Greencastle () is a commercial fishing port located in the north-east of the
Inishowen
Inishowen () is a peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. Inishowen is the largest peninsula on the island of Ireland.
The Inishowen peninsula includes Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head. The Grianan of Aileach, a ringfort ...
Peninsula on the north coast of
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 ...
in
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
, Ireland. The port is on the western shores of
Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle ( or "loch of the lip"), is the estuary of the River Foyle, on the north coast of Ireland. It lies between County Londonderry in Northern Ireland and County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. Sovereignty over ...
. Nowadays, given the decline in the fishing industry, it resembles more closely a 'typical' Donegal holiday village. It is located a few miles from Moville and is about 20 miles from
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
. Greencastle's name comes from the castle in the area, which, in turn, may have derived its name from the green freestone with which it was built. The castle, originally built by the
Anglo-Normans
The Anglo-Normans ( nrf, Anglo-Normaunds, ang, Engel-Norðmandisca) were the medieval ruling class in England, composed mainly of a combination of ethnic Normans, French, Anglo-Saxons, Flemings and Bretons, following the Norman conquest. A sm ...
, is also known as
Northburgh Castle
Northburgh Castle, also known as Green Castle or Greencastle Castle, is a ruined late 13th / early 14th-century castle in Greencastle, a village and fishing port in the north of Inishowen, County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhú ...
.
History
The first proper pier was built in 1813 and has been added to several times since. Today, as well as being a tie-up for trawlers and inshore fishing boats and the home of the Greencastle Fishermen's Co-Op, the Foyle Fishermen's Co-Op and Fresco Seafoods, the pier also has a very different "catch". Visitors disembark from the
Magilligan
Magilligan () is a peninsula that lies in the northwest of County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, at the entrance to Lough Foyle, within Causeway Coast and Glens district. It is an extensive coastal site, part British army firing range, part ...
-Greencastle ferry which was inaugurated in 2002. The official website advertises the fact that this saves 78 km (or 49 miles) of driving, which would be through Derry. The Lough Foyle Ferry Company has also recently (2004) begun a
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 ...
ferry service that runs between
Buncrana
Buncrana ( ; ) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is beside Lough Swilly on the Inishowen peninsula, northwest of Derry and north of Letterkenny. In the 2016 census, the population was 6,785 making it the second most populous town in C ...
and Rathmullan seasonally. The pier also contains a newly built pilot office to replace the decommissioned pilot office at Carrickarory Pier.
Greencastle is also one of the disembarkation ports for cruise ships visiting Derry. Due to the tidal nature of the Foyle Estuary, it is sometimes too shallow for cruise ships to make their way to Lisahally docks in Derry. Stopping at Greencastle also saves 5 hours sailing round trip. However, passengers are required to disembark using tenders as, unlike Lisahally docks, the Greencastle pier was not designed to allow a cruise ship to dock.
The castle at Greencastle has been linked with the castle in the background of the Derry crest.
The castle was built in 1305 to provide a base for
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
* Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
* Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...
power in the North West. This building was named "Northburg". There is a more modern Martello Fort beside the Norman ruin. This was built by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
to stop
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
invading circa 1800.
The National Fisheries College (NFC) is located in Greencastle. The NFC recently completed a €1.1 million extension funded under the
INTERREG
Interreg is a series of programmes to stimulate cooperation between regions in and out of the European Union (EU), funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The first Interreg started in 1989. Interreg IV covered the period 2007–2013. I ...
11 Initiative, thus providing better facilities including a realistic simulator bridge deck.
In 2011, it was rumoured (against a backdrop in which a private company was seeking to establish a private marina in the public harbour) that visiting yachts had been turned away during a storm. A subsequent Garda investigation found that these accusations had no foundation.
Notable people
* William FitzSimons (1870-1926) - Australian politician who was born in Greencastle.
*
Brian Friel
Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription req ...
(1929-2015) - Playwright who lived in Greencastle from 1982 until his death in 2015.
*
Mark Farren
Mark Farren (1 May 1982 – 3 February 2016) was an Irish footballer who played as a forward for Derry City in his prime.Derry City player.
See also
*
List of populated places in the Republic of Ireland
This is a link page for cities, towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland, including townships or urban centres in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and other major urban areas. Cities are shown in bold; see City status in Ireland for a ...