Downings or Downies () is a ''

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially reco ...

'' village and

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

on the

Rosguill Rosguill (Irish language and official name: Ros Goill)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 Tyrconn ...

, Ireland. The village is on the shores of

Sheephaven Bay Sheephaven Bay ( ga, Cuan na gCaorach) is a broad, shallow inlet on the north coast of County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland. Bounded by the peninsulae of Rosguill, to the east and Horn Head ( ga, Corrán Binne) to the west, the bay is relatively p ...

on the north coast of Ireland.

Name

As the village is in a ''

'' district, its official name is , its name in the

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

. The name probably means 'The Forts', referring to the wealth of

hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

s in the area.Patrick McKay, ''A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names'', p. 59. The Institute of Irish Studies,

The Queen's University of Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

, Belfast, 1999. The full original Irish name seems to have been . Or the name could be a hibernicisation of the English name, to describe the sandy dunes connecting the peninsula to the

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 Tyrconn ...

mainland.

Economy

Downings used to be a significant fishing port with a substantial herring fleet. Today, however, the economy survives on tourism, and only three crab boats make a traditional living from the sea. Situated as it is in

, one of the safest anchorages on the north coast of Ireland, Downings has begun to cater for international game fishermen, the northwest of Ireland being on the migration route of

bluefin tuna Bluefin tuna is a common name used to refer to several species of tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, th ...

and other game species.

History

In 2007 local divers recovered a gun from the wreck of HMS at the mouth of

Lough Swilly Lough Swilly () in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three glacial fjords ...

. The gun is now mounted beside Downings Pier.

Recreation

The dunes that link the Rosguill peninsula to the mainland are also home to the Rosapenna Links course designed by

Old Tom Morris Thomas Mitchell Morris (16 June 1821 – 24 May 1908), otherwise known as Old Tom Morris, and The Grand Old Man of Golf, was a Scottish golfer. He was born in St Andrews, Fife, the "home of golf" and location of the St Andrews Links, and died ...

, and although the original hotel and clubhouse that was patronised by the likes of John Wayne and

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

burnt down in the sixties, the new buildings seek to emulate the charm of the originals. Downings is the start and finish of the Atlantic Drive, one of the most dramatic scenic routes in Ireland.

People

The Most Rev. The Most Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures, primarily within the historic denominations of Christianity, but occasionally in some more modern traditions also. It is a variant of the more common style "The Reverend". Anglic ...

Dr Philip Boyce, Lord Bishop '' Emeritus'' of Raphoe. He served as the Lord Bishop of Raphoe from October 1995 to June 2017. *

Maxi Curran Maxi Curran is a Gaelic football manager from Downings, County Donegal. He attended Mulroy College in Milford for his secondary education. Curran succeeded McGuinness as Donegal under-21 football team manager on 19 January 2012. He has also b ...

, Gaelic football manager

References

External links

Downings GAA Club
{{County Donegal Gaeltacht places in County Donegal Gaeltacht towns and villages Downies Towns and villages in County Donegal