November 9 1833. He then sent an embassy to the king of Spain to aid him in the total expulsion of the English and having obtained a reinforcement of mercenaries from Scotland, carried on a successful war far beyond the limits of his own territory. The most northerly part of the island of Ireland is the location for three peninsulas: Inishowen, Fanad and Rosguill. The anglicized spelling Falcarragh has no official status. They had declined greatly for many years in consequence of the herring, the chief object of capture, having deserted the coast. County Donegal was the home of the once mighty Clann Dlaigh, better known in English as the O'Donnell dynasty. The thick ice sheet that once covered the region carved out deep basins in the Donegal uplands and many tarns or corrie lakes developed in these depressions after the ice had melted, including Lough Maam below Slieve Snaght and Lough Feeane under Aghla More. Amid those changes and the struggles of his neighbours during and after the Famine, Gallagher had adapted and thrived. 1976, pages 84-86, FamilySearch Library Ref. There are also five others which have an elevation of more than 1500 feet and twelve more exceeding 1000 feet in height. Many of the poor from these areas emigrated during the 19th century, speaking only as Gaelige. Until around 1600, the O'Donnells were one of Ireland's richest and most powerful native Irish ruling families. Gweedore is the largest Irish-speaking parish, with over 5,000 inhabitants. County Donegal has a long literary tradition in both Irish and English. [25] Historic deforestation left Donegal devoid of forest cover by 1900. Other Irish-speaking areas include Gaeltacht an Lir: Glencolmcille, Fintown, Fanad and Rosguill, the islands of Arranmore, Tory Island and Inishbofin. The oldest rocks in Ireland are a granitic gneiss found on the island of Inishtrahull, located ca. The County Donegal lasted until 1960 as it had largely dieselised its passenger trains by 1951. Toland was also instrumental in the spread of freemasonry throughout Continental Europe. The areas of County Donegal with the highest percentage of Protestants are The Laggan district of East Donegal, centred on Raphoe;[69] the Finn Valley; and areas around Ramelton, Milford and Dunfanaghy where their proportion reaches up to 3045 per cent. She made contact through Facebook. The county is the most mountainous in Ulster consisting chiefly of two ranges of low mountains; the Derryveagh Mountains in the north and the Blue Stack Mountains in the south, with Errigal at 751m (2,464ft) the highest peak, making it the 11th-highest county top in Ireland. Next time she was there she said that she would have a look when she was able to leave lockdown because of the COVID 19 situation. The O'Donnells were Ulster's second most powerful clan or ruling family from the early 13th century through to the start of the 17th century. We'd love if you sharedRobert Hamilton's story to our Ancestor Chronicles for Inishkeel. The local government is vested in a lieutenant, 19 deputy-lieutenants, and 66 other magistrates, with the usual county officers. It has a deeply indented coastline forming natural sea loughs, of which Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle are the most notable. Winds are much lighter in the county's interior and temperatures are cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer. [16] Indeed, what became the City of Derry was officially part of County Donegal up until 1610. The Dil constituency of Donegal constituency (5 TDs) covers almost the entire county, with the exception of a small area in southern Donegal around Bundoran and Ballyshannon, which is part of the SligoLeitrim constituency.[61][62]. Donegal music has also influenced people not originally from the county including folk and pop singers Paul Brady and Phil Coulter. There are eight historic baronies in the county. When he ignored a threatening letter telling him to stop evicting his subtenants and look after his aging father, the Mollies decided that Gallagher and his wife should be severely beaten. This is an uncomfortable story. The modern County Donegal was shired by order of the English Crown in 1585. The inscription was: This stone is erected in the tender remembrance of a Kind & honest Father by the sons of ROBERT HAMILTON who for nearly 20 years discharged his duties in this place as overseer to the Marquis Conyngham without reproach. Killybegs ( Irish: Na Cealla Beaga) [2] is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Other courses of note are Murvagh (located outside Donegal Town) and Rosapenna (Sandy Hills) located in Downings (near Carrigart). It gave his date of death as May 6th, 1857. Many Donegal students also attend the Limavady Campus of the North West Regional College (popularly known as Limavady Tech) and the Omagh College of Further Education of South West College (popularly known as Omagh