Raphoe ( ; ) is a historical village in
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. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was later divided into the baronies of
Raphoe North and
Raphoe South, as well as to the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe
:''See Diocese of Derry and Raphoe for the Anglican (Church of Ireland) counterpart
The Diocese of Raphoe ( ; ga, Deoise Ráth Bhoth) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in County Donegal in Ulster, Irel ...
and the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...
(
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
)
Diocese of Derry and Raphoe
The Diocese of Derry and Raphoe is a diocese of the Church of Ireland in the north-west of Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. Its geographical remit straddles two civil jurisdictions: in Northern Ireland, it covers all of ...
.
The
Burn Dale
The Burn Dale (Irish: ''An Daoil'', meaning 'the Black One' Patrick McKay, ''A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names'', p. 54. The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, 1999.) is a burn or small river in the east of ...
(also known in English as the Burn Deele) is a ''
burn
A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...
'' (a small river) that flows a short distance to the south of Raphoe. The Burn Dale eventually flows, via the village of
Ballindrait
Ballindrait () is a townland, village and census town in County Donegal, Ireland. Located near Lifford, the village and townland of Ballindrait is in the civil parish of Clonleigh and the barony of Raphoe North. The Burn Dale flows through th ...
, into the
River Foyle just north of
Lifford
Lifford (, historically anglicised as ''Liffer'') is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland, the administrative centre of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken as holding th ...
.
Name
''Raphoe'', historically ''Raffoe'',
[Placenames Database of Ireland](_blank)
(see archival records) comes from the
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
''Ráth Bhoth'', which is made up of the words ''ráth'' (fort) and ''both'' (hut). This likely refers to clay and wattle huts surrounded with a strong fortified mound. It is believed these huts were built by monks in the early Christian period.
History
The rich agricultural land around Raphoe has been inhabited and cultivated for thousands of years, and evidence of this can be seen through monuments such as the
Beltany stone circle
Beltany is a Bronze Age stone circle just south of Raphoe town in County Donegal, Ireland. It dates from circa 2100-700 BC. There is evidence that it may also have been the sacred site of Neolithic monuments, possibly early passage tombs. I ...
, just outside the town. The stone circle is one of the largest in Ireland with a diameter of and made up of more than sixty stones in all. The site is believed to date to around 2000 BC, and that it was originally an enclosed
cairn
A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ).
Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...
. Its name is believed to be linked to the Celtic festival of fertility
Beltane
Beltane () is the Gaelic May Day festival. Commonly observed on the first of May, the festival falls midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The festival name is synonymous with the month marking the ...
.
Around 550 AD
Columba
Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...
(also known as Colmcille), one of the three patron saints of Ireland, founded a monastic settlement in the area. This site was further developed by his kinsman
Eunan Eunan ( ) is a common name:
* Adomnán ( 679–704), abbot of Iona
* Eunan O'Halpin, Irish academic
* Eunan O'Kane (born 1990), Irish professional footballer
* Eunan O'Neill (born 1982), Irish television presenter
Eunan may also refer to:
* S ...
, (Irish form of the name
Adamnan), who gives his name to the town's cathedral and is the patron saint of the Diocese of Raphoe.
![Raphoe Castle - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Raphoe_Castle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1017810.jpg)
In 1198,
John de Courcy
{{Infobox noble
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, caption =
, alt =
, more = no
, succession =
, reign =
, predecessor =
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, ...
, a
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
knight who had invaded
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 ...
in 1177, returned to
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 ...
to devastate
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 ...
and on his way destroyed churches at
Ardstraw,
County Tyrone
County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...
, and Raphoe.
The design of the modern town is traced to the
Ulster Plantation
The Plantation of Ulster ( gle, Plandáil Uladh; Ulster-Scots: ''Plantin o Ulstèr'') was the organised colonisation (''plantation'') of Ulstera province of Irelandby people from Great Britain during the reign of King James I. Most of the set ...
of the early 17th century when the town was granted to English and Scottish settlers. It was these settlers who laid out the town with the 'Diamond' at its centre, in a similar manner to other Plantation towns like
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 ...
and
Donegal Donegal may refer to:
County Donegal, Ireland
* County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster
* Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland
* Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
.
Raphoe Castle
Built in the 1630s as the Bishop's Palace, the 'castle', which is now a ruin, was laid siege to during the
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1641) was an uprising by Irish Catholics in the Kingdom of Ireland, who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the plantatio ...
, captured by
Cromwell's troops in 1650 and was damaged by supporters of
King James II & VII in 1689.
