| Letterkenny Leitir Ceanainn | ||
| Image:Letterkbig.png | ||
|---|---|---|
| Location | ||
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| Irish Grid Reference C167188 | ||
| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Ulster | |
| County: | County Donegal | |
| Elevation: | 52 m | |
| Population (2006) - Town: - Rural: | 6,855 10,868 | |
Letterkenny (Leitir Ceanainn in Irish) is the largest town in County Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland, located 35 miles north of Donegal Town and 20 miles west of Derry in Northern Ireland on the River Swilly. Its name is an anglicisation of the Irish language name, which, translated, means "The Slope of the Cannon Family".
Letterkenny had a population of 17,723 (including rural area) at the 2006 census and has one of the longest streets in Ireland. Despite its size, it is not the administrative centre of Donegal, which is Lifford. It is situated at the base of the Lough Swilly.
Some prominent buildings in Letterkenny include St. Eunan's Cathedral, St. Eunan's College, the Workhouse (now functioning as the town's museum), and St. Conal's Hospital. Letterkenny Institute of Technology is a higher education institution established in the town since 1971. The town also boasts the longest main street in Ireland.
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Letterkenny began as a market in the 17th century (thus starting before the Great Famine) and was the first crossing point of the River Swilly. Letterkenny achieved town status in the early 1920s following the partition of Ireland, when the Irish punt replaced the British Pound Sterling as the national currency of Ireland. This led to many Irish banks that had been previously located in the closest city, Derry (now in Northern Ireland), being forced to open branches in Co. Donegal, including in Letterkenny. Public services and industry followed the banks and led to an economic boom in Letterkenny.
The town's major employers include the General Hospital (which grew from St. Conal's Psychiatric hospital), Pramerica, and the Department of Social and Family Affairs. Letterkenny is at the centre of industry in the north west of Ireland. Eircom and Pacificare are significant employers in the region. Boston Scientific is another large employer in the town. As the main commercial centre of north Donegal, Letterkenny also has a host of financial service institutions, legal firms and small businesses. There has been a significant decline in the manufacturing base, however employment has grown in the service sector. Since 2002 there has been a significant expanision in the retail sector. Allied to this growth has been the development of the cultural infrastructure. This includes the opening of An Grianan Theatre and the development of a new arts centre.
Its proximity to the border with Northern Ireland, along with its geographic isolation from the rest of the Republic of Ireland, has led to Letterkenny (and indeed, the rest of Co. Donegal) diverging in attitude substantially from that of either side of the border. The economy in the town is strongly dependent on cross-border trade, and times of economic boom are determined mostly by the currency exchange rate between the Euro and the British Pound.
Letterkenny is the most prominent shopping town in County Donegal. There are many shopping centres around the town, The Forte Shopping Centre and The Courtyard to name two. The main shopping area in the town was until recently its main street although due to recent expansion there are now numerous retail areas around the town. Most major retailers are not located in the town centre but in retail outlets at the edge of the town. Letterkenny is home to some of the country's leading chain retailers such as Dunnes Stores, Tesco, TK Maxx and Argos.
It has been and continues to be referred to as the fastest growing town in Europe; however this has never been substantiated. Information from the Central Statistics Office in Ireland and the EU Statistical Office, EuroStat, going as far back as 1977 make no mention of Letterkenny in their reports on the fastest growing towns or cities within either Europe or Ireland. However, a former President of Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce and Industry remarked once that it could be the fastest growing town in Europe, this was later used by Frank Mc Donald of the Irish Times in an article in 1995 entitled 'The Fastest Growing town in Europe' and from then on was used regularly in the press locally and nationally. This is not to say that the town has not experienced rapid expansion in recent years. Between 1996 and 2002 the population of the town and its environs has risen from 11,996 to 15,231. This increase by 27.0 % has made Letterkenny one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland, outside the Dublin commuter belt.[1]
Letterkenny in general boasts some good quality architecture, capable of rivalling that of many of Ireland’s towns and cities. Many of the town's most famous buildings were built in the early or even earlier than the 1900’s. The town’s tallest building is St. Eunan's Cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral on the south side of the River Swilly which was built in 1901. Another dominant building in the town is the historic St. Eunan's College which was built as a seminary in 1904. The building that houses a branch of the "Allied Irish Bank", on the Main Street, is also noteworthy.
