''Croithlí'' or ''Croichshlí'' (anglicised as Crolly) is a village in the ''

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 ...

'' parishes of

Gweedore Gweedore ( ; officially known by its Irish language name, ) is an Irish-speaking district and parish located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. Gweedore stretches some from Glasserchoo in the north to Croll ...

(''Gaoth Dobhair'') and

The Rosses The Rosses (officially known by its Irish language name, ''Na Rosa''; in the genitive case ''Na Rosann'') is a geographical and social region in the west of County Donegal, Ireland, with a population of over 7,000 centred on the town of Dungloe, ...

(''Na Rossan'') in the west 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 Tyrcon ...

, Ireland. The two parishes are separated by the Crolly River. It has one convenience shop/restaurant and petrol station and one public house, Páidí Óg's.

Etymology

The official name of the village is ''Croithlí''. This is taken to come from the old Irish ''Craithlidh'' meaning shaking bog or

Quagmire A mire, peatland, or quagmire is a wetland area dominated by living peat-forming plants. Mires arise because of incomplete decomposition of organic matter, usually litter from vegetation, due to water-logging and subsequent anoxia. All type ...

. ''Croichshlí'', the less used spelling, means the hanging or crooked way. This most likely refers to how the road twists around the hills.

Features

The village sits at the base of several large hills, among them ''Án Grógan Mór'' and ''Cnoc na bhFaircheach.'' These hills are remote and sparsely populated. They extend deep into

. The Crolly Stone (known in Irish as ''Cloch Mhór Léim An tSionnaigh'', or the Large Rock Of The Foxes Leap), an erratic left during the

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

, is reputed to be the largest boulder in Ireland. The Crolly River, which flows from Loughanure to an estuary known locally as '' An Ghaoth'', is known for its fishing. The Crolly Waterfall is also nearby. Crolly Bridge also indicates the point where the two parishes meet.

Irish language

As the village is located on the border of

and ''

Gaoth Dobhair Gweedore ( ; officially known by its Irish language name, ) is an Irish-speaking district and parish located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. Gweedore stretches some from Glasserchoo in the north to Croll ...

'', both districts within the West Donegal ''

'', 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 ...

is to be heard and most residents are

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all ...

. During the summer students stay in the village to learn Irish.

Amenities

There is one petrol station/shop known locally as Stephen Anns. In the village there is one pub, Páidí Ógs. The famous

Leo's Tavern Leo's Tavern ( ga, Tábhairne Leo) is a restaurant and pub in the Donegal Gaeltacht, known as the home of music artists Clannad, Enya and Moya Brennan.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 ...

of Meenaleck, with another pub, Teach Tessie, opposite the tavern. The local garage is McDonaghs' Tyre Centre. There is a caravan park behind Páidí Ógs, and another in Meenaleck, Sleepy Hollow Campsite. Since 2018 there has been a local whiskey distillery called "Croithlí Distillery" located in the former Crolly factory. There's one

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

church, known locally as 'the Chapel', for the area located in Meenaweel. As there is no school in the village, children usually attend ''Scoil Phadraig Dobhair'', in the

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 ...

of Dobhar, or ''Scoil Naomh Duigh'' in ''

Anagaire ''Anagaire'' (anglicised as Annagry) is a village in The Rosses district of County Donegal, Ireland. , the population was 236. Name The Irish and official name for Annagry is ''Anagaire'', which in turn derives from ''Áth na gCoire'' meaning "f ...

''.

Crolly Dolls

The Crolly Factory opened in 1939, and started making the renowned Crolly Dolls. The early dolls were handmade with a soft-filled body, a strong head and arms and legs. Their clothes were made from local fabrics and knitted vestments. Soft toys for boys, like teddy bears, were also made at the factory. Falls at Crolly - geograph

The original factory closed in the 1970s. This was a major blow to the local economy. However, in 1993, the popularity of the dolls was recognised and a smaller company was reopened. The Crolly Doll is sold all over the world.

Folklore

Most of the townland's folklore refers to ''Cloch Mhór Léim An tSionnaigh''. The boulder's origin is attributed to

Fionn Mac Cumhaill Fionn mac Cumhaill ( ; Old and mga, Find or ''mac Cumail'' or ''mac Umaill''), often anglicized Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of y ...

. He is reputed to have thrown it at Diarmuid and Grainne during his pursuit of them. In some versions they are sleeping by the Crolly Waterfall and he misses, in others they are on top of

Errigal Errigal () is a mountain near Gweedore in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the tallest peak of the Derryveagh Mountains and the tallest peak in County Donegal. Errigal is also the most southern and the highest of the mountain chain called the ...

and the Stone bounces off the tip of the mountain. One story about the Stone suggests that when the most beautiful (or sometimes reddest) girl in Ireland passes under its shadow, it will topple. Today it is said that if one can successfully throw three stones on top of it, they are granted a wish.

References

{{County Donegal Gaeltacht places in County Donegal Gaeltacht towns and villages Geography of Gweedore The Rosses Towns and villages in County Donegal