On Friday evening, 15 March at 5.50, the Donegal community came together to celebrate this historic milestone.
The origins of Donegal Town can be traced back to 1474, when Lady Nuala O'Donnell established a Franciscan Abbey on the shores of Donegal Bay. Around the same time, her husband Red Hugh O'Donnell the First, Lord of Tir Chonaill founded Donegal Castle. The Town of Donegal grew up around these two great buildings and became the capital of Tir Chonaill. Under the O’Donnell Lords, who were treated as sovereign princes by the Kings of France, Spain and Scotland, Donegal Town was like the capital of an independent country for 130 years. Even after the O’Donnell’s were overthrown following the Battle of Kinsale, the Town was reputedly the place where the Annals of the Four Masters were written.
Since the time of Red Hugh the First and Lady Nuala, Donegal Town has been one of Ireland’s most historic places. Few Irish Towns have ever reached their 550th birthday. Yet, Donegal is still young at heart, a flourishing and vibrant place, endowed with a remarkable and unique heritage and culture.