Donegal Town

Donegal Town is situated on the Eske River at the point where it flows into Donegal Bay. The entire Donegal Bay Area is beautifully wild, featuring rocky shorelines with magnificent views and lovely beach and dune areas that fade back into acres of unspoiled woodland.

The Irish name for Donegal Town is Dun na nGall, which means Fort of the Foreigners. The Vikings set up a base camp here in the ninth century, from which they ventured forth to pillage and loot the surrounding area.

The ruling clan of Donegal, the O’Donnells, drove the Vikings away and took the town, making it the capital of their large Ulster land holdings. They named the town Tyrconail.

Donegal Town was redesigned and reconstructed during the Plantation period, when large numbers of settlers arrived from England and Scotland. The town centre was created according to the Diamond design, which originated at this time in Irish history and became the common form for building new villages. The city centre was at the middle of the diamond-shaped green, with all important streets radiating outward.

Today, Donegal Town is the largest village in the northwest of Ireland, with a population of about 3,000. Always known as the center of a thriving wool trade, this trend continues and is made visible by the many local craftspeople and the articles they create and sell.

Tourism thrives here, with golf and shopping among the favorite activities. A trip to Donegal Craft Village gives visitors the opportunity to watch as crafts items are created and purchase the hand woven clothing, pottery and ceramics available for sale.