Convent Road ( ga, Bóthar an Chlochair) is located to the north 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 ...

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 Tyrconn ...

, in the parish of

Conwal and Leck Conwal and Leck ( ga, Conbháil agus Leac) is a parish located in north-east County Donegal, Province of Ulster, Ireland. It covers west Letterkenny and the surrounding hinterland. The parish has approximately 10,000 inhabitants and 1,000 familie ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is situated beside the

Cathedral of St Eunan and St Columba St Eunan's Cathedral ( ), or the Cathedral of St Eunan and St Columba as it is also known, is a cathedral in the parish of Conwal and Leck, part of the Diocese of Raphoe. Built between the years of 1890 and 1900, the cathedral is found in Lett ...

. Cathedral Road forms a link with Convent Road south of

Glencar Glencar Lough (), locally known as Glencar Lake, is a freshwater lake in the northwest of Ireland. It covers an area of and lies mostly in County Leitrim with a smaller part in County Sligo. Glencar Waterfall is located near the lake's north s ...

and north of Oldtown.

Residential areas

Residential areas on Convent Road include West Hill ( ga, Cnoc an Thiar), the entrance of which is located at the top and descends, as the name suggests, in a westerly direction.

Amenities

Many schools are nearby, including

St Eunan's College St Eunan's College ( ; ga, Coláiste Adhamhnáin), known locally as The College to distinguish it from the cathedral and GAA club, is a voluntary Roman Catholic all-male secondary day school (and former boarding school) in County Donegal, Ir ...

. Kernan's is the local newsagent and also provider of other services. The Kernan family have been in business since the 1920s.

Dunnes Stores Dunnes Stores is an Irish multinational retail chain that primarily sells food, clothes and household wares. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland, the chain also has operations in Spain, and formerly in England and Scotland. The f ...

provides groceries and other services. The Chan family runs the Tin Tai, which is regarded as one of the county's most popular takeaways. Specialising in Chinese food, the Tin Tai is located at the bottom of Convent Road, on the turn towards Lower Main Street. Letterkenny Regional Sports and Leisure Complex is a short distance away.

Convent

A convent was founded here in 1854. It houses a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

girls secondary school, one of 18 Loreto secondary schools in Ireland and one of the few schools in Ireland that stills employs nuns to teach the girls who go there. The Convent secondary school is linked with the primary school for girls
Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal
as they are both part of the greater Loreto College Network. Many of the girls' brothers attend or will have attended

, which is a short distance up the road. In addition, the primary school for boys, Scoil Colmcille, is located across the road. Mary Ward founded The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (better known in Ireland as the "Loreto Order") in England in the 17th century. Mother Frances Teresa Ball brought the Order to Ireland in 1821. In 1854, the then

Bishop of Raphoe The Bishop of Raphoe ( ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bish ...

, Dr McGettigan, invited the

religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...

s to set up a secondary school for girls in Letterkenny. The day-school opened with 5 pupils on 4 September 1854. From the 1920s until 1976 it was an all-

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 ...

school. A new wing with a concert hall opened in 1939. Boarding ceased in 1978. Extensions were added in 1972, 1978 and 1986, while an extension (sanctioned by the Department of Education) opened to coincide with the school's 150th anniversary in mid-2004. The first classes began here in September 2005. Noel Ferry became the school's first

lay Lay may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada * Lay, Loire, a French commune * Lay (river), France *Lay, Iran, a village * Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community People * Lay (surname ...

and male headmaster since its opening. Order is kept by a principal and a board of management. Loreto Trustees are designated legal owners but devolve much of its power to the board. The Loreto Order, parents and teachers elect delegates for a three-year period. A parents' association involves itself in fundraising, sport, study supervision and the environment, with new members invited to join annually and ratified at an AGM. A student council represents girls at the school and liaises with other students, staff, board and parents' association. A Student Leadership Team is led by the Head and Deputy Head Girl, elected annually from the 6th year group. The school participates in the

European Youth Parliament The European Youth Parliament is a politically unbound non-profit organisation, which encourages European youth to actively engage in citizenship and cultural understanding. It involves 50,000 youngsters from all around Europe in its events and h ...

, and hosts the Loreto Letterkenny

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...

(LKMUN).

Joe McHugh Joe McHugh (born 16 July 1971) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Chair of the Committee on European Union Affairs since September 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal constituency since 2016, and previously f ...

, the

Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil � ...

TD for Donegal and Minister for Education and Skills from 2018, taught the girls here before becoming the school's most recognised face nationally. His constituency office is located near the foot of Convent Road. The sisters

Caitriona Jennings Caitriona Jennings (born 17 June 1980; from Letterkenny, County Donegal) is an Irish long distance runner who competed in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. Early life Jennings attended Loreto Convent Secon ...

, a runner; and Sinéad Lynch; ''née'' Jennings, a rower, as well as Ciara Grant, a footballer.

References

{{Coord missing, County Donegal Geography of Letterkenny