Tech or Omagh College). The county may be informally divided into a number of traditional districts. ); comprising, according to the Ordnance survey, a surface of 1,165,107 statute acres, of which 520,736 are cultivated land, and 644,371 unimproved mountain and bog. Have you joinedirelandxo.com/ireland/donegal/inishkeel. The population, in 1821, was 248,270 and in 1831, 291,104. This added further to the economic and social difficulties of the county. In place of the rundale of patchwork plots and communal land, everyone was now only accountable for his own portion. Full control over the new County Donegall was only achieved after the Flight of the Earls in September 1607. [Died] On the 11th September last, at Panyan, state of New York, in the 63rd year of her age, after a protracted illness, Mrs. Mitchell, wife of William Mitchell, Esq ., (formerly of Coleraine) and eldest daughter of the late William Leathem, Esq ., of Burt (Londonderry Sentinel) March 29 1834. Continuing list of Game Certificated printed originally in the Londonderry Journal of 24 Aug. 1802, covering Londonderry, and Co. Donegal. National Library of Ireland Ir 92 c 360. Killycreen, Ramelton There are maps of fields and tables of valuations, official records and local seanchas, as the archival shards are painstakingly assembled. A peculiar herbage, called sweet-grass, formed of joints from two to three yards in length, grows on the shores of Innisfree, several feet under the high watermark of spring tides, to which the cattle run instinctively at the time of ebb. These town boundaries are registered as their own townlands and are much larger than rural townlands. Historically, the county was represented in the Parliament of Ireland through the Donegal Borough constituency, which lasted from 1613 to 1800, when the Irish Parliament was abolished. On the attainder in 1612 of Rory O'Donnell, to whom James Ihad given the title of Earl of Tyrconnell and the greater part of the family possessions, the district, which had been erected into a county called Donegal, by Sir John Perrot, in 1584, was included by that king in his plan for the plantation of Ulster. Citing Public Record Office, London. Donegal Castle ( Irish: Caislen Dhn na nGall) is a castle situated in the centre of Donegal Town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland. We'd love if you added them to our Ancestors roll-call to #BringTheirMemoryHome: Want to help post timelines like this for your local parish or county? From 950 to 1250, the ancient Irish annals record the deeds of more than thirty OCannons, virtually all of whom were Chiefs of the Name and most of whom were Kings of Tr Chonaill. The Earagail Arts Festival is held within the county each July. Tel. 2. Ireland Society Of Friends (Quaker) Births, Ireland Catholic Qualification & Convert Rolls, Ireland Selections of Catholic Parish Baptisms, Ireland Select Catholic Birth and Baptism Registers, British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Irish Parish Register Baptisms & Confirmations, Ffolliott Collection, Ireland Indexes to Wills, Probate Administration, Marriage Bonds and Licences, Ireland Society Of Friends (Quaker) Marriages, Ireland Diocesan and Prerogative Marriage License Bonds Indexes, Ireland Selections of Catholic Parish Marriages and Banns, Ireland Marriages in Walker's Hibernian Magazine, Ireland Select Catholic Marriage Registers, British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Ireland Society Of Friends (Quaker) Deaths, United Kingdom, Jewish Death and Burial Records, British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, Ireland, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), Ireland Census Abstracts (Northern Ireland), A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain and Ireland enjoying territorial possessions or high official rank, Vol.1, Irish pedigrees: or the origin and stem of the Irish Nation, Vol. Douglas, C, O'Sullivan, A, Grogan, H, Kelly, L, Garvey, L, Van Doorslaer, L, Scally, L, Dunnells, D, & Wyse Jackson, M, Goodwillie, R, Mooney, E. Parks, H.M. 1958. Lat. For purposes of civil jurisdiction, it is divided into the baronies of Raphoe, Kilmacrenan, Ennishowen (Inishowen East & Inishowen West), Tyrhugh (Tirhugh), Bannagh (Banagh) and Boylagh. Much of the county's forests are commercial timber plantations which were initially established in the 1930s as a way to create rural employment in areas with poor agricultural land and high rates of emigration. HISTORY. Mac Suibhne worries that the shrewd might say that the boy should have known better than to make a history of the homeplace, that he has become the informer or made himself the judge; that the people of the past might have told him nl coir san fhocal nach ndeirtear. He was born in nearby Ramelton. The population of Ireland in 1841 was at a historical high, as shown by the census taken that year. In Williams