Main Street ( ga, An Phríomhshráid) is an important thoroughfare in

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the R ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

, Ireland. Sometimes claimed to be the longest street in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, it is divided into two sections, with Lower Main Street (the south end) running from the junction at Oldtown Road to the

Market Square The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.Upper Main Street (the north end) running from the Market Square to the junction at Crossview House. Traffic flows in a

one-way system One-way traffic (or uni-directional traffic) is traffic that moves in a single direction. A one-way street is a street either facilitating only one-way traffic, or designed to direct vehicles to move in one direction. One-way streets typical ...

from Crossview House southwards.

History

Theobald Wolfe Tone Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone ( ga, Bhulbh Teón; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members in Belfast and Dublin of the United Irishmen, a republican socie ...

was captured and held on the street during the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influence ...

. He was held for a short time at Laird's Hotel opposite the Market Square before being transferred to the nearby

Derry Gaol Derry Gaol, also known as Londonderry Gaol, refers to one of several gaols (prisons) constructed consecutively in Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Derry Gaol is notable as a place of incarceration for Irish Republican Army (IRA) m ...

. The Wolfe Tone Bar was established in his honour and is located on Lower Main Street on the site of the old Garda barracks. The Barracks building had been there since the 1850s and was an RIC Barracks up to 1922.

Hiring fair Hiring fairs, also called statute or mop fairs, were regular events in pre-modern Great Britain and Ireland where labourers were hired for fixed terms. They date from the time of Edward III, and his attempt to regulate the labour market by the St ...

s (often known as 'the Rabble Day') were held in Letterkenny in years gone by when children between the ages of 11 and 16 were hired for periods of six months to wealthy farmers of the Laggan district of East County Donegal. These 'Rabble Days' were held annually in May and November at Speer's Lane, at the corner of Upper Main Street. The monument ''Rabble Children'' by Maurice Harron was erected at the Market Square in December 1994. Regeneration works were carried out on Lower Main street in late 1996. Footpaths were widened and cobblestones were placed on the street at the junction with Larkin's Lane. These cobblestones were removed in 2008. The street was the main location of events when the town hosted the

Fleadh Cheoil The Fleadh Cheoil (; meaning "festival of music") is an Irish music festival run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ), a non-profit organisation. The festival includes live music events as well as competition. Each year a single town or city ...

in 2005 and 2006. The Lower Main Street pavements have since fallen into a higgledy-piggledy bad state of repair which has led to calls from the local council for re-paving to be carried out. On 3 May 2019, the 114th Infantry Battalion of the

Irish Army The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The Ar ...

marched through the town in advance of its

UNIFIL The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon ( ar, قوة الأمم المتحدة المؤقتة في لبنان, he, כוח האו"ם הזמני בלבנון), or UNIFIL ( ar, يونيفيل, he, יוניפי״ל), is a UN peacekeeping m ...

deployment to

Southern Lebanon Southern Lebanon () is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The Rashaya and Western Beqaa Districts, the southernmost distric ...

. Ireland's largest overseas mission to date, the town was selected in recognition of County Donegal providing the largest contingent of troops to the mission (many of the others being from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and other

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

counties). The ceremony began on the playing fields of

St Eunan's College St Eunan's College ( ; ga, Coláiste Adhamhnáin), known locally as The College to distinguish it from the cathedral and GAA club, is a voluntary Roman Catholic all-male secondary day school (and former boarding school) in County Donegal, Ire ...

(upon which the Minister with Responsibility for Defence

Paul Kehoe Paul Kehoe (born 11 January 1973) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wexford constituency since 2002. He was appointed Chair of the Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovat ...

gave a speech) before troops descended towards the

Cathedral of St Eunan and St Columba St Eunan's Cathedral ( ), or the Cathedral of St Eunan and St Columba as it is also known, is a cathedral in the parish of Conwal and Leck, part of the Diocese of Raphoe. Built between the years of 1890 and 1900, the cathedral is found in Lette ...

and along towards the building housing local publication, the ''

Donegal News The ''Donegal News'' (also known as ''Derry People/Donegal News'' and formerly ''Derry People'') is a twice-weekly local newspaper in the northwest of the island of Ireland, first published in 1902. Originally covering Derry, Northern Ireland, it ...

