Why Is Donegal Not In Northern Ireland?

Contents

1 Why is County Donegal not in Northern Ireland?
- - 1.0.1 Is Donegal part of Northern Ireland?
- 1.1 Why is Donegal the forgotten county?
  - 1.1.1 Is Donegal in Éire or Northern Ireland?
  - 1.1.2 Is Donegal under British rule?
2 Is Donegal Celtic Catholic or Protestant?
3 Do Northern Irish consider themselves Irish?
4 What is the ethnicity in Donegal?
- 4.1 Are there Protestants in Donegal?
5 Did Vikings land in Donegal?
- 5.1 Do they speak English in Donegal Ireland?
6 What does Donegal mean in Irish?
7 Are Celtic fans Scottish or Irish?
8 Do any Catholics play for Northern Ireland?
- - 8.0.1 Is Donegal in Ireland or Ulster?
- 8.1 Why did people leave Donegal?
9 Why did Ireland give up the 6 counties?
- - 9.0.1 Is Donegal Irish or Scottish?

Why is County Donegal not in Northern Ireland?

Why was Donegal not included in Northern Ireland? – Back in 1922 when Northern Ireland became its own country, a decision was made to keep County Donegal part of the Republic of Ireland and not let it join the creation of Northern Ireland. Why? Well, let me try to explain. The 9 counties of the Ulster Province were divided into 2 parts (6 went to Northern Ireland and 3 stayed with what was called the “Irish Free State).

This action took place because a large percentage of people living in those original 9 counties were Catholic, and Northern Ireland was a unionist government.
So, by removing the 3 counties of Donegal, Cavan, and Monaghan, this percentage dropped rather significantly and the Unionist government of Northern Ireland felt it was the right decision when forming their region.

Today, Ireland natives living in County Donegal will talk about how their counties were “robbed” by the U.K.

Is Donegal part of Northern Ireland?

Located in the far north western corner of Ireland, County Donegal is rugged and remote even by Irish standards, giving Donegal a sense of unspoilt character. The Irish Dun na nGall means fort of the foreigner a term with its roots in the settlement of the land by Scottish Celts.

In its landscape also, Donegal is perhaps more akin to parts of the Scottish Highlands than the rest of Ireland.
The county is criss-crossed with rugged mountains, blanket bogland and inland waterways, while Donegal’s coastline, the longest in Ireland, boasts jagged coastlines, broad sandy beaches and some of Ireland’s most important fisheries.

One of three Ulster counties that aren’t in Northern Ireland territory, Donegal’s isolation is compounded as much by the political geography as it is cut off from most of the Republic by county Fermanagh, sharing only a slim border with a fellow Republican county at Leitrim,

Donegal is Ireland’s second largest county after Cork and where Cork has Ireland’s most southerly point, Donegal has its most northerly at Malin Head on the rugged Inishowen Peninsula. Donegal’s other key geological feature are the Slieve League Cliffs, which are the tallest seas cliffs in Europe. The Irish language spoken in this part of Ireland is distinctively different to that in the rest of the country with a heavy leaning towards Scots Gaelic in some parts, particularly in north western coastal regions and the islands.

Tory Island is distinct to the rest of Ireland in that it is ruled by a king, elected by its inhabitants. Donegal has produced some famous Irish entertainers including crooner Daniel O’Donnell, Enya, Clannad, and also was home to Saint Colmcille. Throughout Donegal, there are some of Eorope’s finest Links Golf Courses, including the world renowned Ballylifin Golf Club, host of the 2008 Irish Seniors Open.

Why is Donegal the forgotten county?

1. It’s nicknamed Ireland’s Forgotten County – First off on this list of facts about Donegal is it’s nickname, Ireland’s Forgotten County. So, where is County Donegal? Isolated physically, culturally and even politically, Donegal is the large county at Ireland’s northwestern corner. Donegal is home to many pristine, secret beaches No bother – this means that County Donegal has largely been left to its own devices, making it an apt place to experience Irish traditions, hear the Irish language, or explore the untouched bogs and mountains of the region!

Is Donegal in Éire or Northern Ireland?

