DZ
DefZone.Net

Kien thuc cong nghe & giai tri

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

Downings
Na Dúnaibh
Village
Downings Bay
Downings Bay
Downings is located in Ireland
Downings
Downings
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 55°11′40″N 7°50′11″W / 55.194533°N 7.836495°W / 55.194533; -7.836495
CountryIreland
ProvinceUlster
CountyCounty Donegal
BaronyKilmacrenan
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid ReferenceB847228

Downings or Downies (Irish: Na Dúnaibh)[1][2][3] is a Gaeltacht village and townland on the Rosguill peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland. The village is on the shores of Sheephaven Bay on the north coast of Ireland.[4][5]

Name

[edit]

As the village is in a Gaeltacht district, its official name is Na Dúnaibh, its name in the Irish language. The name probably means 'the forts', reflecting the existence of several hill forts in the area.[6] The full original Irish name seems to have been (hi ccrannóicc) na nDuini.[6] The name may also be a hibernicisation of the English name, to describe the sandy dunes connecting the peninsula to the County Donegal mainland.[citation needed]

History

[edit]

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ringfort and standing stone sites in the townlands of Larganreagh (Leargain Riach), Downies (Na Dúnaibh) and Rosepenna (Machaire Loiscthe).[7]

In 2007, local divers recovered a gun from the wreck of HMS Laurentic at the mouth of Lough Swilly. The gun is now mounted beside Downings Pier.[8][9]

Economy

[edit]
Fishermen on Downings pier, around 1910

The fishing port at Downings was previously home to a substantial herring fleet. Today, the economy survives partly on tourism. Na Dúnaibh is home to the 'McNutt of Donegal' tweed factory and shop.[citation needed] It is also home to McBride Fishing who operate three crab fishing boats and the online fishing industry news platform The Fishing Daily.[citation needed] The Meevagh Boatyard, located on Mulroy Bay, was established in the early 1900s by the Congested District Board. It built fishing boats, for local fishermen, during the herring boom.[citation needed]

Situated on Sheephaven Bay, Downings is one of the safest anchorages on the north coast of Ireland, and is a must for an overnight stay for anyone sailing along the Donegal coast.[citation needed]

Recreation

[edit]

The Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort, just outside Downings village,[10] is located on the dunes that link the Rosguill peninsula to the mainland. The golf club's links course was initially designed by Old Tom Morris in the 1890s.[10]

Downings lies on the Donegal Atlantic Drive tourist driving route.[11]

People

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Downings (village)". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  2. ^ "Downings (townland)". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  3. ^ "Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004" (PDF). commissioner.ie.
  4. ^ Discovery Series Sheet 2 (3rd Edition). Ordnance Survey of Ireland (O.S.I.), Dublin, 2005.
  5. ^ "Downies Townland, Co. Donegal". townlands.ie.
  6. ^ a b McKay, Patrick (1999), "A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names", The Institute of Irish Studies, Belfast: The Queen's University of Belfast, p. 59
  7. ^ Lacey, Brian, ed. (1983). Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. Lifford: Donegal County Council. ISBN 095084070X.
  8. ^ McGlinchey, Don. "The Laurentic's golden allure". Scuba & Snorkel Diving Ireland. Irish Underwater Council. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Laurentic gun recovered off Malin Head". Inishowen News. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Rosapenna, Old Tom Morris Golf Links". ukgolfguy.com. Retrieved 10 October 2025. Rosapenna [..] sits just a short walk outside the town of Downings [..] The game has been played on this land since the 1890s when Old Tom Morris laid out 9 holes
  11. ^ "Downings". irelandnorthwest.ie. North West Ireland Tourism Guide. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  12. ^ "Maxi Curran takes up reins as U-21 manager". Donegal Democrat. 21 January 2012. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2012. Curran from Downings and a member of Jim McGuinness's senior management team, takes over from McGuinness who stepped down at the end of last season.
[edit]