About County Donegal
County Donegal is the most northerly county in Ireland, a rugged and mountainous landscape cut by deep inlets and battered by Atlantic storms. Largely isolated from the rest of Ulster by the political border, Donegal has maintained a fiercely distinct character, it has the largest Irish-speaking population of any county, and its traditions of music, weaving and storytelling remain alive in ways lost elsewhere in Ireland.
History
Donegal was the heartland of the O'Donnell and O'Neill dynasties, the last great Gaelic lords of Ulster. The Flight of the Earls in 1607, when the last Gaelic chieftains sailed from Lough Swilly into European exile, effectively ended the old Gaelic order in Ireland. That departure, from a small pier on Donegal's northern coast, echoes through Irish history.
How Donegal families left Ireland
Donegal's emigrants left through Derry and Sligo, many as seasonal workers who eventually stayed. The county's poverty was extreme, the west Donegal Gaeltacht was among the most destitute areas in Ireland throughout the 19th century. Donegal families settled heavily in Philadelphia, New York and the industrial cities of Scotland.
Places worth visiting in County Donegal
- Slieve League Cliffs, among the highest sea cliffs in Europe, rising 600 metres above the Atlantic
- Glenveagh National Park, a vast wilderness of mountain, loch and ancient oak forest
- Donegal Castle, the stronghold of the O'Donnell kings, recently restored
- Grianán of Aileach, the ancient stone ring fort overlooking Lough Foyle, built before recorded history
Is your surname from County Donegal?
Enter your Irish family name and we will tell you whether it is connected to Donegal, and build you a personalised Heritage Package for your visit.
Trace your surname →