NB. Please note that all travel is subject to COVID-19 Travel Restrictions – County Donegal is one of the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland. It’s a border County, bounded on the southwest, west and north by the Atlantic Ocean and on the east by Counties Tyrone, Derry, Fermanagh and Leitrim. Photo: Map of County Donegal (click on the map to download the file) Donegal is home to Ireland’s most northerly point at Malin Head, one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe at Sliabh Liag and a wealth of sandy beaches such as Magherawarden, Rossnowlagh, Trawbrega, White Strand, Narin, Marble Hill, Downings, Carrickfinn and Magheroarty naming just a few. Many beaches have Blue Flag status, Photo: Five Fingers Strand, Inishowen, Co. Donegal Two major sea Loughs can be enjoyed in Donegal; Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle. It also has one of the longest coastlines of not only the Wild Atlantic Way, but also of any county on the island of Ireland.

Is Donegal under British rule?

Although Donegal is in the geographic province of Ulster it is one of three Ulster counties to be retained under the jurisdiction of the Irish Government after 1922.

Is Donegal Celtic Catholic or Protestant?

The population of Donegal as a whole is 85 per cent Catholic ; while Protestant denominations make up less than 10 per cent. As such, their identity is multifaceted: ‘We’re Ulstermen,’ says Roulston.

Do they speak Irish in Donegal?

Irish language – Road signs in Irish in the Gweedore Gaeltacht The Donegal Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) is the second-largest in Ireland. The version of the Irish language spoken in County Donegal is Ulster Irish, Of the Gaeltacht population of 24,744 (16% of the county’s total population), 17,132 say they can speak Irish.

There are three Irish-speaking parishes: Gweedore, The Rosses and Cloughaneely,
Other Irish-speaking areas include Gaeltacht an Láir : Glencolmcille, Fintown, Fanad and Rosguill, the islands of Arranmore, Tory Island and Inishbofin,
Gweedore is the largest Irish-speaking parish, with over 5,000 inhabitants.

All schools in the region use Irish as the language of instruction. According to the 2022 Census, the number of people (aged three and over) who stated that they could speak Irish in Donegal was 59,130 (35.4% of the county’s total population) compared with 56,738 in 2016.

Is Donegal Irish or Scottish?

Donegal Dún na nGall
Town
Donegal Town, as seen from Drumroosk East
Coat of arms
Donegal Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 54°39′14″N 8°06′36″W / 54.654°N 8.110°W
Country	Ireland
Province	Ulster
County	County Donegal
Barony	Tirhugh
Dáil Éireann	Donegal
Area
• Town	2.65 km 2 (1.02 sq mi)
Elevation	32 m (105 ft)
Population ( 2016 )
• Density	891.4/km 2 (2,309/sq mi)
• Urban	2,618
Time zone	UTC±0 ( WET )
• Summer ( DST )	UTC+1 ( IST )
Eircode routing key	F94
Telephone area code	+353(0)74
Irish Grid Reference	G924789
Website	www,donegaltown,ie

Donegal ( DUN -ig- AWL, DON – ; Irish : Dún na nGall, “fort of the foreigners”) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. The name was also historically spelt ‘Dunnagall’. Although Donegal gave its name to the county, now Lifford is the county town, From the 15th until the early 17th century, Donegal was the ‘capital’ of Tyrconnell ( Tír Chonaill ), a Gaelic kingdom controlled by the O’Donnell dynasty of the Northern Uí Néill,

Donegal is in South Donegal and is located at the mouth of the River Eske and Donegal Bay, which is overshadowed by the Blue Stack Mountains (‘the Croaghs’).
The Drumenny Burn, which flows along the eastern edge of Donegal Town, flows into the River Eske on the north-eastern edge of the town, between the Community Hospital and The Northern Garage.

The Ballybofey Road (the R267 ) crosses the Drumenny Burn near where it flows into the River Eske. The town is bypassed by the N15 and N56 roads, The centre of the town, known as The Diamond, is a hub for music, poetic and cultural gatherings in the area.

Is Donegal Irish different?

