Downings

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Downings
Na Dúnaibh
Village
Nadunaibh.JPG
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; -7.836495Coordinates: 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

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', referring to the wealth of hill forts in the area.[6] The full original Irish name seems to have been (hi ccrannóicc) na nDuini.[6] Or the name could be a hibernicisation of the English name, to describe the sandy dunes connecting the peninsula to the County Donegal mainland.[citation needed]

Economy

Fishermen on Downings pier, around 1910

Downings used to be a significant fishing port with a substantial herring fleet. Today, however, the economy survives on tourism, and only three crab boats make a traditional living from the sea. Situated as it is in Sheephaven Bay, one of the safest anchorages on the north coast of Ireland, Downings has begun to cater for international game fishermen, the northwest of Ireland being on the migration route of bluefin tuna and other game species.[7]

History

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]

Recreation

The dunes that link the Rosguill peninsula to the mainland are also home to the Rosapenna Links course designed by Old Tom Morris, and although the original hotel and clubhouse that was patronised by the likes of John Wayne and Errol Flynn burnt down in the sixties, the new buildings seek to emulate the charm of the originals.[citation needed]

Downings is the start and finish of the Atlantic Drive, one of the most dramatic scenic routes in Ireland.[citation needed]

People

See also

References

  1. ^ Downings village. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved: 2011-12-19.
  2. ^ Downings townland. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved: 2011-12-19.
  3. ^ Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004.
  4. ^ Discovery Series Sheet 2 (3rd Edition). Ordnance Survey of Ireland (O.S.I.), Dublin, 2005.
  5. ^ Downies Townland, Co. Donegal. https://www.townlands.ie/donegal/kilmacrenan/mevagh/rosguill/downies/
  6. ^ a b Patrick McKay, A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names, p. 59. The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, 1999.
  7. ^ IFI website
  8. ^ McGlinchey, Don. "The Laurentic's golden allure". Scuba & Snorkel Diving Ireland. Irish Underwater Council. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Laurentic gun recovered off Malin Head". Inishowen News. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  10. ^ "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.

External links

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