Another attractive piece of architecture can be found at Mount Southwell Terrace. This terrace of red brick was built in 1837 by Lord Southwell. St. Conal's Hospital was built in the early 1860s. The wonderfully constructed courthouse dominates the town’s main street and was built in 1829. The county museum is housed in the old workhouse and is located on the High Road and was built in 1843. The museum attracts thousand's of tourists to the town every year who want to find out about the history of County Donegal.
Letterkenny is well served by road transport. Bus Éireann operates a number of bus services from it's bus depot to Dublin, Derry and Galway a number of times each day. Many private coach companies have daily services to and from the town. The Lough Swilly Bus company operates a local transport service in cooperation with Bus Éireann. Currently, access from Dublin is improving with motorway status roads being constructed along the route, allowing cars to complete the Dublin-Letterkenny journey in about 3hours 30mins. Galway is 4 hours away by car while Belfast is 2 hours. Both Derry about (45 mins away) and Carrickfinn (60 mins away) Airports receive flights from Dublin, Glasgow and London Stansted. There are currently no train services operating to the town (See below). Taxi services are available from a rank on Main St. at The Market Square.
Railway history
The town was, in times past, connected with the once extensive narrow gauge rail network of County Donegal. This provided connections to Derry (and through there to Dublin and Belfast), to Lifford and Strabane, to Gweedore and Burtonport, and to Carndonagh, north of Derry. The rail system was built in the late 19th century, with the last extensions opening in the 1900s. Some of these lines were never profitable, built using British government subsidies, described as an attempt to kill the Home Rule movement "with kindness". Only a couple of decades later, political events resulted in rail companies operating across two jurisdictions where there had previously been one. This had devastating effects on an already fragile economic situation, resulting eventually in the final closure of all parts of the rail system in the area by 1960.
The railway station was converted to a bus station which, today serves Bus Eireann. However, poor public transport in the region has led to the development of local privately owned bus companies, which are often based in the surrounding Gaeltacht. The Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway company has continued to operate as a bus company, the Lough Swilly Bus company. These private companies often provide the best transport links in the area.
Letterkenny has a climate consistent with most of the island (See Climate section in Ireland article). Like the rest of the west of Ireland Letterkenny receives large amounts of rainfall. The sunniest months, on average, are June and July, with more than 5 hours of sunlight daily. The wettest months, on average, are December and January. The driest month is May. Due to Letterkenny's higher latitude, it experiences longer summer days and shorter winter days than the rest of Ireland. Strong winds from Atlantic storm systems can severely affect the north of the country. Severe winds are most likely during winter, but can occur anytime of year. The town can experience some snow showers during the months of November–March inclusive, but lying snow is rare. Hail occurs more often than snow, and is most likely during the winter months. Thunder and lightning rare but are more likely to occur around the summer months. Typically, the coldest months in Letterkenny are December, January and February.
The retail trade in Letterkenny is developing quickly with a mix of both modern, state of the art shopping centres and family owned local shops providing unique and often hand-made crafts. Letterkenny is the most prominent shopping town in County Donegal. Department Stores can cater for all budgets, with expensive boutiques for one end of the market with many high street stores also available. There are many shopping centres around the town, The Forte Shopping Centre and The Courtyard to name a few. The main shopping area in the town was until recently its main street although due to recent expansion there are now numerous retail areas around the town. Major retailers are by and large not locating in the town centre. Retail outlets at the edge of the town centre have become the norm. There are also two retail parks located in the town with shops such as Next and Lidl situated in the park.
During the Plantation of Ulster, Queen Elizabeth I confiscated the lands around Ulster. The land was divided into estates and rented cheaply to natives of England and Scotland. Letterkenny began as a market town and consisted of cattle and sheep grazing on what were then untilled hillside. Because of the plantations, Letterkenny has a unique culture, quite different from the rest of Ireland. The English introduced new farming methods, with more crops and less cattle farming than before. Despite having a long tradition of emigration that continued up until the early 1990s, Letterkenny has gained cultural diversity over many years, with people immigrating from all over the world, particularly from Poland, Romania, Latvia and various African nations. This is reflected in the recent growth of multi-cultural restaurants and shops, including Chinese and Indian restaurants, and more recently an Italien pizzaria.
