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| Places to go -> Letterkenny |
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Letterkenny : Letterkenny |
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Address :
Letterkenny
Surrounding Area :
Co. Donegal
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Description :
Letterkenny takes its name from the Irish "Leitirceanainn" – meaning the "Hillside of the O'Cannons" – the O'Cannons being the last of the ancient chieftains of Tir Conaill. Although the O'Cannons were the last chieftains of Tir Conaill no evidence of forts or castles belonging to the clan exists in or around the Letterkenny district. (Leading to speculation on a possible derivation of the name Letterkenny: from the Irish "Leitir Ceann-Fhoinn" meaning "Fairheaded Hillside").
Letterkenny Town Centre ca. 2005Letterkenny began as a market town in the 17th century (before the Great Famine) and was the first crossing point of the River Swilly. In the recent past the population of Letterkenny consisted of cattle and sheep grazing on what were then untilled hillside - when Conwall (2 miles west of Letterkenny) was the ecclesiastical and seaport centre. The waters of the Atlantic had not yet reached from the basin of the Swilly whose estuary at that time extended up almost as far as New Mills - proof of this may be found in those alluvial flat-lands between Oldtown and Port Road.
Rory O'Cannon, the last chieftain of the O'Cannon clan was killed in 1248. Godfrey O'Donnell succeeded Rory O'Cannon as King of Tir Conaill. He engaged Maurice Fitzgerald, the Norman Lord, in battle at Credan in North Sligo in 1257 in which both were badly wounded - Fitzgerald immediately fatally so. Godfrey (also dying from his wounds) retired to a crannog in Lough Beag (Garten Lake). O'Neill of Tyrone - taking advantage of Godfrey's fatal illness - demanded submission, hostages and pledges from the Cenél Conaill since they had no strong chieftain since the wounding of Godfrey. Godfrey summoned his forces and led them himself, although he had to be carried on a litter (stretcher). O'Neill and his men were completely defeated by the Swilly in 1258. Godfrey died however after the battle as he was being carried through the town. He was buried in Conwall Cemetery. A cross-shaped coffin slab marks his grave to this day.
The receding of the waters of the Atlantic eastwards enabled progress, and with the building of bridges etc, the town of Letterkenny started to take the shape it has today. In the wake of the Ulster Plantation 1610-'11, when a 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) were granted to a Scotsman Patrick Crawford, the compact community formed.
The honour of formally launching the town fell to Sir George Marbury who married Patrick Crawford's widow, - Crawford having died suddenly while on a return visit to his native Scotland. Initially there were possibly fifty simple habitations sited where the Oldtown is situated today.
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