with a seating capacity of 383. It has one of the largest stages in the country. The Letterkenny Arts Centre provides a constant throughput of new blood. Recent additions to the arts infrastructure include modern additions to Letterkenny Library and Arts Centre and the Cristeph Gallery. The new Letterkenny Arts Centre, located behind An Grianán Theatre, is due to open shortly.
Festivals
The town proved it had the capacity to host major festivals by recently playing host to the annual Irish traditional music festival, the Fleadh Cheoil for two consecutive years. Both festivals were organised by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, and its chairman, Paddy Tunney. The town has also hosted the international Pan Celtic Festival for two consecutive years (2006 and 2007). Celts from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man, Brittany and Cornwall visited Letterkenny for the "craic agus ceoil". Along with the daily street performances on Market Square, An Grianán Theatre and The Courtyard Shopping Centre, song, fiddle, harp and dance contests also featured.
Media
Letterkenny can receive all national radio stations, television stations and cable and satellite services. The area can also receive many British stations. The local radio station is Highland Radio which broadcasts from the town to most of north County Donegal. It began broadcasting in 1990.
The main regional newspaper in the town and county is the Donegal Democrat, whose offices also prints two other titles every week - the Donegal People’s Press on Tuesday and also Donegal on Sunday. The three papers are printed at the company's print works in the heart of the town. The Donegal News is distributed on a Friday, as well as having a Monday edition, while the Tirconaill Tribune, printed in the town, is distributed throughout the county.
The town also produces two free-sheet newspapers, the Letterkenny People, which prints on a Monday, and the Letterkenny Post [5], which prints on a Thursday night for Friday circulation.
Economy
Retail
The retail trade in Letterkenny is developing quickly with a mix of both modern, state of the art shopping centres and family owned local shops providing unique and often hand-made crafts. Department Stores can cater for all budgets, with expensive boutiques for one end of the market with many high street stores also available. It is the north-west regions major shopping centre and helps to serve outlying areas including rural County Donegal and County Londonderry. The town has three main shopping malls; The Courtyard Shopping Centre, The Forte Shopping Centre and The Letterkenny Shopping Centre, the latter being the oldest. These centres, as well as local-run businesses, feature numerous international, UK-wide and Ireland-wide chains such as:
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Previously, Main Street served as the main shopping area in the town but most trade has now shifted further afield expanding the town in the process. Newer shopping areas in the town include the Letterkenny Retail Park on Pearse Street and Canal Lane as well as the new Forte Shopping Complex. Smaller streets such as Church Street and Castle Street have grown in recent years with businesses such as bakeries, pharmacies and fashion outlets having sprung up. Market Square has also been improved considerably, attracting fresh business. Port Road and Main Street have now become more renowned for being social outlets with an array of pubs and night clubs springing up in recent years. A "car boot sale" is held on Saturday mornings in the grounds of the Community Centre on Pearse Street, selling various items of interest. Paddy Delap, a retailer with a business on Main Street organises an annual charity cycling event in aid of cancer. There are two Four Lanterns outlets in the town.
Industry
The town's major employers include the General Hospital (which grew from St. Conal's Psychiatric hospital), Pramerica, and the Department of Social and Family Affairs. Letterkenny is at the centre of industry in the north west of Ireland. Eircom and Pacificare are significant employers in the region. Boston Scientific is another large employer in the town. As the main commercial centre of north Donegal, Letterkenny also has a host of financial service institutions, legal firms and small businesses. There has been a significant decline in the manufacturing base, however employment has grown in the service sector. Since 2002 there has been a significant expansion in the retail sector. Allied to this growth has been the development of the cultural infrastructure. This includes the opening of An Grianan Theatre and the development of a new arts centre.
Letterkenny is also the home of the well-known and internationally acclaimed confectionery manufacturers Oatfield. It is based at the entrance to Ballyraine Road in the town's hinterland.
Its proximity to the border with Northern Ireland, along with its geographic isolation from the rest of the Republic of Ireland, has led to Letterkenny (and indeed, the rest of Co. Donegal) diverging in attitude substantially from that of either side of the border. The economy in the town is strongly dependent on cross-border trade, and times of economic boom are determined mostly by the currency exchange rate between the Euro and the British Pound.
Education
Letterkenny is an important centre of education in the North West of Ireland. The Letterkenny Institute of Technology [6] (LYIT), which is situated east of the town centre on the Port Road, is a renowned centre for engineering, information technology, materials science, design, business and nursing humanities. The institute has a student populatiion of 2,453.
St. Eunan's College is the major secondary education centre situated just north-west of the town centre. It was built in 1906.
Primary and secondary education in the town is organised similarly to the rest of Ireland. There are 37 primary schools[7] in Letterkenny, including Scoil Colmcille, while there are 5 secondary schools.[8].
Coláiste Ailigh is one of the "gaelscoileanna" in Letterkenny. It is a secondary school specifically designed for education through the Irish language. It was opened in 2000.
The Loreto Convent Secondary School, adjacent to St. Eunan's Cathedral, is over 150 years old.
Sport
- See also: List of Letterkenny people- Sports
Gaelic football, rugby and soccer are the most popular sports in the town, but many other minority sports are practiced also, such as hurling, boxing, karate, kick-boxing, handball, bowling, golf, swimming and gymnastics.
Gaelic games
There are two Gaelic Athletic Association clubs in Letterkenny, St. Eunan's and Letterkenny Gaels who play their home games at O' Donnell Park and The Glebe, respectively. Almost uniquely in Ireland, the rugby club and Gaelic club Letterkenny Gaels, share facilities. Gaelic football, like most of County Donegal, is the predominant sport, although soccer is also very popular.