Australian Marriage Certificate his mothers maiden name was Macevery. In terms of size and area, it is the largest county in Ulster and the fourth-largest county in all of Ireland. Full control over the new County Donegall was only achieved after the Flight of the Earls in September 1607. A Book of Maps of Sundry Denominations of lands in the Barony of Kilmacrennon and County of Donegal the Estate of Robert Clements Esquire, surveyed 1779 by David McCool . The O'Donnell's royal or chiefly power was finally ended in what was then the newly created County Donegal in September 1607, following the Flight of the Earls from Portnamurray, near Rathmullan. People exchanged themselves for the future and did not talk so much about the past. County Donegal is also well known for its songs which have, like the instrumental music, a distinctive sound. They married in Northern Liberties, Carbon County, Roman Catholic, December 30, 1844. The first was an amendment which specified that the State could not limit the freedom of travel of women seeking abortions abroad. A battle between the Irish (helped by gallglaigh) and the English took place on a hill in the townland and this is where the name comes from. On the issue of abortion and right to life vs pro-choice, Donegal has consistently been the most conservative county in Ireland. Well stocked orchards and gardens are to be met with round many of the farm-houses in Raphoe. The main population centre of Inishowen, Ireland's largest peninsula, is Buncrana. His occupation was teacher. , Donegal emerged victorious from the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final on 23 September 2012 to take the Sam Maguire Cup for only the second time, with early goals from Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden setting up a victory of 211 to 013 over Mayo. The first-named, and by far the most important in a commercial point of view, rises in Lough Fin, in the mountains of Branagh, and under the name of the Fin-water proceeds to Lifford, where, on its confluence with the Mourne from the east, the united stream takes the name of the Foyle, and flowing past the city of Londonderry, of which it forms the capacious port and harbour, opens out into Lough Foyle. They attacked and intimidated those whom they felt had grabbed land, overcharged for food, neglected their elderly, or evicted the vulnerable. They sat in summary judgement of what John B Keanes Bull McCabe later called the law of the land, and it was enforced brutally: people in Donegal long remembered a priest describing how he stood ankle deep in blood and milk in the kitchen of an old man left fatally injured. All these lines were laid to a 3-foot gauge, while the connecting lines were all laid to the Irish standard gauge of 1,600mm (5ft3in). Gallagher Genealogy Notes, Co. Donegal, Ireland 1827-69 Items from the Press Extracted from Personal Notices of Births, Marriages and Deaths Inserted in the Londonderry Sentinel Transcribed, Compiled and Submitted by Len Swindley, Melbourne, Australia len_swindley [at]hotmail.com Such athletes include Danny McDaid in the World Cross-Country Championships in 1979, Bridie Lynch who won medals in the World Paralympic Games in 1992 and 1996,[75][76] Gary Murray who came 8th in the European Junior Cross-Country Championship of 1999, and Mark English who won medals in the European 800m Championships in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019. . Most are Town Plans which were surveyed at either five or ten foot to one mile scale between 1837 and 1896. Donegal, Ireland. Its Irish name Na Cealla Beaga means 'little cells', a reference to early monastic settlements. Donegal in the Newspapers of the 1800s & Early 1900s Daily Life Father Ryan's Notes, RC Parish of Carn, 1855-1859 - Mirrored with permission from Margaret Jenkins website , this is an interesting transcription of notes recorded by Father Ryan, regarding the weather, growing conditions and other small details New Jersey [the author] 1993. Morton, O. The average size of a townland in the county (excluding towns) is 438 acres. New Letterkenny Cricket Club Joins North West League", "Bridie Lynch: She thumbed home carrying two Paralympic Silver Medals", Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Census 2006 Irish language stats for the county, Donegal County.com & Dn-na-nGall.com Bi-lingual County Site, On an Irish Jaunting Car through Donegal and Connemara (1902), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=County_Donegal&oldid=1152590798, The typical native tree species found in Donegal are, Many species of terrestrial and flying mammals live in the county, including. [40] The upland areas of Donegal will reliably receive some covering of snow every year. In the east of the county lies the Finn Valley (centred on Ballybofey) and The Laggan district (not to be confused with the Lagan Valley in the south of County