Letterkenny's cultural life is vibrant. Music, theatre and dance all play a prominent role in town’s life. The town is a popular nightlife location and attracts many revellers, especially at the weekends. It attracts stag parties and hen parties, many from across the border from Northern Ireland. The Letterkenny Arts Centre provides a constant throughput of new blood. Recent additions to the arts infrastructure include splendid modern additions to Letterkenny Library and Arts Centre and the Cristeph Gallery. The new Letterkenny Arts Centre, located behind An Grianán Theatre, is due to open shortly. As the largest town in County Donegal, Letterkenny contains many cultural amenities. The County Museum is located on the High Road. Glenveagh Castle, Glebe Gallery and The Newmills Corn and Flax Mills are located a few miles outside of the town itself. An Grianán Theatre, the largest theatre in County Donegal with a seating capacity of 345 is located in the town providing dancing, drama, film and live music. There are also many intimate smaller music venues in places such as pubs. There is one large cinema in the town. Century Cinemas is an eight-screen cinema with carparking facilities. Letterkenny has recently played host to the Irish traditional music festival, the Fleadh Cheoil for two consecutive years.
Sport is very popular in the area of Letterkenny, with gaelic games (hurling & gaelic football) and soccer being the most popular. There are two Gaelic Athletic Association clubs in Letterkenny, St. Eunan's and Letterkenny Gaels who play their home games at O' Donnell Park and Dave Gallaher Memorial Park, respectively. Almost uniquely in Ireland, the rugby club and Gaelic club Letterkenny Gaels, share facilities. Gaelic football, like most of County Donegal, is the predominant sport (See Donegal GAA), although soccer is also very popular. The are also many small, amateur soccer clubs in and around the town such as Letterkenny Rovers F.C. and Bonagee United FC.
Rugby is also popular in the town, being played at various levels, from school to senior league level.Letterkenny RFC, which was founded in 1973, is the major rugby club in the town. Other Letterkenny sports clubs include basketball, tennis, athletics, pitch and putt and numerous golf clubs in the town. There is also a state of the art leisure centre in the town. The town also hosts the Donegal International Rally in June every year and the Donegal Harvest Rally every October.
Letterkenny Town caters for most levels of education from primary level up to tertiary level.
Primary Schools (including one Gaelscoil):
Secondary Schools (including one Gaelcholáiste):
Other
Letterkenny can receive all national radio stations, television stations and cable and satellite services. The area can also receive many British stations. The local radio station is Highland Radio which broadcasts from the town to most of north County Donegal. It began broadcasting in 1990.
Local newspapers include:
Freesheet newspapers distributed locally are:
The Letterkenny Town Park is located at Hospital Roundabout and opened in 1999. The park is laid out with a herb garden, flower beds, mature and new trees, an orchard area, playing areas, bowling green, walks, playgrounds and a Garden of Remberance and has leaf-shaped gates at several entry points.
The Ballyraine Linear Park is situated on the outskirts of the town. It is a park that has been developed over the last few years, and currently features a stone wall along a small walkway and an area of natural wildlife and plants.
LOFT LK
The Loft LK or Learning Opportunities For Teens Letterkenny is located on Port Road on a site previously occupied by the old cinema. Since opening in April 2006 it has offered the chance for local teenagers to meet in a safe supervised environment. Coffee, tea and snacks may also be purchased. As well as this, the LOFT offers music, computer games, satellite TV, spacious comfortable sofas and a pool table. A raised platform can be converted into a stage for instruments and other equipment during Band Nights which are hosted regularly. The LOFT plays host to many other social events such as a Film Club and offers courses in Media Studies, Peer Leadership and Personal Development.
YIC
The YIC or Youth Information Centre is located in the same building as the LOFT. It offers computers and broadband facilities as well as information that may of interest to young people. It also has longer opening hours than the LOFT.
Letterkenny was twinned with Poland when the country was accepted into the EU in 2004.
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