Donegal

:For other uses, see Donegal (disambiguation)

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Donegal (D?n na nGall in Irish) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Despite being its namesake - Donegal town is not the county town (capital) of County Donegal, that being the town of Lifford while Letterkenny is the largest town. The town itself is famous for being the former home to the O'Donnell clan, who played a pivotal role in Irish History. From the 15th to the 17th century, they provided the main opposition to the colonisation of Ireland by England. The town itself contains a castle and the remains of a franciscan abbey which date back to the 15th century.

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The story itself was the inspiration behind many books and films, not least, Disney's 'The Prince of Donegal'. The town is very popular during the Summer months, and is a gateway to the southern part of County Donegal. It is situated at the mouth of Donegal bay and is overshadowed by a range of mountains called the Bluestacks. The town has been bypassed by the N15 and N56 roads. Donegal is a busy town with many hotels catering for visitors although it suffers from a lack of social amenities for its local population. Many have to travel to nearby towns such as Ballyshannon or Letterkenny for facilities like public swimming pools, cinemas and large shopping centres. In 2005 it was announced that the town's largest employer, the U.S company Hospira, were closing down with the loss of 560 jobs. This was a huge blow to the town and it is estimated that it will cost the local economy 30m Euro.

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The town is home to its very own Donegal Democrat newspaper http://www.donegaldemocrat.com and The Donegal Times newspaper http://www.donegaltimes.com

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:See also: List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

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Irish: Irish may refer to:...

County Donegal: :For other uses, see Donegal (disambiguation)...

Ireland: :This page is about the island of Ireland. For the political territories on the island, see Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the History section below....

Donegal related Images and Photos (experimental)

Donegal	Donegal Bay	Teeling Pier Co: Donegal	Lighthouse at Fanad Head Donegal Peninsula Co. Donegal Ireland
Tory Island County Donegal Ulster Eire (Republic of Ireland)