Go dté mar atá tú? How to make sense of Ulster Irish The form of Irish spoken in Ulster these days is essentially Donegal Irish, nuanced by the local, predominantly Belfast accent. In written form, there is not that much difference between it and the Irish of other Gaeltacht areas such as Connemara and west Kerry.

But, bear in mind, a competent Irish reader can understand most of Scots Gallic in written form. It’s a different proposition when Ulster Irish is spoken, becoming as understandable to some ears as Swahili. That said, there are differences between Ulster Irish and the rest. Take the different forms for the simple phrase, “How are you?” In Munster they use “conas” (“Conas atá tú?”).

In Connacht they say “cén chaoi”(“Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú?”). In Donegal, they say “go dté” (Go dté mar atá tú?). Another big difference is found in the tuiseal tabharthach (dative case). When people say, for example, “on the road” in other areas, they say: “ar an mbóthar”.

In Ulster, the urú is ditched in favour of the séimhiú (aspiration).
They say “ar an bhóthar” instead.
There are some words that are unique to the northern dialect.
They tend to use the unusual “tchí” instead of “feiceann” for “look”.
They say “druid an doras” instead of “dún an doras” for “close the door”.

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Instead of saying “scioptha” they say “gasta” for “fast”. Instead of saying “chomh maith” for “also”, the say “fosta”. And when something is good it’s not “togha” or “go híontach” but “ar dóigh”. : Go dté mar atá tú? How to make sense of Ulster Irish

Is Donegal the poorest county?

Disposable Income by County – CSO – Central Statistics Office The disposable income per person as a percentage deviation from the state average is shown in Figure 1.1. Viewing disposable income on a per capita basis as displayed in Figure 1.1 and Map 1.1 allow us to make more direct comparisons between regions of different sizes and populations than comparing total figures, like those shown in Figure 1.2.

It is also worth noting, county calculations for disposable income are estimates and involve a certain degree of uncertainty, however, despite the uncertainty disposable income per capita allow us to visualise discrepancies in income between regions and counties. Dublin City and County is the only region where disposable income per person is significantly above the state average as seen in Figure 1.1.

Dublin has the largest disposable income amounting to €27,686 per person, income has risen to 18% above average and has increased for the third consecutive year. Disposable income in Limerick is estimated at €26,248 per person, next highest after Dublin.

The Mid-West is the only other region where income per person is above the state average at 0.4%, usually income in the Mid-West is on a par with the state average, as shown for 2018 and 2019.
While income in the South-West has dropped by -1.4%, the region has remained on a par with the state average of €23,471.

The Midlands region continues to be the poorest in terms of disposable income, income in the region accounts for €5.8 billion overall and is 18.7% below the state average per person. Despite this, the Midlands have seen an 10.6% increase in average income per person to €17,243 from 2019.

The Midland, Border and West regions also record per capita income significantly below the state average. Since 2004, the Border, West and Midland NUTS2 regions have never reported a per capita disposable income greater than the state average. On the other hand, Dublin’s per capita income has consistently remained significantly above the state average over the same period.

The index of disposable income per person by county is shown in Map 1.1, the monetary value are given in Table 5.1. The county with the lowest disposable income per capita was Donegal with an index of 78.1 (€18,322 per person), followed by Longford with an index of 79.9 (€18,754 per person) and Laois with an index of 80.3 (€18,842 per person).

After Dublin, Limerick is the second wealthiest county with an index of 111.9 (€26,248 per person); ahead of Cork (index: 101.7, income: €23,856 per person). Income in Kildare is closest to the state average with an index of 100.4 (€23,554 per person). While the figures involve a degree of uncertainty, the gap between the lowest and highest county income per capita has widened considerably and is now at €9,364, a 10% percentage change from a figure of €8,505 in 2019.

As seen in Figure 1.2, total disposable income in the Dublin NUTS 3 region (Dublin City and County) is the highest in the state and has risen for the fourth consecutive year to €39 billion. Dublin is followed by the South-West NUTS 3 region – comprising of Counties Cork and Kerry – accounting for €16.7 billion in disposable income.