Antrim), which is centred on the town of Raphoe. This chieftain, after having endured much opposition from his brother Neachtan, and maintained continual hostilities with the English, by whom he was at length taken prisoner, died in captivity. An alphabetical list of 1,500 vessels known to have embarked from Ireland to North America from 1623 to 1850. Indeed even the existence of those landless families faded from memory in an emerging age of infidelity. The second specified that the distribution of information about abortion services available in other countries was not unlawful. These weaves are known as donegal tweeds (with a small 'd') and are world-renowned. I could not find his name on this page. In the maritime district from, On the eastern shore of Lough Swilly, and in some other parts of Ennishowen, is found a species of calcarous, At Drumarda, on the shores of Lough Swilly, on Tory island, and in the Rosses, are extensive beds of. Much has been written about the push and pull factors that influenced emigration down through the centuries and many of the emigrants who left Ireland were influenced by both. It is the largest fishing port in the country and on the island of Ireland. The English government, after various disasters, particularly the defeat of Sir Conyers Clifford in the Curlew mountains, resolved to transfer the seat of war into O'Donell's country, for which purpose a large fleet, having on board a force of six thousand well-appointed troops, was sent from Dublin under the command of Sir Henry Doewra. Valleys such as these were the last areas to retain glaciers as temperatures rose. [15] While Lifford is the county town, Letterkenny is by far the largest town in the county with a population of just under 20,000. Further on, and opposite to Rathmullen, is Inch island, beyond which the waters expand into a deep and spacious gulf, which was considered of such importance during the late war with France, as to be protected by numerous batteries and martello towers. Under CSO classification, an "Urban Area" is a town with a population greater than 1,500. In early Irish history those waters carried the flimsy boats of fishermen and travellers. Ship from the McCorkell line which sailed out of Derry port carrying emigrants and cargo to the Americas during the 19th century. Industry 4.0 and the future of work: How to prepare for the digital age. In the coming decades the Ribbonmen would march towards respectability, joining the growing nationalist coalition. The barony of Kilmacrennan covers a large portion of northwest Donegal and is the largest in the county. I have been researching my GG Grandfather Robert Hamilton for some time. Ireland and the American Emigration, 1850-1900. The Erne, anciently called the Samaer, flows from Lough Erne, enters the county at Belleek, and after a rapid course of four miles forms the harbour of. It was better to forget, and so the living walked away from their dead, abandoning much of what had been dear to them. Charles Inglis, who was the first Church of England bishop of the Diocese of Nova Scotia, was the third son of Archibald Inglis, the Rector in Glencolmcille. As I mentioned, Robert Hamilton was a Land Steward for the Marquess of Conyngham. She said that she was a member of the Glenties Church of Ireland and thought that there was a gravestone for a Robert Hamilton in the Churches Graveyard. Uniquely, County Donegal shares a small border with only one other county in the Republic of Ireland - County Leitrim. Contact Thirty-four constituencies voted against the amendment and four voted in favour, two of which were Donegal North-East and Donegal South-West. In absolute terms, Letterkenny has the largest number of Protestants (over 1,000). The geology of Donegal is very similar to that of County Mayo, and both counties are located within the Grampian Terrane. The last boundary change of a barony in Donegal was in 1851 when the barony of Inishowen was divided into Inishowen East and Inishowen West. Modern exponents include the Inishowen playwright and poet Frank McGuinness and the playwright Brian Friel. Two civilians were also shot dead by the USC in nearby Lettercan. with some milk and butter; the clothing mostly frieze, though articles of cotton are common, especially for the women's wear. He was baptised on 15 Jun 1847 in Ardara Parish, Donegal, Church of Ireland. Of these portions, 38 were to be granted to English and Scotch undertakers, 9 to servitors, and 15 to natives. Volume 6: June 1850 - March 1851. Date. (The information collected here was submitted by members of the local gentry and clergy of the time). Drumnasillagh is in the Civil Parish of Inishkeel. The latter was its official name between 1922 and 1927. The manufacture of linen cloth of every kind of texture, chiefly from home-raised flax, is carried on to a considerable extent. Donegal Genealogy Resources Website, You may link to this page but not copy Me, Donegal in the Newspapers of [31], The native Irish red deer in Donegal went extinct around 1860 and were re-introduced in the 1890s. [13], Located in the northwest corner of Ireland, Donegal is the island's northernmost county. In 1856 the ire of the Mollies turned on James Gallagher, the biggest landowner in the townland. 