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 recog ...

'' 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 origi ...

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 Tyrconne ...

, 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 Gaelicisation, or Gaelicization, is the act or process of making something Gaelic, or gaining characteristics of the ''Gaels'', a sub-branch of celticisation. The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group, traditionally viewed as having spread from Irel ...

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 Tyrconne ...

mainland.

Economy

Downings used to be a significant fishing port with a substantial

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...

fleet. Today, however, the economy survives on tourism, and only three

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

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 of the genus ''Thunnus ''Thunnus'' is a genus of ocean-dwelling, ray-finned bony fish from the mackerel family, Scombridae. More specifically, ''Thunnus'' is one of five ...

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, Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three glaci ...

. 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 ''Rosapenna'' is a novel published in 1983 by the Norwegian writer Ola Bauer. The book introduced Belfast and Northern Ireland into Norwegian literature. Context The novel is the fourth in a series about the character "Jo Vendt". The first book, ...

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 t ...

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

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

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 ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

'' 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 Downies is a cliff-top village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland situated on Cammachmore Bay. Historically Downies was a fishing village, until much of the local North Sea fishery collapsed from overfishing; presently Downies is chiefly a residenti ...

Towns and villages in County Donegal