Rugby
Rugby is also popular in the town, being played at various levels, from school to senior league level. Letterkenny RFC, which was founded in 1973, is the major rugby club in the town. It has recently forged links with New Zealand rugby fraternities due to the fact the first All-Black captain, Dave Gallaher was born in Ramelton, a village eight miles from Letterkenny. The club's rugby ground in Letterkenny was named The Dave Gallaher Memorial Park in his honour in November 2005 by a visiting contingent of All-Black players, led by captain Tana Umaga.
Football
Letterkenny Rovers F.C. are one of the most well-known soccer clubs in the town. The team play their home games at Leckview Park, at Canal Street, in the town. Bonagee United F.C. are another local team and play their home games at Dry Arch Park. There are a number of schoolboy soccer clubs within the town's environs and an annual league is played at Under 12, Under 14 and Under 16 age groups.
Other sports
Letterkenny Golf Club is located just outside the town centre. There are also pitch and putt and tennis facilities in the town. Letterkenny Sports Complex, a state of the art leisure centre, is located on the edge of the town. Letterkenny Athletic Club is also located in the town. The town also hosts the Donegal International Rally in June every year and the Donegal Harvest Rally every October.
Transport
Air
The nearest airport is City of Derry Airport about 30 miles away. There are daily flights to London (Stansted), Dublin, Glasgow, Liverpool and Nottingham (East Midlands).
Donegal Airport is also less than an hour away. Aer Arann provide two flights daily from Donegal Airport to Dublin and flights daily to Glasgow (Prestwick).
Rail
- See also: History of Irish rail.
The town was, in times past, connected with the once extensive narrow gauge rail network of County Donegal. This provided connections to Derry (and through there to Dublin and Belfast), to Lifford and Strabane, to Gweedore and Burtonport, and to Carndonagh, north of Derry. The rail system was built in the late 19th century, with the last extensions opening in the 1900s. Some of these lines were never profitable, built using British government subsidies, described as an attempt to kill the Home Rule movement "with kindness". Only a couple of decades later, political events resulted in rail companies operating across two jurisdictions where there had previously been one. This had devastating effects on an already fragile economic situation, resulting eventually in the final closure of all parts of the rail system in the area by 1960.
Road
Letterkenny is well served by road transport. Bus Éireann operates a number of bus services from its bus depot to Dublin, Derry and Galway a number of times each day. Many private coach companies have daily services to and from the town. The Lough Swilly Bus company operates a local transport service in cooperation with Bus Éireann. Currently, access from Dublin is improving with motorway status roads being constructed along the route, allowing cars to complete the Dublin-Letterkenny journey in about 3hours 30mins. Galway is 4 hours away by car while Belfast is 2 hours. Taxi services are available from a rank on Main St. at The Market Square. Two national primary roads serve the town: the N13 from the South (Stranorlar) and the N14 from the West (Lifford).
Youth facilities
The Loft LK (Learning Opportunities For Teens) Letterkenny is located on Port Road on a site previously occupied by the old cinema. Since opening in April 2006 it has offered the chance for young teenagers to meet in a safe supervised environment. Coffee, tea and snacks may also be purchased. As well as this, the LOFT offers music, computer games, satellite TV, spacious comfortable sofas and a pool table And is a great place to be used as a meeting point to be used by young people. A raised platform can be converted into a stage for instruments and other equipment during Band Nights which are hosted regularly. The LOFT plays host to many other social events such as a Film Club and offers courses in Media Studies, Health, Peer Leadership, Writing Club, Arts and Crafts, Sign Language, teambuilding, photography and Personal Development. The primary focus of the LOFT is personal development, a place where young people can be themselves.
YIC The YIC or Youth Information Centre is located in the same building as the LOFT. It offers computers and broadband facilities as well as information that may of interest to young people.
LYT Letterkenny Youth Theatre is run in association with An Grianán Theatre and usually meets on Fridays. It offers the chance for young people to gain valuable experience in areas such as acting skills and stage management. It has run a number of small one-off productions in the past, in Letterkenny and also outside the town. It recently ran a production on Monday April 23 and Tuesday April 24 2007 in An Grianán.
Twin cities
Under the National Spatial Strategy, Letterkenny is twinned with one city:
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It is the only town in Ireland designated gateway status and twinned with a Northern city.
Poland was joined with Letterkenny when ten new countries joined the European Union in 2004. [9]
Trivia
- A plaque in Lower Main Street serves as a reminder of the corn markets which used to regularly occur there many years previously. [10]
- Grey squirrels arrived in Ireland in 1911, and today have spread as far north as Letterkenny.[2]
- Letterkenny hosted the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann for two consecutive years, in 2005 and 2006.
- Letterkenny has the longest street in Ireland
Footnotes
- ^ Longest Main Street In Ireland
- ^ Ear to the Ground, RTÉ One, February 15, 2007
See also
- Public art in Letterkenny
- List of Letterkenny People
- Battle of Farsetmore
- Battle of Scarrifholis
- List of venues for All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (Letterkenny 2005 & 2006)
- List of Donegal people
- List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
External links
- Letterkenny Town Council
- Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Letterkenny Guide
- Letterkenny Online
- Map of Letterkenny
- Letterkenny Institute of Technology
- Letterkenny Music & Drama
- Letterkenny Directory 1910
- Letterkenny Community Centre
- Aerial Photo of Letterkenny
| Districts |
Streets: Church Lane · Fortwell · Justice Walsh Lower Main · Market Square (Mount Southwell) · Rosemount Lane · Speer's Lane · Upper Main |  |
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| Landmarks | ||
| Culture | ||
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| Sport | ||
| Economy | ||
| Retail | ||