Disposable income generated in Cork represents 81% of the South-West’s total or 36% of the Southern region’s total at NUTS 2 level. The Mid-East region ranks third largest in terms of disposable income and has recorded a figure of €16.4 billion in 2020 due in large part to counties Kildare (€5.5 billion) and Meath (€4.5 billion).

Incomes in the Mid-East region have been steadily increasing since 2012 and have risen by 5.1% again this year from 2019. The Midlands has the lowest total income in 2020 and has consistently remained the poorest region in the state, followed by the Border region.

What are people from Donegal called?

Donegal — The Forgotten County, the County of the Gaels – Forgotten, as any Donegal person will tell you, by Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. Those in the north of the county are often referred to as the Herring Gutters. But to be honest, we’ve forgotten why.

Why did people leave Donegal?

Donegal and the 1718 Migration to New England Migration to America intensified in the late 1710s. Poor harvests, increased rents and discontent of Ulster’s Presbyterians at their second class status led to this. In 1718, there was a major exodus from the valleys of the Rivers Bann and Foyle to New England.

Do Northern Irish consider themselves Irish?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs to be updated, Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. ( September 2022 )

table> Northern Irish

Total population 1,810,863 89% of the population of Northern Ireland are native-born 29.44% of Northern Ireland’s population identified as Northern Irish Regions with significant populations Throughout Northern Ireland ; and to a lesser degree the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain (highest proportions in Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne ) Languages

English ( Ulster English )
Irish ( Ulster Irish )
Ulster Scots

Religion Christianity (45.7% Roman Catholic, 43.7% Protestant, especially Presbyterianism, Anglicanism and Methodism ), Neoshamanism, Buddhism, Atheism, Judaism Related ethnic groups

Irish people
Scottish people
Ulster Scots
Ulster Protestants
Irish Catholics
English people
Welsh people
Cornish people
Bretons
Scotch-Irish Americans
Scotch-Irish Canadians

The people of Northern Ireland or Northern Irish people are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British citizen, an Irish citizen or is otherwise entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence, under the Belfast Agreement,

What is the ethnicity in Donegal?

The top 5 growing communities were Indian, Pakistani, Romanian, Croatian and Afghanistan. A higher percentage (89.5%) of the population in Co. Donegal identified as White Irish than in the State (82.2%). There was a -19.3% decline in the population of Irish Travellers in Co.

Are there Protestants in Donegal?

Profile – Followers of the Church of Ireland (Anglicans) number 126,400, Presbyterians 24,200, Apostolic or Pentecostal s 13,400, and other Christians 37,400 (2016 Census). The Protestants live throughout Ireland but they are more numerous in the counties immediately bordering Northern Ireland: Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan and Leitrim, the first three once part of Ulster.

Did Vikings land in Donegal?

Donegal Town is a busy shopping and tourist town in south Donegal where the River Eske flows into Donegal Bay. It was invaded by the Vikings in the 8th century and they used it as a port. This invasion is where the town got its Gaelic name, Dun na nGall, which means ‘Fort of the Foreigners’.

The Vikings built a garrison in the town, thought to have been in the grounds where O’Donnells Castle/Donegal Castle now stands. In recent years human remains were found in the grounds of Castle these are thought to be Viking. Donegal Town continued as a port until the 1960s when the last commercial boat left the harbour, sailing to Scotland with its load of electricity poles.

The centre of the town is called ‘The Diamond’ and markets were held here until 1967. The markets were held on the second Friday of the month when the town would fill with farmers buying and selling cattle, together with various other traders selling their wares.

The market day would have been a great social occasion with locals being able to catch up on each others news.
In the Diamond stands an Obelisk in memory of ‘The Four Masters’ (see below).
O’DONNELLS CASTLE/DONEGAL CASTLE The castle was built by Red Hugh O’Donnell in 1474,
Red Hugh was ” Principal of the great royal family, who ruled the Kingdom of Tir Conaill (Donegal) from 1200 until 1601.

It was built on a bend on the Eske for defensive reasons, the river protecting it on two sides,” There is now a statue of Red Hugh by the artist Maurice Harron down on the pier. On Lough Eske, just outside the town, there is a tiny island and on this island is the remains of O’Donnells Keep where the O’Donnell Clan held their prisoners.

