Genealogy In Donegal
Donegal (Self Catering, Donegal, Ireland), a county of Ireland, in Ulster, 68 m. long and 44 broad; bounded W and N by the ocean, E by Londonderry and Tyrone, and S by Roscommon and the bay of Donegal (Holiday Apartments, Donegal, Ireland), containing 42 parishes, and sends 2 members to parliament; has extensive linen manufactures, and abounds with harbours. Donegal (Holiday Cottages, Donegal, Ireland) is something of a geographical and political anomaly. It is the northernmost county on the island, has its strongest cultural, commercial and ethnic ties with neighbouring areas of Northern Ireland, yet forms part of “the south”, the Republic of Ireland. The western and northern coasts have been worn into jagged bays and
fjords by the full impact of the north Atlantic and the magnificent barren inland mountains - Errigal, Dooish, Blue Stack, Slieve League - form part of the same geological structure as the Scottish highlands.
In early historical times, the area was part of the kingdom of Aileach founded by Conall and Eoghan, the two sons of the semi-legendary Niall of the Nine Hostages. Eoghan took what is now Tyrone (T� Eoghain, “Eoghan’s land”) and the
Inishowen peninsula, now in Donegal, while Conall took the remainder of the modern county, which became T� Chonaill, “Conall’s land”. The name Donegal (Holiday Homes, Donegal, Ireland) was taken from the town when the modern county was created by the English administration in 1585.
The majority of County Donegal (Accommodation, Donegal, Ireland) surnames are Gaelic in origin and some surnames are said to be typical of County Donegal, e.g. Friel, McGonigle, Gallagher, Hegarty, Boyle etc.
The chief towns in County Donegal are Ballyshannon, Donegal, Bundoran, Letterkenny, Buncrana, Lifford, Raphoe, Ballybofey and Moville.
Emigration from Donegal : Presbyterians emigrated from here as early as the 1600s and opened up the new frontiers in North America. The Great Famine saw mass emigration to the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Evictions and clearances took place throughout the county at locations that can still be seen.
Donegal Ancestry -Old Meeting House, Back Lane, Ramelton, Co Donegal, Ireland
Donegal Ancestry caters for family history enquiries for County Donegal, which is located in the northwest of Ireland in the Province of Ulster.
Sources they can consult for you include:
Pre1900 Parish Registers
Civil Birth, Marriage and Death Records
Griffith’s Valuation
Tithe Applotment Books
1901 Census Returns
Graveyard Inscriptions
Hearth Money Rolls
Passenger List Extracts
1630 Muster Rolls
Estate records
School Roll Books
Poll of Electors Extracts mid 1700’s
Ordnance Survey Memoirs
Many Other Miscellaneous Sources
The project is still in development and record sources are being computerised on an on-going basis.
