Essential Ireland > County Donegal > Letterkenny

Letterkenny is the largest town in County Donegal and is found in the northern enclave to the west of Northern Ireland. Letterkenny is situated a short distance from the Northern Irish city of Derry and together they form the north-west economic powerhouse of the island. While Derry is located to the east of the town, the Glenveagh National Park is a similar distance to the west and it is a stunningly scenic part of the Derryveagh Mountains in this part of the country. Geographically, Letterkenny lies on the River Swilly in the north of Ireland and was once at the place of its first crossing point of the river several years ago.

The life of Letterkenny took off in the 17th century and before then it had primarily been used as land for sheep and cattle grazing. Its name is derived from the Irish word meaning hillside of the O’Cannons and it was the O’Cannon clan that ruled as chieftains in the area during the town’s early days.

By the 17th century the Atlantic Ocean had receded leaving space for communities to spring up, and so in 1610-1 the Ulster Plantation gave 1,000 acres over to be used as a space for people to live in. It is thought that Letterkenny Castle stood in the town after its construction in 1625 but there is no trace of it remaining. In the 1920s, meanwhile, Letterkenny acquired town status at the time when Northern Ireland was separated off from the south.

In the centre of Letterkenny stands St Eunan’s Cathedral, a typical example of an Irish church. Other places to visit and things to see in the town include the An Grianan Theatre, the County Museum, the symbolic Polestar sculpture, and the Corn and Flax Mills.

In recent years the town held the Fleadh Cheoil which is a traditional Irish music festival while in 2006 and 2007 Letterkenny hosted the Pan Celtic Festival, welcoming visitors from Wales, Scotland, Cornwall and beyond. It is also worth noting that in 2007 Letterkenny claimed the Best Kept Urban Centre and the Tidiest Large Urban Centre awards.