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Stranorlar

Coordinates: 54°48′00″N 7°47′24″W / 54.8°N 7.790°W / 54.8; -7.790
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Stranorlar
Srath an Urláir
Town
Stranorlar's Roman Catholic church
Stranorlar's Roman Catholic church
Stranorlar is located in County Donegal
Stranorlar
Stranorlar
Location in Ireland
Stranorlar is located in Ireland
Stranorlar
Stranorlar
Stranorlar (Ireland)
Coordinates: 54°48′00″N 7°47′24″W / 54.8°N 7.790°W / 54.8; -7.790
CountryIreland
ProvinceUlster
CountyCounty Donegal
Elevation
30 m (100 ft)
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (IST (WEST))
Eircode routing key
F93
Irish Grid ReferenceH194946
Websitewww.ballybofeystranorlar.com

Stranorlar (Irish: Srath an Urláir)[1] is a town, townland and civil parish in the Finn Valley of County Donegal, in Ireland. Stranorlar and Ballybofey (located on the other side of the River Finn) form the twin towns of Ballybofey–Stranorlar.

History

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Built heritage

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Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ring fort and holy well sites in the townlands of Stranorlar, Mullandrait, Lough Hill and Admiran.[2] Stranorlar's Church of Ireland church, St John's Church in Glebe townland, was built c. 1729.[3] Isaac Butt (1813–1879), founder of the Home Rule movement, is buried in its churchyard.[3]

Drumboe killings

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In November 1922, during the Irish Civil War, a column of Anti-Treaty IRA irregulars from the 2nd Northern Division were captured at Dunlewey in west Donegal by the National Army and held in Drumboe Castle outside Stranorlar. On 14 March 1923, they were taken from the castle to the nearby Drumboe woods and summarily executed.[4][5]

There is a memorial to the four men near the Church of Ireland and Bus Éireann depot buildings, and since 1924 there has been a commemoration march to the monument each year by republicans.[6] The four executed men were:[5][7]

Transport

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The town is located at the junction of the N15 and N13 national primary roads. For nearly 100 years, Stranorlar was the headquarters of the County Donegal Railway system (originally the Finn Valley Railway), with services to Derry and Letterkenny via Strabane (near Lifford), to Ballyshannon and Killybegs via Donegal, and to Glenties. At its peak, the railway had 130 employees. The last train ran from Stranorlar in 1960.[8][9] As of the 21st century, the nearest operational railway station is the Northern Ireland Railways station, Derry~Londonderry railway station, in Derry.[10]

Stranorlar railway station was built by the Finn Valley Railway and opened in September 1863 and closed on 6 February 1960.[11][12] The old railway station was demolished to make way for a new bus garage owned and run by Bus Éireann.[13] As part of a series of millennium celebrations, the old clock from the railway station was restored and installed in a new clock tower which sits at the old pedestrian entrance to the railway station yard.[14] The town is one of the two Bus Éireann depots in County Donegal.[15]

The town is served by the Bus Éireann No. 64 (Derry/Galway)[16] service which connects the town to Donegal Town, Ballyshannon, Bundoran, Sligo and Letterkenny. There is also a regular service to Lifford and Strabane. TFI Local Link routes 264 (Ballyshannon/Letterkenny),[17] 288 (Ballybofey/Derry),[18] 290 (Ballybofey/Letterkenny),[19] 988 (Cloghan/Letterkenny)[19] also service the area.

Education

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Stranorlar is home to St. Columba's College and Finn Valley College.[20][21] The town is also home to two primary schools: St Mary's primary school,[22] and Robertson National School.[23]

Religion

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Church of Ireland in Stranorlar.

The town's Church of Ireland church, St John's Church, is a registered monument.[3] The Catholic church, Church of Mary Immaculate, is a nineteenth-century structure.[24][25] There is also a Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland church[26] and a Presbyterian church in the town.[27]

Sport

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The local athletics club, Finn Valley Athletics Club, has a track in the town.[28] Stranorlar is home to Finn Valley Rugby Club.[29]

The Ballybofey and Stranorlar Golf Club is an 18-hole golf course in the area,[30][31] and game angling occurs in the River Finn.[32]

Tourism

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Drumboe Woods are a tourist attraction at Stranorlar. The woods are managed by Coillte and provide walking routes along the banks of the River Finn and the upper woods. The woods also contain the ruins of Drumboe Castle. Outside the town, a small folly called "The Steeple" is a destination for walkers. From the top of the tower, on a clear day, the hillfort of the Grianan of Aileach can be seen. There is a raised ring fort at Dunwiley, outside the town.[33][34]

