Gort an Choirce or Gort a' Choirce (; meaning "oat field"), anglicised as Gortahork, is a 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 ...

in the northwest of County Donegal,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. It 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 ...

community, where 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 wa ...

is the main language spoken in the area. Along with Falcarragh, it forms part of the district known as

Cloughaneely Cloughaneely (official name: ) is a district in the west of County Donegal, Ireland. This is a mainly coastal area with a population of over 4,000 centred on the towns of Falcarragh () and Gortahork (). It is a Gaeltacht area, meaning the Iris ...

Irish language

According to the 2016 census the population of Gort an Choirce was 185, with 41.6% of people speaking Irish on a daily basis outside the education system. This makes it 8th highest town by percentage of daily Irish speakers in Ireland.

Name

The official name of the townland is Gort an Choirce (anglicised to ''Gortahork''), meaning "oat field". The townland is within the Roman Catholic parish of ''Críost Rí'' (Christ the King) and the Church of Ireland parish of Tullaghobegley East.

History

Evidence of ancient habitation in the townland includes a number of ring forts and souterrains in the area. The village has a history of local enterprise, shops, forges, hotels, post office halls, and other meeting places for the communities in the surrounding areas. It is claimed that a Charlie McGee, from Inishbofin, four miles offshore from Gort a' Choirce, was the first person to have been killed in the

1916 Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

. McGee, who was a member of the

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...

(RIC), was shot on duty while in

Castlebellingham Castlebellingham () is a village and townland in County Louth, Ireland. The village has become quieter since the construction of the new M1 motorway, which bypasses it. The population of Castlebellingham-Kilsaran (named for the two townlands whi ...

County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...

. He was brought home to be buried in Gortahork, where an RIC tombstone now lies over his grave. In 2006, ''Coláiste Uladh'' (the Ulster College) celebrated its centenary. Among those who attended the college were

Pádraig Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ga, Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist, republican political activist and revolutionary who ...

Joseph Mary Plunkett Joseph Mary Plunkett ( Irish: ''Seosamh Máire Pluincéid''; 21 November 1887 – 4 May 1916) was an Irish nationalist, republican, poet, journalist, revolutionary and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Joseph Mary Plunkett married Grace Gi ...

and

Roger Casement Roger David Casement ( ga, Ruairí Dáithí Mac Easmainn; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during Wor ...

– three participants in the 1916 Rising.

Community

The arts community in the area includes visual artists, poets, singers, musicians and others from or attracted to the area. Gort a' Choirce has been home to a documentary film festival which, in its first year, screened 30 films from 15 different countries. Gortahork is mentioned in the opening lines of the

Christy Moore Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. In addition to his significant success as an individual, he is one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts. His first album, ...

song ''Lisdoonvarna''. The village is a base for wind surfers who come to Machaire Uí Rabhartaigh Beach.

Notable people

;Natives include: * Cathal Ó Searcaigh, poet * Micí Mac Gabhann, author of Irish language book ''Rotha Mór an tSaoil'' * Breandán Mac Cnáimhsí, translator and RTÉ newsreader ;Residents include: *

Gerry Adams Gerard Adams ( ga, Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh; born 6 October 1948) is an Irish republican politician who was the president of Sinn Féin between 13 November 1983 and 10 February 2018, and served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Louth from 2011 to 202 ...

, President of Sinn FéinSunday Independent Life, 15 June 2008 * Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, journalist

References

{{Authority control Cloughaneely Gaeltacht places in County Donegal Gaeltacht towns and villages