Greencastle, County Donegal
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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 ringfor ...
Peninsula on the north coast of
County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
in
Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
, 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 t ...
. 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 status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
. 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 (, ) were the medieval ruling class in the Kingdom of England following the Norman Conquest. They were primarily a combination of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, French people, Frenchmen, Anglo-Saxons and Celtic Britons. Afte ...
, is also known as Northburgh Castle. The port was the fastest growing urban area in County Donegal between the 2016 and 2022 census, with a population increase of 52.6% from 831 to 1,268.


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-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 operates a
Lough Swilly Lough Swilly () in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three glacial fjords ...
ferry service that runs between
Buncrana Buncrana ( ; ) is a town in Inishowen in the north of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. The town sits on the eastern shores of Lough Swilly, being northwest of Derry and north of Letterkenny. I ...
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 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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
to stop
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
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 requ ...
(1929-2015) - Playwright who lived in Greencastle from 1982 until his death in 2015. * Mark Farren (1982-2016) - Derry City player. * Saoirse-Monica Jackson (born 1993) - actress who was raised in Greencastle, where her parents ran a pub. * Roma McLaughlin (born 1998), footballer for the Republic of Ireland national team.


See also

* List of populated places in the Republic of Ireland * Bellarena station * Shrove


References


External links


Greencastle Fort Information

Moville Records - genealogy information for the Greencastle area
{{County Donegal Piers in Ireland Towns and villages in County Donegal