All that is left of the Keep is one wall and that is now hidden behind trees and shrubs.
A picture of the little island can be seen in the photos below.
FAMINE GRAVEYARD On the Ballybofey road out of Donegal Town, just near the edge of the town and down to the left there is a Famine Graveyard where vicitims of the last famine (1845-49) are buried.

There is a signpost on the road pointing to the graveyard. THE DIAMOND AND OBELISK The Diamond is the central pedestrianised plaza in the town. It was designed by Captain Basil Brook who also built the Jacobean style extension at O’Donnells Castle (Donegal Castle) when he was given the Castle by the English Crown during the Plantation of Ulster and for his part in the Nine Years War.

He was also given Lough Eske Castle which is now an hotel, Solis Lough Eske The Obelisk which is to be found in The Diamond (central plaza in the town) commemorates four monks called the Four Masters who compiled and wrote the Annals of the Four Masters between 1632 and 1636. The Annals of the Four Masters covers Irish history from 2242 BC to 1616 AD and remains one of the most important historical writings in Ireland.

The chief author was Micheal O’Cleirigh who was assisted by Peregrine O’Clery, Fergus O’Mulconry and Peregrine O’Duignan whose names are carved into the lower part of the Obelisk. Micheal O’Cleirigh would travel around Ireland during the summer months gathering information both historical and mythological, and return to the Friary in Donegal Town at the end of summer where the winter months would be spent correlating and writing up the information gathered.

Manuscripts of the works can be seen in Trinity College, Dublin and Univeristy College Dublin as well as the Royal Irish Accademy.
A copy of part of the Annals can be viewed in the museum at the Franciscan Friary, Rossnowlagh.
DONEGAL FRANCISCAN FRIARY RUINS These can be found at the end of the pier and it is here that the Annuls of the Four Masters was written.

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“The Franciscan Friary of Donegal founded 1474 and richly endowed by the Lady Nuala O’Connor and the Lady Nuala O’Brien, wives of successive O’Donnell Chieftans. The Friary followed the usual Franciscan layout of church on the south side, with it’s cloisters and conventual builds to the north.

It’s present ruinous state dates from 1601 when it was turned into a fortress by Niall Garbh O’Donnell when his English allies and besieged by Red Hugh (statue of Red Hugh on Pier). Donegal Friary and it’s possession were confiscated in 1607 following the Flight of the Earls.” THE ANCHOR Down near the harbour there is a large anchor which is thought to date from the 18th century.

From the plaque at the anchor: ” This anchor probably belonged to the frigate Romaine, which was one of a French squadron out of Brest on the 16th September 1798, in support of General Humbert’s army in Mayo. Wolfe Tone sailed with the squadron. Following engagements with English naval forces off the Donegal coast, the Romaine, with two sister ships, anchored in Donegal Bay on the 13th of October 1798.

Learning of Humbert’s surrender and observing English militia on shore, the Romaine cut her cable, leaving her anchor and sailed back to France,” DONEGAL TOWN BANK WALK Walk to Boyce’s Bridge (on the Killybegs road) just out of the centre (The Diamond) in Donegal Town and to your left you will find the Bank Walk.

It is a path of about 2.5 km along the west bank of the River Eske leading to Donegal Bay. Take some bread to feed the ducks and swans! DONEGAL RAILWAY HERITAGE CENTRE 074-97 22655 http://www.cdrrl.com/ From their site: ” A developing museum and heritage centre concentrating on the CDR (County Donegal Restoration) and, as it grows, bringing in the Lough Swilly and GNR(I) lines in Donegal.

The headquarters for the society’s project to restore a section of original CDR track and operate original vintage stock. Rolling stock on site undergoing restoration: Class 5 loco Drumboe; Brake/3rd no 28; Trailer no.5. Not on site and unavailable for viewing: Railcar no.15,” DONEGAL BAY WATERBUS 074-9723666 http://www.donegalbaywaterbus.com/ From their site: ” From the helm, Skipper Billy Bustard gives a lively commentary on the sights of special interest, freely illustrated with his own humorous asides and anecdotes.

