Ramelton (; ), also Rathmelton, is a town and

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

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 ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. As of

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, its population was 1,288.

History

Ramelton is situated at the mouth of the River Lennon, 11 km north of Letterkenny and 4 km south of Milford, on the western shores of Lough Swilly. The town is named after ''Ráth Mealtain'', (Irish for "the fort of Mealtan"), an early Gaelic chieftain. The fort is said to lie under the ruins of a medieval castle of the

O'Donnell The O'Donnell dynasty ( or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell in Ulster in the north of medieval and early modern Ireland. Naming ...

s, the ruling family of West Donegal before their exile to mainland Europe in 1607. Ramelton was settled by English and Scots planters during the Ulster Plantation of the 17th century and is the site of the oldest

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

church in Ireland.

Facilities

Ramelton is serviced by many shops and services within the town. The Town Hall in Ramelton was built in the late 19th century and still has a vital role in the community today. The town has three main churches: St. Mary's Catholic Church, St. Paul's

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

(Parish of Tullyaughnish), and the Presbyterian Church. The town is served by two local bus operators that connect Ramelton to Letterkenny, the largest town in County Donegal, and to several other towns in the north of the county. Local Link number 300 runs between Letterkenny, Ramelton and Fanad Lighthouse, via Rathmullan, Kerrykeel, Portsalon and Ballylar; and the number 974, operated by Patrick Gallagher Travel, runs between Letterkenny, Ramelton and Downings, via Milford, Cranford, Glen and Carrigart. In addition, John McGinley Coach Travel runs a service between Ramelton and Letterkenny in order for people to connect to their onward coach service to

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Music and sport

The town is home to a marching band which frequently wins prizes in the Miscellaneous Marching Bands (Buíon Rogha Gléas) category of the All-Ireland Fleadh. Swilly Rovers Football Club is based in the town. It was founded in 1929. It also has a tennis club.

Other

The town is home to McDaid's soft drinks manufacturer whose drinks are sold throughout Donegal and further afield. Its most famous drink is the Football Special which was originally produced to celebrate the successes of Swilly Rovers Football Club. The town was the setting for the 1995 television serial '' The Hanging Gale'', which told of the Great Famine of the 19th century. Ramelton is also a key setting for the A.E.W. Mason novel The Four Feathers. The town has hosted the Lennon Festival, a village fair, since 1970. Ramelton is a Fáilte Ireland designated Heritage Town. The town is also the setting for Django Sur Lennon gypsy jazz festival which has been held in the town since 2015 and has featured gypsy jazz musicians from Europe and beyond.

Notable people

* Catherine Black, private nurse to

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

* Robert E. Bonner, American publisher, born Ramelton * Ronan Boyce, professional footballer * William C. Campbell, scientist, Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine in 2015 * Will Carruthers, writer and musician with Spacemen 3, Spiritualized and

The Brian Jonestown Massacre The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American Rock music, rock band led and started by Anton Newcombe. It was formed in San Francisco in 1990. The group was the subject of the 2004 documentary film called ''Dig!'', and have gained media notorie ...

* Patsy Gallacher, association football player with Celtic F.C *

Dave Gallaher David Gallaher (30October 1873 – 4October 1917) was an Irish-born New Zealand rugby union footballer best remembered as the captain of the " Original All Blacks"—the 1905–06 New Zealand national team, the first representative New Zealan ...

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

rugby captain, author and WW1 soldier * Roy Greenslade * Arthur Gwynn, cricket and rugby union player * Edward Gwynn, scholar of Old Irish and Celtic literature * John Tudor Gwynn, cricket player * Lucius Gwynn, cricket and rugby union player * Robert Gwynn, cricket player * Conrad Logan, professional footballer * Francis Makemie, clergyman, the founder of Presbyterianism in the United States * William McAdoo, American Democratic Party politician * Basil McCrea, MLA, Leader of NI21 in the

Northern Ireland Assembly The Northern Ireland Assembly (; ), often referred to by the metonym ''Stormont'', is the devolved unicameral legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliam ...

* Anne-Marie McDaid, rower and paralympian. * Walter Patterson, first British Governor of

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

References

External links

{{County Donegal Towns and villages in County Donegal Rathmelton