Dunkineely
| Dunkineely Dún Cionnaola
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| — Town — | |
 Dunkineely
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| Coordinates: 54°38′10″N 8°26′40″W / 54.6361°N 8.4444°WCoordinates: 54°38′10″N 8°26′40″W / 54.6361°N 8.4444°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Ulster |
| County | County Donegal |
| Government | |
| • Dáil Éireann | Donegal South West |
| • EU Parliament | North–West |
| Elevation | 150 m (492 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Urban | 363 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Area code(s) | 074, +000 353 74 |
| Irish Grid Reference | G711767 |
| Website | www.dunkineelytown.com |
Dunkineely (Irish: Dún Cionnaola, meaning "Kinealy's fort") is a small village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is situated 11 miles from the town of Donegal and 6 miles from Killybegs on the N56 National secondary road. It is a small single street village with a population of around 300 in its surroundings. There is a dun on the edge of the village from which Dunkineely derives its name. The village lies at the top of St John's Point, a narrow peninsula jutting seven miles into Donegal Bay, which boasts beautiful sceenary and is a world renowned diving site.
Dunkineely lies at approximately 150m above sea level.
Dunkineely is the larger of two villages in the parish of Killaghtee, the other being Bruckless, now the location of the R.C. parish church. Nearby is the ancient parish church of Killaghtee. In the old graveyard there is one of the oldest celtic crosses in Ireland, the Killaghtee Cross. The population is a mix of Roman Catholic and Protestant (Methodist and Church of Ireland). Employment in the area relies on seasonal fishing and mixed agriculture as well as service and light industry in the nearby towns of Killybegs and Donegal.
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[edit] Facilities
3 local industries in the village comprise of a fish processing factory, a net making factory and architectural design and fabrication factory. Services in Dunkineely include a shop , cafe, several garages, a fishing tackle shop/florist, auctioneers, 4 bars (Mac's Bar, Mac Laughlin's Bar, McGuire's Bar, McIntyre's Bar), a radio communications shop, 2 butchers and a hostel. There are several B&B's in the locality. Castle Murray House, a noted local restaurant, is located just 2 km outside the village on Saint Johns Point. Until recently, Dunkineely boasted seven bars but is now reduced to four to serve its population of 300 houses. McIntyre's bar hosts a weekly Irish traditional music session. There is also a National School, Garda Station, Community Centre, GAA pitch and soccer pitch. The local radio station is South West Donegal Community Radio 88.6 FM.
[edit] Sport
The local Gaelic Athletic Association club is named Naomh Ultan. The local football team is Dunkineely Celtic.
[edit] Transport
Dunkineely railway station opened on 18 August 1893, and closed on 1 January 1960.[1] Dunkineely lies on the main N56 road between Donegal Town and Killybegs. A regular bus service operates along this route.
[edit] Festival
Every year in the month of July or August the town hosts a 3 day weekend Summer Street Festival. Events over the years have included a parade through the town, soap box derby races, live bands, pub quizzes, sporting competitions, classic car show, wheelie bin races and digger and tractor driving competitions. The 2010 Dunkineely Summer Street Festival takes place between the 27–29 August.
[edit] Famous people
- Joseph Brennan, former TD and Ceann Comhairle
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Dunkineely station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