His witty observations bring to life events which shaped our country’s destiny. The waterbus passes the battle-scarred ruins of the Abbey – once the home of the legendary chieftain Red Hugh O’Donnell, and his saintly wife Nuala – where the first history of Ireland was penned by the scholars called the Four Masters.

St Ernan’s island is linked to the mainland by a causeway, built as a thank-you from his tenants to a benevolent landlord who saved many from starvation,” DONEGAL GOLF CLUB ~ Murvagh 074-9734054 http://www.donegalgolfclub.ie/ The golf club is situated 7 miles/11 km outside Donegal Town off the main Donegal Town to Ballyshannon road (N15).

” This outstanding links golf course offers a genuine challenge to the accomplished golfer and is an all round “true” test of golf. Being one of the longest golf courses in Ireland and Europe, it is ideally suited to big hitters of the ball. The reputation of Donegal Golf Club at Murvagh, designed by the legendary course architect Eddie Hackett, has been further enhanced by the new designs of Pat Ruddy.

Continually featured in Golf Worlds Top 100 Courses in Ireland & Great Britain, this is a real challenge not to be missed.
Darren Clarke, one of the heroes of the resent Ryder Cup held at the K Club, has described Donegal Golf Club as “one of my favourite courses in the World”.” DONEGAL CRAFT VILLAGE 074 9722225 http://www.donegalcraftvillage.com/ ” Donegal Craft Village is a showcase for contemporary arts and crafts in Ireland.

Stop off and indulge in the award winning restaurant renowned for its freshly ground coffee, delicious home made cakes and gourmet lunches. The beautifully landscaped grounds include a picnic area, a charming courtyard, and spacious, free, car & coach parking,” DONEGAL ART GALLERY 074-9725887 ” The Donegal Art Gallery is located on Upper Main Street, Donegal Town, and is open Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 6pm.

Do they speak English in Donegal Ireland?

Donegal is a charming little town (about 2000 inhabitants) with a castle and a couple of pubs. It is also an excellent centre for touring the beautiful North West region of Ireland, which many tourists skip on their journey around Ireland (they don’t know what they’re missing). County Donegal can boast of its endless beauty. Its impressive coastline (about 1000 km) includes Slieve League, the highest sea-cliffs in Europe. Malin Head The locals speak English with a wonderful lilt. Many people do also speak Irish. In fact, the region has the largest number of native Irish speakers in Ireland, although the Irish up here has more in common with highland Gaelic than with the Irish spoken in the rest of country. Derry ►

What does Donegal mean in Irish?

BEGINNERS’ BLAS 9 LOGAINMNEACHA/ PLACENAMES Donegal, ‘Dún na nGall’ or Tír Chonaill. This week we’ll take a look at Donegal. The county of Donegal has two names in Irish, the easiest to recognise being Dún na nGall, meaning the fort of the foreigners or the fort of the strangers.

Dún’ means fort and is found in a lot of place names. It is sometimes anglisiced as ‘down’ such as Condae an Dún, county down and Dún Padraic, Down Patrick, Patrick’s Fort. Dún an nGall, the fort of the strangers, is the name given to Donegal town from which the county gets it’s name. There is some confusion as to who these foreigners were, some believe it refers to the Vikings who were reported to be active in the bay of Donegal in the ninth century.

Yet others believe that the strangers referred to are Scottish mercenaries who were brought in by the Irish to fight for them in their local and national battles. Donegal town itself did not grow until after the establishment of a castle there built by the Ó Domhnaill or O’ Donnell clan in the year 1474.

The O’Donnell’s were a famous Donegal family who ruled the North west of the county now known as Donegal and by the late 15th and early 16th Centuries ruled Fermanagh and parts of North Connaght also. Another name given to the County of Donegal is Tír Chonaill, meaning Conall’s land or territory ‘Tír’ being territory.