Although still awaiting restoration, Raphoe Castle is probably the
most impressive castle in Donegal. In 1633,
John Leslie was translated from the Scottish See of the Isles to become the bishop of Raphoe. Marrying at the age of 67, absorbing the Bishopric of Clogher at the age of 90, Leslie dominated the area until his death, aged 100, in 1671. Feeling threatened in his new location, he built himself a new palace on a hill overlooking the town using stone from an ancient Round Tower in 1637. This proved fortuitous when a rebellion broke out in 1641 and the Bishop was forced to shelter in the "castle", as it has come to be known until relieved by the Lagganeer army. Eight years later, Leslie, a Royalist was besieged by Cromwellian troops. This time, he was forced to surrender but unlike virtually every other bishop in Ireland, Leslie survived and was returned to his see at the Restoration in 1660. A leading figure in the Established Church, Bishop Leslie was no friend of either Catholic or Non-conformist. In 1664, he ordered four dissenting Presbyterian ministers to appear before his court, and when they failed to appear, had them arrested and imprisoned in Lifford gaol.
A century later, in 1798, the castle was attacked again, this time by the United Irishmen, three of whom were killed. The castle was destroyed in an accidental fire in 1838
Raphoe Cathedral
St. Columcille and St. Eunan, ninth abbot of Iona, had churches at Raphoe in the fifth and sixth centuries. Several ninth-century blocks of stone can be found in the porch and in the north wall of the present cathedral. The southeast corner dates from the twelfth century. The latest building dates from the 1730s. The communion plate is also noteworthy.
Notable bishops include Bishop
George Montgomery, first Protestant bishop, 1605 to 1610, a Scot, who was mainly involved in reclaiming church lands, and Bishop
Andrew Knox, 1611 to 1633, who set about repairing and rebuilding the cathedral. A stone inscribed "And. Knox II. Epi. Cura", set in the porch, commemorates him. Bishop
John Leslie had formerly been a soldier and had his own private army which he led into battle. Bishop
Philip Twysden
Philip Twysden (1713–1752), was an Anglican clergyman who served in the Church of Ireland as Lord Bishop of Raphoe from 1747 to 1752. The circumstances of his death later became the subject of scandalous rumour.
Early life and family
He w ...
, 1747–1752, spent little time in Raphoe but squandered the family fortune in London; according to later reports, he was shot whilst robbing a stagecoach.
Sandy Montgomery, a kinsman of Bishop Montgomery lies within the churchyard. His inscription reads, "Here lyeth the Body of Alexander Montgomery Esq., who departed this Life 29 September 1800, aged 78. He Represented this once Independent Country, 32 years"
Beltany Stone Circle
On the summit of Beltany Hill, just over from Raphoe, there stands one of the finest stone circles in Ireland. Reputedly older than Stonehenge, it consists of 64 standing stones out of an original 80. The stones range in height from while the diameter of the circle is . Southeast of the circle is a standing stone high. Beltony is a corruption of Baal tine, the fire of Baal; this suggests that the inhabitants of this area worshipped Baal, the sun god, and ruler of nature. Tradition tells us that the principal ceremonies were performed at the summer solstice; a sacred fire was lit in the centre of the circle of stones, which represented the stars and fire of the sun god Baal.
Religion
The town lends its name to both the Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland dioceses, which covers nearly all except the very southern section 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 ...
including
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 ...
as well as
County Londonderry
County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...
and the northern section of
County Tyrone
County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...
in Northern Ireland. Raphoe's status has declined significantly in recent centuries, however, with the Anglican diocese being merged with Derry, while the Roman Catholic bishop now has his see in the larger town of
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 ...
. The
Church of Ireland Cathedral, built on the site of Columba's monastery, is named for St Eunan (as is the
Roman Catholic Cathedral in Letterkenny). There is also a
Presbyterian Church in Ireland
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI; ga, Eaglais Phreispitéireach in Éirinn; Ulster-Scots: ''Prisbytairin Kirk in Airlann'') is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the Republic of Ireland, and the largest Protestant denomination in ...
in Raphoe.
Transport
Raphoe railway station
The Strabane and Letterkenny Railway was a narrow gaugeJohnson's Atlas & Gazetteer of the Railways of Ireland, Stephen Johnson, Midland Publishing Limited, 1997, railway line between Strabane, County Tyrone and Letterkenny, County Donegal in ...
opened on 1 January 1909 and finally closed on 31 January 1959.
![Prior School, Raphoe - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Prior_School%2C_Raphoe_-_geograph.org.uk_-_998455.jpg)
The nearest railway station is operated by
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) ( ga, Iarnród Thuaisceart Éireann); and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways (UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose parent ...
and runs from
Londonderry railway station
Londonderry railway station, known commonly as Waterside railway station, is a railway terminus in Derry, Northern Ireland, on the east bank of the River Foyle, operated by Northern Ireland Railways. It is on the Belfast–Derry railway line, ...
via
Coleraine
Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...
to
Belfast Central railway station
Belfast Lanyon Place (formerly Belfast Central, and known colloquially as Central Station) is a railway station serving the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Located on Bridge Street in the Laganside area of central Belfast, it is one of fou ...
and
Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station
Great Victoria Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of two major stations in the city, along with , and is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being Lanyon Place ...