''. This brought 114th Infantry Battalion the top of this street, down which they proceeded as far as

Letterkenny Library and Arts Centre The Letterkenny Library and Arts Centre is located on St. Oliver Plunkett Road in the County Donegal town. It is the central library in the county and is an integral part of Donegal County Council's arts provision. It is the first arts centre op ...

, at which point the troops passed down the adjacent street named in honour of the saint,

Oliver Plunkett Oliver Plunkett (or Oliver Plunket) ( ga, Oilibhéar Pluincéid), (1 November 1625 – 1 July 1681) was the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland who was the last victim of the Popish Plot. He was beatified in 1920 and c ...

Description

Main Street once served as the main shopping area in the town but trade has now shifted further afield. It is also acts as the

financial services Financial services are the Service (economics), economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit-card companies, insurance companies, acco ...

centre of the town with the majority of banks being located there. Today the street is a centre for popular

night clubs A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

such as

Club Voodoo Voodoo is a Bar (establishment), bar and nightclub in Letterkenny, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It opened in April 2006 and is located on Main Street. Facilities Voodoo was designed by its former owners Jason and Sharon Black a ...

. It is a popular nightspot at weekends, being the location of many

stag Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

and hen parties. The street can become quite vicious in the early hours of the morning and this has led many local to steer clear. The area has seen numerous assaults, stabbings, sexual assaults, drug raids, and attacks on Gardaí in the past. In February 2020, the ''

'' reported that "from the Quiet Moment down to the Lower Main Street roundabout there are around 40 vacant commercial properties, not including any commercial vacancies in shopping centres or on side streets"; this total included five consecutive vacant commercial units on the corner of Main Street and Market Square, including a barber shop and the former discount shop "Pounds & Pence", located beside the "Funland" amusement arcade.

Shopping centres

The

Courtyard Shopping Centre The Courtyard Shopping Centre is a retail complex in County Donegal, Ireland, located in central Letterkenny. Location The centre is in central Letterkenny, close to the Library and Arts Centre, on the Lower Main Street side and the Bank of ...

has an entrance close to the midpoint of Letterkenny's Main Street. Located in central Letterkenny, close to the Library and Arts Centre on the Lower Main Street side and the

Bank of Ireland Bank of Ireland Group plc ( ga, Banc na hÉireann) is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Iris ...

on the Upper Main Street side, it also overlooks Pearse Street and Oliver Plunkett Street. The structure is built spirally on a slope so, if approached from the Main Street entrance, the visitor, when making their way through the complex, descends into the ground via a series of escalators. Letterkenny's oldest Eason's bookstore and

Heatons Heatons is an Irish department store, established in 1946. The store specialises in fashion, homeware and sporting goods. They have 21 stores around Ireland, 20 in the Republic of Ireland and one in the Northern Ireland town of Enniskillen. Th ...

department store are among the outlets to be found inside. The Market Centre is a small shopping centre located opposite the Market Square. It has a gathering of shops spread around a flat shopping mall.

Lower

Lower Main Street begins southwest of the Market Square. Speers Department Store, one of the oldest businesses extant in Letterkenny, is situated here. The same side of the street features the

Ulster Bank Ulster Bank ( ga, Banc Uladh) is a large retail bank, and one of the traditional Big Four Irish clearing banks. The Ulster Bank Group is subdivided into two separate legal entities: National Westminster Bank, trading as Ulster Bank (registere ...

