Burtonport
Ailt an Chorráin
Burtonport | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 | |
  Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 54°58′56″N 8°26′04″W / 54.982293°N 8.434324°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Ulster |
| County | County Donegal |
| Government | |
| • Dáil Éireann | Donegal |
| Population (2016)[1] | |
| • Total | 304 |
| Irish Grid Reference | B717154 |
| As this is a Gaeltacht village, the Irish Ailt an Chorráin is the only official name. However, the name 'Burtonport' remains in widespread use. | |
Ailt an Chorráin or Ailt a' Chorráin (English name: Burtonport)[2] is a Gaeltacht fishing village about 7 km northwest of Dungloe in The Rosses district of County Donegal, Ireland.
The main employers in the village are the Burtonport Fishermen's Co-op and the Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM; Irish Sea Fisheries Board) ice plant.
History
A plaque there commemorates the brief landing on the nearby island of Inishmacadurn (or Rutland Island) of a French military force led by James Napper Tandy in a failed attempt to assist rebels during the 1798 rebellion on 16 September 1798.
St Columba's Church dates from 1899.
In 1974, a commune called Atlantis Primal Therapy Commune was established in Burtonport by Jenny James. The commune, which came to be known as The Screamers for its practice of primal therapy, later moved to the island of Inishfree in 1980.[3]
From 1982 to 1992 Burtonport was the home of the Silver Sisterhood, a new religious movement. Members believed that God was a woman.
Transport
As the mainland port for both the Arranmore car ferry service and the Arranmore fast ferry passenger service, Burtonport receives some passing tourist traffic.
Burtonport had a railway service from Letterkenny between 1903 and 1940 provided by the Letterkenny & Burtonport Extension Railway (L&BER), a company jointly owned by the State and the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway (L&LSR). Burtonport railway station opened on 9 March 1903, but finally closed on 3 June 1940.[4]
People
- Major-General Joe Sweeney, Irish military commander and politician who served as both an MP and as a TD
- Packie Bonner is from the area around Burtonport
- Pat "the Cope" Gallagher, Fianna Fáil politician
- Peadar O'Donnell, novelist, leftist, and prominent IRA activist from the 1920-1930s era, was born in Burtonport
- Joseph Duffy, martial artist and UFC fighter, is from Burtonport
See also
References
- ^ "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Ailt An Chorráin". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). Retrieved 5 June 2018.
- ^ Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004
- ^ Dunne, Aidan (7 November 2017). "The screaming cult makes its way to Galway". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ^ "Burtonport station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