2. From "Ireland Censuses 1821-1851." Database. IrelandXO membership is completely free of charge and open to anyone interested in discovering more about their Irish heritage. The Great Northern Railway (the G.N.R.) Donegal's population in the 1850s, especially in the coastal areas, was largely Gaelic-speaking. The peninsula of Rossuill, formed by the bays of Sheephaven and Mulroy, and that of, To the north of the city of Londonderry lies the barony of Ennishowen (, Near Leitrim county, it is deep, coarse, and sometimes incumbered with rushes, but in the vicinity of. 1958. It is included in the north-western circuit. Although the late 16th century was marked by the destruction of Gaelic civilization in the upper levels of society, it was preserved among the ordinary people of the northwest, west, and southwest, who continued to speak Irish and who maintained a way of life remote from that of the new landlord class. This geographic isolation from the rest of the Republic has led to Donegal people maintaining a distinct cultural identity[14] and has been used to market the county with the slogan "Up here it's different". In addition, many young people from the county attend third-level institutions elsewhere in Ireland, especially at Magee College and other institutions in Derry, and also at: Ulster University at Coleraine (UUC); Ulster University at Jordanstown (UUJ); The Queen's University of Belfast (Queen's or QUB); and the University of Galway (formerly NUI Galway). New Jersey P.H. Her mother was Grace, but the inscription of her father is hard to read. Life in County Donegal Between the 18th The story of a Donegal village, the history of modern Ireland Breandn Mac Suibhne offers an extraordinary, provocative view of rural Ireland Christopher Kissane Sat Nov 25 2017 - 06:00 The. Historically, the eastern boundary of the kingdom of Tr Chonaill was demarcated by the River Foyle. Sommer Lecky also achieved silver in the World Junior High Jump 2018. Within Ulster, only the O'Neill Clan of modern County Tyrone were more powerful. He joined the Victorian Education Department as a teacher rising to Chief Inspector of Schools and being awarded a Bachelor of Arts from Melbourne University. [23], Owing to its scenic landscape and "world-class wilderness", Donegal was named National Geographic's "Coolest place on the Planet" in 2017. Located in the northwest corner of Ireland, Donegal is the island's northernmost county. In 2007, Donegal won only their second national title by winning the National Football League. [5] Derry, together with west Tyrone, was henceforward in a new, different jurisdiction which remained within the United Kingdom, a jurisdiction officially called Northern Ireland. Game Licences in North-West Ulster in 1802. the disfranchised borough, sea-port and market-towns of, the disfranchised borough and market-town of, several other small towns and villages, of which. The Burndale river rises in Lough Dale in the mountains of Cark, and flowing eastward, joins the Foyle: it is navigable to Ballindrait for vessels of 12 tons. However, the greater economic and administrative integration with Northern Ireland, following the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998, has been of benefit to the county. [10] She died in Drumnasillagh. Agriculture, as a system, however, is not much practised except among the resident gentry, by whom great improvements are annually made. Athletics has been one of the most successful sports in Donegal over the years with numerous athletes from County Donegal going on to represent Ireland at the international level, with at least five winning medals at major events. The modern County Arms of County Donegal (dating from the early 1970s) was influenced by the design of the old O'Donnell royal arms. Almost certainly not, Forget carrots, tomatoes, peppers: Here are the best vegetables to grow, Luxembourg landlord Marc Godart sublet Mountjoy Square property for decade, despite having lease for just two years, Stocktake: A handful of tech giants are driving almost all US market gains, ATU: More than 600 programmes, from pre-degree to doctoral level. The 129km long River Erne, Ireland's ninth-longest river, enters Donegal Bay near the town of Ballyshannon. The number of voters registered in January 1836, was 1745; of whom 181 were free-holders of 50, 169 of 20, and 1159 of 10 per ann. Forest cover is not evenly spread across the county and some areas, such as Pettigo and around Lough Derg, are very heavily forested, while more exposed coastal and upland areas