Downings
| Downings Irish: Na Dúnaibh | |
| County Donegal | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | B847228 |
| Location: | 55°11’40"N, 7°50’11"W |
| Data | |
| Local Government | |
Downings or Downies is a village and townland on the Rosguill peninsula in County Donegal. The village is on the shores of Sheephaven Bay on the north coast of the county.[1]
The village is in a Gaeltacht district and its sole official name is an Irish version: Na Dúnaibh, its name in the Irish language. The name may mean 'The Forts', referring to the wealth of hill forts in the area.[2] The full original Irish name seems to have been (hi ccrannóicc) na nDuini.[2] Alternatively. the name could be a hibernicisation of the English name, to describe the sandy dunes connecting the peninsula to the County Donegal mainland.
Economy
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 north-west of Ireland being on the migration route of bluefin tuna and other game species.[3]
History
In 2007 local divers recovered a gun from the wreck of the Laurentic, an ocean liner converted to an armed merchant vessel which was torpedoed by a German U-boat at the mouth of Lough Swilly in 1940. The gun is now mounted beside Downings Pier.[4][5]
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.
Downings is the start and finish of the Atlantic Drive, one of the most dramatic scenic routes in Ireland.
Outside links
References
- ↑ Downies Townland, Co. Donegal: Townlands.ie
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Patrick McKay, A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names, p. 59. The Institute of Irish Studies, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, 1999.
- ↑ Fishing In Ireland: Charter boats in Donegal
- ↑ McGlinchey, Don. "The Laurentic's golden allure". Scuba & Snorkel Diving Ireland. Irish Underwater Council. http://diving.ie/news/the-laurentics-golden-allure/.
- ↑ "Laurentic gun recovered off Malin Head". Inishowen News. 2 October 2007. http://www.inishowennews.com/LGun.htm.
- Downings village: Placenames Database of Ireland
- Downings townland: Placenames Database of Ireland