Notable people

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See also: Category:People from Stranorlar

See also

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References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stranorlar.
  1. ^ "Srath an Urláir/Stranorlar". Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  2. ^ Lacey, Brian, ed. (1983). Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. Lifford: Donegal County Council. ISBN 9780950840703.
  3. ^ a b c "St. John's Church of Ireland Church, GLEBE (STRANORLAR), Stranorlar, DONEGAL". Buildings of Ireland. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  4. ^ Ó Snodaigh, Aengus; Mac Donncha, Mícheál (12 March 2023). "Centenary of the Drumboe Martyrs". An Phoblacht. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b Mac Conmara, Tomás (27 April 2023). "Hurled into eternity: after the executions". RTÉ. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  6. ^ "Donegal and west Tyrone remember Drumboe Martyrs and 1916". An Phoblacht. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  7. ^ Duffy, Connie (14 March 2023). "100th Anniversary: Shooting of Drumboe Martyrs marked this morning". Donegal Live. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  8. ^ Ashmore, Chris (31 December 2019). "End of the line - 60 years ago today last trains ran on the Co. Donegal Railways network". Donegal Live. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  9. ^ Farnworth, Roger (27 May 2020). "Co. Donegal Railways, Ireland – Part 1 – The Glenties Branch – Stranorlar to Ballinamore". Roger Farnworth. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Derry-Londonderry Train Station". Translink. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  11. ^ Meehan, Paddy (13 January 2019). "Remembering the end of the railways in Donegal". Donegal Live. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  12. ^ Davies, W. J. K., ed. (Winter 1962). "County Donegal Railways" (PDF). The Narrow Gauge. Vol. 30/31. The Narrow Gauge Railway Society. pp. 5–6, 9. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  13. ^ Smith, Ron (22 February 2020). "Exploring the old railway network in Donegal". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 18 May 2025 – via PressReader.
  14. ^ "09 – Railway Station – Ballybofey and Stranorlar". Heritage Trail Twin Towns. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Bus Éireann launches 'Keeping Ireland Connected' campaign". The Connaught Telegraph. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  16. ^ "Galway to Derry with Expressway Route 64". Bus Éireann. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  17. ^ "Route 264: Ballyshannon to Letterkenny" (PDF). Local Link Donegal-Sligo-Leitrim. September 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  18. ^ "Route 288: Ballybofey to Derry" (PDF). Local Link Donegal-Sligo-Leitrim. January 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  19. ^ a b "Route 290: Ballybofey to Letterkenny & Route 988: Cloghan to Letterkenny" (JPG). Local Link Donegal-Sligo-Leitrim. February 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  20. ^ "St. Columbas College". Department of Education and Youth. 18 December 2024 [7 July 2021]. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  21. ^ "Finn Valley College". Donegal ETB. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  22. ^ "Scoil Mhuire B & C". Department of Education and Youth. 11 April 2025 [7 July 2021]. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  23. ^ "ROBERTSON N S". Department of Education and Youth. 23 August 2024 [7 July 2021]. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  24. ^ Duffy, Connie (24 September 2023). "Popular Stranorlar-based curate Fr Anthony Briody announces departure". Donegal Live. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  25. ^ "Church of Mary Immaculate, Main Street, STRANORLAR, Stranorlar, DONEGAL". Buildings of Ireland. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  26. ^ "Stranorlar Reformed Presbyterian Church". Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  27. ^ "Stranorlar Presbyterian Church, Meetinghouse Lane, STRANORLAR, Stranorlar, DONEGAL". Buildings of Ireland. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  28. ^ "Athletics: Finn Valley AC to host exciting track & field meet". Donegal Daily. 11 March 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  29. ^ "Finn Valley RFC Officially Opened by Former Ireland and Lions star, Jeremy Davidson". Ulster Rugby. April 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  30. ^ "Finn Harps Academy Launch Golf Classic 2025". Highland Radio. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  31. ^ McNulty, Chris (29 July 2020). "Picture special: Sean MacCumhaills host annual golf classic". Donegal Daily. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  32. ^ Walsh, Harry (22 June 2017). "Pop stars put their Donegal estate on the market". Donegal News. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  33. ^ "Drumboe woods". Donegal Day Out. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  34. ^ "Drumboe". Coillte. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
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