Downings

Na Dúnaibh
Downings, Downies, The Downies
Village
Downings Bay
Downings Bay
Na Dúnaibh is located in Ireland
Na Dúnaibh
Na Dúnaibh
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 55°11′40″N 7°50′11″W / 55.194533°N 7.836495°W / 55.194533; -7.836495
CountryIreland
ProvinceUlster
CountyCounty Donegal
BaronyKilmacrenan
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid ReferenceB847228

Na Dúnaibh, known in English as Downings or Downies, is a Gaeltacht village and townland on the Rosguill peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland. The village is on the shores of Sheephaven Bay on the north coast of Ireland.

Name

As the village is in a Gaeltacht district, its official name is Na Dúnaibh, its name in the Irish language. The name probably means 'the forts', reflecting the existence of several hill forts in the area. The full original Irish name seems to have been (hi ccrannóicc) na nDuini. The name may also be a hibernicisation of the English name, to describe the sandy dunes connecting the peninsula to the County Donegal mainland.[citation needed]

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ringfort and standing stone sites in the townlands of Larganreagh (Leargain Riach), Downies (Na Dúnaibh) and Rosepenna (Machaire Loiscthe).

In 2007, local divers recovered a gun from the wreck of HMS Laurentic at the mouth of Lough Swilly. The gun is now mounted beside Downings Pier.

Economy

Fishermen on Downings pier, around 1910

The fishing port at Downings was previously home to a substantial herring fleet. Today, the economy survives partly on tourism. Downings is home to the 'McNutt of Donegal' tweed factory and shop.[citation needed] It is also home to McBride Fishing, who operate three crab fishing boats and the online fishing industry news platform The Fishing Daily.[citation needed] The Meevagh Boatyard, located on Mulroy Bay, was established in the early 1900s by the Congested Districts Board (CDB). It built fishing boats, for local fishermen, during the herring boom.[citation needed]

Recreation

The Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort, just outside Downings village, is located on the dunes that link the Rosguill peninsula to the mainland. The golf club's links course was initially designed by Old Tom Morris in the 1890s.

Downings lies on the Donegal Atlantic Drive tourist driving route.

People

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Na Dúnaibh / Downies (village)". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  2. ↑ "Na Dúnaibh / Downings (townland)". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  3. ↑ "Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004" (PDF). commissioner.ie. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Discovery Series Sheet 2 (3rd Edition). Ordnance Survey of Ireland (O.S.I.), Dublin, 2005.
  5. ↑ "Downies Townland, Co. Donegal". townlands.ie.
  6. 1 2 McKay, Patrick (1999), "A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names", The Institute of Irish Studies, Belfast: The Queen's University of Belfast, p. 59
  7. ↑ Lacey, Brian, ed. (1983). Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. Lifford: Donegal County Council. ISBN 095084070X.
  8. ↑ McGlinchey, Don. "The Laurentic's golden allure". Scuba & Snorkel Diving Ireland. Irish Underwater Council. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  9. ↑ "Laurentic gun recovered off Malin Head". Inishowen News. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Rosapenna, Old Tom Morris Golf Links". ukgolfguy.com. Retrieved 10 October 2025. Rosapenna [..] sits just a short walk outside the town of Downings [..] The game has been played on this land since the 1890s when Old Tom Morris laid out 9 holes
  11. ↑ "Downings". irelandnorthwest.ie. North West Ireland Tourism Guide. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  12. ↑ "Maxi Curran takes up reins as U-21 manager". Donegal Democrat. 21 January 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012. Curran from Downings and a member of Jim McGuinness's senior management team, takes over from McGuinness who stepped down at the end of last season.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)