. The strategically important
Belfast-Derry railway line is to be upgraded to facilitate more frequent trains and improvements to the permanent way such as track and signalling to enable faster services.
Education
Raphoe has two secondary schools and two primary schools. The
Royal and Prior School
The Royal and Prior School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in Raphoe, County Donegal, Ireland. It was one of a number of 'free schools' created by James I in 1608 to provide an education to the sons of local merchants and far ...
is of the Protestant ethos and
Deele College
Deele College, formerly Raphoe Vocational School, is a mixed non-denominational secondary school in Raphoe, County Donegal, Ireland. The population of the school is roughly about 800 students and 50 teachers.
History
In 1958, the provision of a ...
is non-denominational.
Recent history
In recent years, Raphoe has come under the media spotlight following the establishment of the
Morris Tribunal to investigate allegations of corrupt and dishonest policing in the county by the
Garda Síochána
(; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...
. The Tribunal's second report related to Garda attempts to frame a local publican,
Frankie McBrearty, for the murder of cattle dealer Richie Barron.
On 27 August 2005, the first main
Royal Black Preceptory
The Royal Black Institution, the Imperial Grand Black Chapter Of The British Commonwealth, or simply the Black Institution,wikipedia:Manual of Style/Words to watch#Unsupported%20attributions">who?''/sup> argue is an Ulster syncretism of rit ...
demonstration in Ireland was held in Raphoe, although local preceptories have been parading in the county for decades.
Sir Gerry Robinson is an Irish businessman and television personality currently living in Raphoe. He is the former non-executive chairman of Allied Domecq and the ex-chairman/chief executive of Granada. He owns an estate on the outskirts of Raphoe named
Oakfield Park (often known locally as Stoney's Estate), which contains a Georgian country house and a botanical garden with a gauge
railway, the
Difflin Lake Railway
Oakfield Demesne is a house, grounds and townland in County Donegal, Ireland, originally built in 1739 for the Dean of Raphoe. Since 1996 it has been owned by Sir Gerry Robinson and his wife, Lady Heather Robinson. The demesne includes the 1 ...
. The gardens and railway are open to the public.
Notable people
*
Concobhar Ó Duibheannaigh (1532–1612) –
Roman Catholic bishop
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy Orders, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of Holy orders in the Catholic Church, holy orders and is responsible ...
and
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
*
Dr Ezekiel Nesbitt (1712–1798) – Physician; President of the
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), ( ga, Coláiste Ríoga Lianna na hÉireann) is an Irish professional body dedicated to improving the practice of general medicine and related medical specialities, chiefly through the accredit ...
*
Half Hung MacNaghten (1722–1761) –
Ulster-Scots landowner, gambler and convicted murderer
*
Sir James Hawkins-Whitshed, 1st
Bt. (1762–1849) –
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
officer; served in the American, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars;
Admiral of the Fleet
*
Sir Gerry Robinson (1948–2021) – businessman; former non-executive chairman of
Allied Domecq
Allied Domecq PLC was an international company, headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, that operated spirits, wine, and quick service restaurant businesses. It was once a FTSE 100 Index constituent but has been acquired by Pernod Ricard. They ...
and the ex-Chairman/Chief Executive of
Granada plc
Granada plc (previously called Granada Ltd, Granada Group plc, and Granada Media plc) was a British conglomerate best known as the parent from 1954 to 2004 of the Manchester-based Granada Television.
The company merged with Carlton Communica ...
*
Paul Hegarty
Paul Anthony Hegarty (born 25 July 1954 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish football player and manager. He was captain of Dundee United during their most successful era in the 1970s and 1980s, winning the Scottish league championship in 1983 and th ...
(born 1967) – football manager
Finn Harps
Finn Harps Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Chláirsigh na Finne) are an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. However, it was te ...
*
Frank McBrearty Snr, businessman targeted by
police misconduct
Police misconduct refers to inappropriate conduct and illegal actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties. Types of misconduct include among others: coerced false confession, intimidation, false arrest, false impri ...
*
Frank McBrearty Jnr, politician; former county mayor 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 ...
*
Chloe Magee
Chloe Noelle Magee (born 29 November 1988) is an Irish people, Irish professional badminton player. She represented her country at the Badminton at the Summer Olympics, Olympic Games for three consecutive times in Badminton at the 2008 Summer Oly ...
(born 1988) – professional badminton player and Olympic competitor
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
*
Dunduff Castle, South Ayrshire
Dunduff Castle is a restored stair-tower in South Ayrshire, Scotland, built on the hillside of Brown Carrick Hills above the Drumbane Burn, and overlooking the sea above the village of Dunure.
History
As a place name ''Dunduff'' may contain the ...
References
{{Authority control
Towns and villages in County Donegal