are virtually barren. Elections to the County Council take place every five years. The early 18th century exodus was thought to be mainly Presbyterians who went to North America and beyond in search of religious freedom, land and a better life. The father and mother are Robert and Mary and the fathers occupation is Land Steward. Rose A, McGee b. Oct. 5, 1847 and died Jan 2, 1929, James McGee b. July 12, 1849 and died Dec 20, 1919, Grace McGee b. June 30, 1851 death unknown, John McGee b. Sep 10, 1853 died Feb 1923 Union Hill, Hudson County NJ (My 1st great grandfather), HUgh McGee b.1858 d,Jan 5 1903 Butte, Silver Bow County,Montana, Mary McGee b. Oct 2, 1859 d.March 22, 1862 Mauch Chuck, Carbon County PA, buried with mother Eunice. Parks, H.M. 1958. Singer Daniel O'Donnell has become a popular ambassador for the county. Ireland, Researcher: Mrs Joan Patton Vast numbers of County Donegal's people emigrated at this time, chiefly through Foyle Port. the 1800s & Early 1900s. What became the City of Derry was officially part of County Donegal up until 1610. For some decades towards the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, female emigration exceeded that of males. The first vote was to allow rural constituencies to elect a disproportionate number of TDs. The area's attractions include Glenveagh National Park (formerly part of the Glenveagh Estate). It records Irish, English, Scottish, and Welsh immigrants arriving in US ports on many different ships, from many different ports. The partition of Ireland in the early 1920s had a massive direct impact on County Donegal. During his absence, his brother-in-law, Nial O'Donnel, and his brothers were prevailed upon to join the English, and to give them possession of Lifford, which they fortified. In 1830 it was ascertained that the shoals had returned, and the fishery consequently revived, insomuch that the value of the take in 1834 exceeded 50,000, and in the two succeeding seasons has been still greater. Train services along the BelfastDerry railway line run, via Coleraine railway station, to Belfast Lanyon Place and Belfast Great Victoria Street railway stations. As in the national schools where McGlynn had worked, Christ and Caesar were now hand in glove. Larger glacial lakes formed in the county's distinctive U-shaped valleys, such as Lough Beagh and Gartan Lough in Glenveagh, and Dunlewey Lough and Lough Nacung Upper in the Poisoned Glen. Due to interbreeding, most of the deer in the county are now a Sika-Red deer hybrid. SOURCE:A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis(pub 1837). The three-week-long summer Gaeltacht courses give young Irish people from other parts of the country a chance to learn the Irish language and traditional Irish cultural traditions that are still prevalent in parts of Donegal. However, although detachments of the Royal Irish Army were stationed there, the Dublin authorities were unable to establish control over Tr Chonaill and Inishowen until after the Battle of Kinsale in 1602. findmypast. The project was plagued with setbacks and closed in 1870, just ten years after its completion. [32] In 2001, the golden eagle was re-introduced into Glenveagh National Park and is currently Ireland's only breeding population. also ran a line from Strabane through The Laggan, a district in the east of the county, along the River Foyle into Derry. I enjoyed going through the information though. County Donegal was voted number one on The National Geographic Traveller (UK) 'cool list' for 2017,[71]. It shows the protagonists of the battle and names them in script and records the point in the battle when the River Ern was crossed. This page was last edited on 27 April 2023, at 12:23. Did acts of betrayal make the people and the place? [58] There are three Irish-speaking parishes: Gweedore, The Rosses and Cloughaneely. Ulster Qualifying League Three sides include Ballyshannon RFC, Donegal Town RFC and Inishowen RFC. The marine macroalgae of County Donegal, Ireland. In contrast Valentia Island, a similarly placed coastal station in the southwest of Ireland records just 3. Many of these people initially emigrated from Scotland to Ireland for the same reasons. Donegalmountains, comprehending all the remainder of the county, is interspersed with fertile valleys and tracts of good land, especially in the baronies of Kilmacrenan and Ennishowen. In lowland areas, snow - while still relatively infrequent - is more common than in the rest of Ireland. Donegal, Irish Dn na nGall ("Fort of the Foreigners"), most northerly county of Ireland, in the historic province of Ulster. http://donegalgenealogy.com/swdonegansteachers.htm. [18] While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they ceased to have any administrative function following the Local Government Act 1898, and any changes to county boundaries after the mid-19th century are not reflected in their extent.