Letterkenny

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Letterkenny
Leitir Ceanainn

Motto: Ubique Urbem Reminiscar
"Remember the town wherever I am"
Location


Irish grid reference
C167188
Statistics
Province: Ulster
County: County Donegal
Dáil Éireann: Donegal North East
Dialling code: 074, +000 353 74
Area: 307.9 km² (118.9 sq mi)
Elevation: 52 m (171 ft)
Population (2006)
 - Town:
 - Environs:
  15,062
  2,524
Website: www.letterkenny.ie

Letterkenny (from the Irish: Leitir Ceanainn) with a population of 17,568[1] is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. It is located on the River Swilly. Letterkenny and the nearby City of Derry form the major economic core of North-West Ireland.[2]

The town was voted "Best Kept Urban Centre" in the 2007 "Best Kept Town Awards"[3] and "Tidiest Large Urban Centre" in the 2007 Tidy Towns competition[4] an improvement on 2002, when after a National Anti-Litter League survey carried out by An Taisce, the town was compared to The Liberties in Dublin in relation to litter.[5]

History

Letterkenny 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 (3 km west of Letterkenny) was the ecclesiastical and seaport centre. The waters of the Atlantic had not yet retreated 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 Tír Conaill. He engaged the Norman lord Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Lord of Offaly, in battle at Credan in the north of what is now County Sligo in 1257 in which both were badly wounded - Fitzgerald immediately fatally so. Godfrey (also dying from his wounds) retired to a crannóg in Lough Beag (Gartan 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 Plantation of Ulster (which began around 1609), when a 4 square kilometres (990 acres) area was 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.

The main streets, though now suffering traffic congestion, were simple pony tracks used by the hill farmers to come to the markets. The markets - started by Patrick Crawford with only a few animals - grew into much busier mart days of the recent past which are sadly not present today.

An ancient castle once stood near where St Eunan's Cathedral stands today. Letterkenny Castle, built in 1625, was located south of Mount Southwell on Castle Street. Outlaw Redmond O' Hanlon found refuge there in 1690. No remains of the castle exist today.[6]

During the Irish Rebellion of 1798, on 12 October, a large French force consisting of 3,000 men, and including Wolfe Tone attempted to land in County Donegal near Lough Swilly. They were intercepted by a large British Royal Navy force, and finally surrendered after a three hour battle without ever landing in Ireland. After Wolfe Tone was captured he was held for a short time at Laird's Hotel (opposite the Market Square) in the Main Street of Letterkenny[7] before being transferred to the nearby Derry Gaol. He was later tried by court-martial in Dublin and found guilty. He committed suicide in prison.

In 1824, when the first description of Letterkenny as a modern town was written, it was stated that: "Within half a mile is the Port of Ballyraine, whither vessels of 100 tons bring iron, salt and colonial produce and whence they export hides and butter". Nothing remains now except the warehouses with the example of 19th century warehouse architecture.[8]

Letterkenny achieved town status in the early 1920s following the partition of Ireland. When the Irish punt replaced the British Pound Sterling in Co. Donegal in 1928, many Irish banks that had been previously located in Derry (in the new Northern Ireland) opened branches in Letterkenny.

Etymology

Letterkenny takes its name from the Irish "Leitir Ceanainn" – 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").

The O'Cannons are descended from two of Ireland's most renowned Kings: Conn of the Hundred Battles and Niall of the Nine Hostages. The O'Cannons have been described as "Ancient Princes of Tir Connaill" and "Valiant Chiefs". However their 350 year dynasty in Tir Connaill ended in 1250. Their ancient territory would seem to have been Tir Aeda (now the barony of Tirhigh) after the deaths of Rory O'Canannain and his son Niall O'Canannain in 1250, the sept declined greatly in power. Brian O'Neill died ten years later in 1260, he had supported an O'Canannain claimant to Tir Conaill i.e. to the Kingdom of Tir Conaill (Tirconnell). The personal name Canannain is a diminutive of Cano meaning 'wolf cub'. Canannain was fifth in descent from Flaithbertach mac Loingsig (died 765), high-king of Ireland; they were the descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages (Irish: Niall Noigiallach) who died c. 405 A.D. by his son, Conall Gulban who gave his name to Tir Conaill, the Land of Conall, now County Donegal.

Ui Canannain was the ancestral name of the Cannons and Tir Connaill (all of County Donegal and part of County Londonderry) was the "Land of the Cannons". By the early 1600s the name Ui Canannain had been anglicised to O'Cannon. Further Anglicisation took place during the Penal laws in the late 1700s and early 1800s and the name in County Donegal became Cannon. In the early 1880s there were just 200 families bearing the Cannon surname living in Co.Donegal, who were mainly tenant farmers. The Cannons/O'Canannains, were of the ancient sept of Cenell Conaill, a branch of the northern Ui Neill and descend from Ruaidri ua Canannain (died 30 November 950.) King of Cenel Conaill, and grandson of Canannain, who flourished in the second half of the ninth century. One of Neill's most famous descendants was George Washington, the first President of the United States. The site of the ancient seat of the O'Canannains was near Letterkenny the largest town of County Donegal, which is said on good authority to represent the hillside of the O'Cannons (English translation).

Demographics

The population of Letterkenny and environs is 17,723 (based on the 2006 census carried out by the CSO), of which 15,062 live in the town and 2,524 live in the town's environs.[9] The population of the town, if the current growth rate continues, is expected to reach 50,000 by 2020.[10]

Letterkenny is the largest town in County Donegal. Despite having a long tradition of emigration that continued up until the early 1990s, Letterkenny has gained cultural diversity over many years, with people immigrating from all over the world, particularly from Poland, Romania, Latvia and various African nations. This is reflected in the recent growth of international restaurants and shops, including Chinese and Indian restaurants, Italian pizzerias, as well as specialised shops run by and providing goods for Africans, Asians, South Americans, and Eastern Europeans. Letterkenny is home to the only Hindu temple in Ireland.[11][12] Moreover, the hospital, Pramerica (software development and contact centre of Prudential, LYIT employee quite a number of international professional people.

The figures for ethnic and cultural background for people in the State in 2006 reveals that 16% of Letterkenny's population are non-nationals. The figures also show that most of Donegal's non-national population are living in the town. Of the town's total population 2,709 are non-nationals.[13] According to the 2006 census 4,957 people have a disability illness, 640 people have a registered disability, 537 have a chronic illness while 345 suffer from a psychological or an emotional condition.[14] The 2006 census also revealed that there were 199 travellers living within the towns environs.[15]