Downings
Na Dúnaibh
Downings, Downies, The Downies | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Downings Bay | |
  Na Dúnaibh Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 55°11′40″N 7°50′11″W / 55.194533°N 7.836495°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Ulster |
| County | County Donegal |
| Barony | Kilmacrenan |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 (IST (WEST)) |
| Irish Grid Reference | B847228 |
Na Dúnaibh, known in English as Downings or Downies, is a Gaeltacht village and townland on the Rosguill peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland.[1][2][3] 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]
The fishing port at Downings was previously home to a substantial herring fleet. Today, the economy survives partly on tourism. Downings 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 Districts Board (CDB). It built fishing boats, for local fishermen, during the herring boom.[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]- Philip Boyce, Lord Bishop of Raphoe from 1995 to 2017.
- Maxi Curran, Gaelic football manager[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Na Dúnaibh / Downies (village)". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ↑ "Na Dúnaibh / Downings (townland)". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ↑ "Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004" (PDF). commissioner.ie. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2012.
- ↑ Discovery Series Sheet 2 (3rd Edition). Ordnance Survey of Ireland (O.S.I.), Dublin, 2005.
- ↑ "Downies Townland, Co. Donegal". townlands.ie.
- 1 2 McKay, Patrick (1999), "A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names", The Institute of Irish Studies, Belfast: The Queen's University of Belfast, p. 59
- ↑ Lacey, Brian, ed. (1983). Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. Lifford: Donegal County Council. ISBN 095084070X.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Laurentic gun recovered off Malin Head". Inishowen News. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- 1 2 "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
- ↑ "Downings". irelandnorthwest.ie. North West Ireland Tourism Guide. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ↑ "Maxi Curran takes up reins as U-21 manager". Donegal Democrat. 21 January 2012. 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.
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