This name historically only refered to the west of the county. The Conall in question, was sometimes refered to as Conall Gulban was a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. Amongst the descendants of Conall were 41 saints and 10 High Kings, perhaps the most famous of them being Naomh Colm Cille or Saint Colm Cille, a man who could have been High King, but opted instead for a life in the church. Listen to Céara Ní Choinn back to Logainmneacha index

Are Celtic fans Scottish or Irish?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Celtic supporters commemorating the team’s 1967 European Cup victory. The supporters of Celtic, a Scottish football club, were estimated in 2003 to number around 9 million worldwide. Numerous fan magazines and supporters’ websites are dedicated to the club, and there are in excess of 800 supporters’ clubs in over 60 countries around the world.

Celtic supporters have traditionally come from the Catholic population of Scotland and people of Irish background, but not exclusively. In 2003, Celtic fans received awards from FIFA and UEFA for their exemplary fair and cordial conduct after 80,000 fans had travelled to Seville for the 2003 UEFA Cup Final,

In 2017, Celtic fans were awarded with the FIFA Fan Award for their tifo commemorating the 50th anniversary of the club’s 1967 European Cup win.

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Do any Catholics play for Northern Ireland?

Even football cannot heal the Irish divide Friday, 1.30pm, BBC Northern Ireland’s lunchtime bulletin. Item one is joyful reflection on the events of the previous evening at Windsor Park. Fans, players and manager Michael O’Neill feature. Item two is similar, a joyful reflection of the previous evening, this time at Lansdowne Road, with footage of Shane Long’s goal, celebrating fans and Martin O’Neill’s post-match press conference.

This is a good news day. Item three, though, is: “There is a security alert at a hotel in Derry.” A few hours later a “controlled explosion” ended that alert, but there was another one in Belfast and, poignantly, another in Omagh. Its main street was still sealed off Saturday morning. And so life goes on.

The Irish peace process continues but it is a restless peace. This allegedly low-level strife carries on, but it has disappeared from the UK news agenda. In case you missed it, the UDA – loyalist paramilitaries – announced this week that they are “still in existence”, a response to an alleged IRA murder in August.

Ireland, Northern Ireland, remains divided. Today there will be two Irish football teams playing European Championship qualifiers, while there is one Ireland rugby team in the World Cup – because football remains an expression of that divide. Rugby, a middle-class sport in Ireland, as in England and Scotland, was initially divided as well.

There were two Irish rugby associations once. But, having come together a century ago, they have remained united. Until the 1950s, some Ireland rugby internationals were played at Ravenhill in Belfast. However, football – or soccer as it is called in the Irish Republic – has been a venue for the Troubles.

Rewind from the death threats against Neil Lennon in 2002 to September 1912 when the Sunday Chronicle reported “several revolver shots” were fired at a match at Windsor Park between Linfield and Belfast Celtic.
Linfield’s support was Protestant; Belfast Celtic’s support was largely Catholic.
In 1949 Belfast Celtic felt compelled to disband after a sectarian riot – again at Windsor Park.

These events may seem like ancient history but they are not irrelevant. Northern Ireland is part of the UK and its football team’s anthem, “God Save the Queen”, acknowledges that. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Some of the players sing it with gusto, a demonstration of British identity, and certainly the majority of Northern Ireland fans do. Not many of those fans would be miffed if the Republic of Ireland did not join them in France.

And vice versa.
Yet some of Northern Ireland’s greatest players have been Catholics – Peter Doherty, Martin O’Neill and Gerry Armstrong among them – and the same applies to Michael O’Neill, a 46-year-old who grew up in Ballymena at the height of the modern Troubles.
O’Neill’s religious and cultural background make him acutely aware that there were moments in the 1990s and early 2000s when it felt like Northern Ireland were being cornered into representing ‘a Protestant team for a Protestant people’.

At O’Neill’s unveiling as manager in January 2012, he said: “I’m going to focus on making the national team fully inclusive. “The IFA has done a great deal of work in making the games at Windsor Park inclusive. We want a team on the pitch which is inclusive of everyone.” O’Neill knew that the IFA – the Belfast-based Irish Football Association – was losing players to the FAI – the Dublin-based Football Association of Ireland.

Marc Wilson, Darron Gibson, Eunan O’Kane and James McClean are among them, with McClean the most high-profile as a result of his vocal stance on the subject. When Northern Ireland were 3-0 up against Greece on Thursday night, Windsor Park reverberated to a chorus of “Are You Watching, James McClean?” But McClean chose to play for the Republic of Ireland because of who he is culturally, not because he thought the Republic were a better team.

