Ramelton
| Ramelton Ráth Mealtáin
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| — Town — | |
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 Ramelton
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| Coordinates: 55°03′03″N 8°14′08″W / 55.050941°N 8.235626°WCoordinates: 55°03′03″N 8°14′08″W / 55.050941°N 8.235626°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Ulster |
| County | County Donegal |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Urban | 1,088 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | B847228 |
Ramelton (Irish: Ráth Mealtáin) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its population is 1,088 (2006).
Ramelton is situated at the mouth of the River Lennon, 11 km north of Letterkenny and 4 km east of Milford, on the western shores of Lough Swilly. The town is named from Ráth Mealtáin, (Irish for "the fort of Mealtan"), an early Gaelic chieftain. The fort is said to lie under the ruins of a medieval castle of the O'Donnells, the ruling family of West Donegal before their exile to mainland Europe in 1607.
Ramelton was settled by English and Scots planters during the Ulster Plantation of the 17th century and is the site of the oldest Presbyterian church in Ireland.
The town was the setting for the 1995 television program "The Hanging Gale", which told of the Potato Famine of the 19th century. The town hosts the Lennon Festival, a village fair, since 1970. Ramelton is a Fáilte Ireland designated Heritage Town.
[edit] Famous people
- Dave Gallaher, All Blacks Rugby captain
- Conrad Logan, professional footballer
- Francis Makemie, clergyman, often referred to as the founder of Presbyterianism in the United States
- The town is also associated with the Russell and Buchanan families, ancestors of James Buchanan, fifteenth President of the US
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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