, on the junction with Market Square, and, below this,

Veritas Veritas is the name given to the Roman virtue of Honesty, truthfulness, which was considered one of the main virtues any good Roman should possess. The Greek goddess of truth is Aletheia (Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek: ). The German phi ...

and Clarkes Newsagent. The

is located on the other side of the street, on the junction with Oliver Plunkett Road, onto which its main entrance opens. Below the Library and on the same side of the street is the Yellow Pepper Restaurant (at number 36) and the Donegal Stationery Company (at number 50), which has been in business as part of the Donegal Printing Company since 1912 and parted from its parent company and relocated to its current premises in 2001. Above the library is the

and the 4 Lanterns

fast food restaurant A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast-food cuisine and has minimal table service. The food served in fast-food restaurants is typically ...

. At the street's conclusion, past Larkin's Lane, can be seen Letterkenny's earliest

Dunnes Stores Dunnes Stores is an Irish multinational retail chain that primarily sells food, clothes and household wares. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland, the chain also has operations in Spain, and formerly in England and Scotland. The fo ...

outlet, while the Tin Tai, a prominent and often busy Chinese restaurant, is also nearby, on the right turn towards

Convent Road Convent Road ( ga, Bóthar an Chlochair) is located to the north of Letterkenny, County Donegal, in the parish of Conwal and Leck, Ireland. It is situated beside the Cathedral of St Eunan and St Columba. Cathedral Road forms a link with Convent ...

Upper

Upper Main Street ranges from north-east of the Market Square until it bisects onto the Ramelton and High Roads close to Speer's Lane and Justice Walsh Road. The Central Bar, Letterkenny's oldest such establishment, has been in existence since 1808. R. McCullagh Jewellers, which dates from 1869, is situated nearby on the same side of the street, between Market Square and Church Lane. Magees Pharmacy, which dates from 1928, is found on the opposite side of the street. It has family ties with Brian McCormick Sports & Leisure (BMC Sports), which is located on the other side of the street, near the Pat's Pizza restaurant (at its current location since 1990, having started at Market Square in 1984) and McGarrigles Shoes, which was established in 1981 and opened its doors in 1982 and went on to become an institution on the street. Letterkenny's main

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

is situated above Magees Pharmacy. Long queues of

dole Dole may refer to: Places * Dole, Ceredigion, Wales * Dole, Idrija, Slovenia * Dole, Jura, France ** Arrondissement of Dole * Dole (Kladanj), a village at the entity line of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina-Republika Srpska * Dole, Ljubušk ...

recipients and pensioners congregate here to collect their money. Further up, close to the adjoining Justice Walsh Road, are AIB and

Permanent TSB Permanent TSB Group Holdings plc, formerly Irish Life and Permanent plc is a provider of personal financial services in Ireland. Irish Life Assurance plc and the Irish Permanent Building Society merged to form the Irish Life and Permanent Group ...

. Further down, close to the adjoining Rosemount Lane, are O'Hehirs Bakery Cafe and the site of the now shuttered Dolphin Cafe. There are clothing outlets such as the County Seat, which opened on in December 1977 beside the old Dillons Supermarket, moved to Lower Main Street in 1999 and then back to Upper Main Street (number 5) in 2013; it provides school uniforms for the younger population of Letterkenny and others throughout the county.

Other activities

The Main Street has seen numerous assaults, stabbings, sexual assaults, drug raids and attacks on Gardaí in the past. In August 2009, the Lower Main Street was nearly blown-up when a severed gas pipe was discovered in an alleyway. The street was sealed off as the gas spread around the area. Occupants in nearby buildings were evacuated while attendants at the Wolfe Tone Bar were kept inside for fear of igniting the gas. A gas engineer later shut off the supply of gas from the meter. In 2011, a Garda and three nightclub bouncers were repeatedly stabbed outside the Voodoo Nightclub. One of the bouncers had his leg penetrated by the blade while the Garda had his hand slashed.Stabbing incident Letterkenny Co Donegal
An Garda Síochána, 14 August 2011

References

External links

Rabble Days Rabble Days in Letterkenny

{{Letterkenny Geography of Letterkenny Shopping districts and streets in Ireland