He played for Northern Ireland at youth level but his anthem is “Amhrán na bhFiann” – “The Soldier’s Song” – not “God Save the Queen”. When the Ireland rugby team lines up today in Cardiff against France, they will sing “Ireland’s Call”, in part because as an all-island team, “The Soldier’s Song” has been deemed insensitive to those players who come from Ulster – or the six counties of Northern Ireland.

Ulster has nine counties; three are in the Republic).
So in Wales, Finland and Poland today three Irelands will take to the field of play.
In Helsinki, Northern Ireland will attempt to win Group F and the IFA will then have to hope it can tie down the increasingly in-demand Michael O’Neill.
In Warsaw, Martin O’Neill will try to guide the Republic of Ireland to an automatic qualification that looked implausible a few days ago.

And then there will be the rugby team in Cardiff, straddling the border. Watching will be another symbolic Irish sportsman. Rory McIlroy was at Windsor Park on Thursday to support Northern Ireland, well aware of the furore caused by his decision to play for Ireland, not Great Britain, at the Olympics.

Is Donegal in Ireland or Ulster?

Local government – Donegal County Council (which has been in existence since 1899) has responsibility for local administration, and is headquartered at the County House in Lifford. Elections to the County Council take place every five years. Thirty-seven councillors are elected using the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (STV).

For the purpose of elections, the county is divided into 5 Municipal Districts comprising the following local electoral areas: Donegal (6), Glenties (6), Inishowen (9), Letterkenny (10) and Lifford–Stranorlar (6).
Donegal County Council has three representatives on the Northern and Western Regional Assembly,

Council elections are held every 5 years, with the next election due to be held in May 2024. The 2019 Donegal local election had a voter turnout of 54.4%. The highest turnout was at Donegal (62.7%) and the lowest was at Lifford–Stranorlar (49.0%).

Seats	FPv%	% Change since 2014	Seat Change since 2014
Fianna Fáil	12	29.4%	0.3%	1
Sinn Féin	10	19.4%	0.2%	1
Fine Gael	6	18.5%	2.8%
Labour Party	1	2.7%	1.1%
Independent	8	26.2%	3.2%	2

Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin emerged as the two dominant parties in the 2019 local elections, holding 22 of the 37 seats between them. Fine Gael hold 6 seats, the Labour Party hold 1 seat and there are 8 independents. Donegal has traditionally been a stronghold for Sinn Féin, and despite their poor performance nationally in the 2019 Irish local elections, they retained their share of the vote in Donegal, dropping just 0.2%.

Why did people leave Donegal?

Why did Ireland give up the 6 counties?

When Northern Ireland was formed in 1920, it was decided, partly because of where Catholic and Protestant populations lived, to only include six of the nine counties of Ulster within the new state. Thus, the remaining three counties eventually formed part of the Irish Free State.

Is Donegal Irish or Scottish?

Donegal Dún na nGall
Town
Donegal Town, as seen from Drumroosk East
Coat of arms
Donegal Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 54°39′14″N 8°06′36″W / 54.654°N 8.110°W
Country	Ireland
Province	Ulster
County	County Donegal
Barony	Tirhugh
Dáil Éireann	Donegal
Area
• Town	2.65 km 2 (1.02 sq mi)
Elevation	32 m (105 ft)
Population ( 2016 )
• Density	891.4/km 2 (2,309/sq mi)
• Urban	2,618
Time zone	UTC±0 ( WET )
• Summer ( DST )	UTC+1 ( IST )
Eircode routing key	F94
Telephone area code	+353(0)74
Irish Grid Reference	G924789
Website	www,donegaltown,ie

Donegal is in South Donegal and is located at the mouth of the River Eske and Donegal Bay, which is overshadowed by the Blue Stack Mountains (‘the Croaghs’). The Drumenny Burn, which flows along the eastern edge of Donegal Town, flows into the River Eske on the north-eastern edge of the town, between the Community Hospital and The Northern Garage.