Ramelton
| Ramelton Irish: Ráth Mealtain | |
| County Donegal | |
|---|---|
 Bridge over the Lennon in Ramelton | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | C228212 |
| Location: | 55°2’8"N, 7°38’44"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,266 (2016) |
| Local Government | |
Ramelton also written as Rathmelton, is a small town in County Donegal. In 2016 its population was recorded as 1,266.
Ramelton is serviced by many shops and services within the town. The Town Hall in Ramelton was built in the late 19th century.
The town has several grocery stores.
History
Ramelton stands at the mouth of the River Lennon, seven miles north of Letterkenny and two and a half miles south of Milford, on the western shores of Lough Swilly. The town is named from Ráth Mealtain, (Irish for "the fort of Mealtan"), an early Gaelic chieftain. The fort is said to lie under the ruins of a mediæval castle of the O'Donnells, the ruling family of West Donegal before their Flight of the Earls|exile to mainland Europe in 1607.
Ramelton was settled by English and Scots planters during the Plantation of Ulster|Ulster Plantation of the 17th century and is the site of the oldest Presbyterian church in Ireland.
Churches
- Church of Ireland: St. Paul's Church of Ireland (Parish of Tullyaughnish),[1]
- Presbyterian: Ramelton Presbyterian Church[2]
- Roman Catholic: St. Mary's Catholic Church,[3]
Music and sport
The town is home to a marching band which frequently wins prizes in the Miscellaneous Marching Bands (Buíon Rogha Gléas) category of the All-Ireland Fleadh.[4]
Football: Swilly Rovers Football Club, founded in 1929
- Tennis: Ramelton Tennis Club[5]
Other
The town is home to McDaid's soft drinks manufacturer whose drinks are sold throughout Donegal and further afield.[6] Its most famous drink is the Football Special which was originally produced to celebrate the successes of Swilly Rovers Football Club.[7]
The town was the setting for the 1995 television serial The Hanging Gale, which told of the Great Famine of the 19th century.
Ramelton is also a key setting for the A.E.W. Mason novel The Four Feathers.
Events
The town hosts the Lennon Festival, a village fair, since 1970.
The town is also the setting for Django Sur Lennon gypsy jazz festival which has been held in the town in since 2015 and has featured gypsy jazz musicians from Europe and beyond.[8]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ramelton) |
References
- ↑ "St. Paul's Church". https://www.ireland.anglican.org/find-a-church/parish/11710/tullyaughnish-st-paul-ramelton.
- ↑ "Ramelton Presbyterian Church". https://rameltonpresbyterianchurch.com/about-us/.
- ↑ "St. Mary's Church". https://www.raphoediocese.ie/church/ramelton/st-marys-ramelton/.
- ↑ "Ramelton Town Band Wins". 11 July 2019. https://irishmarchingbandsmedia.com/fleadh-higlights-2015-ramelton-town-band-win-fourth-all-ireland-senior-title-in-a-row/.
- ↑ Ramelton Tennis Club: Local Gyms and Fitness
- ↑ "McDaids". https://football-special.com/.
- ↑ "Football Special". https://football-special.com/our-story/.
- ↑ "Django sur Lennon". https://djangosurlennon.com/.
- Ráth Mealtain/Rathmelton: Placenames Database of Ireland
