Burt An Bheart | |
|---|---|
Parish | |
 Burt Chapel | |
  Burt Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 55°02′06″N7°26′41″W / 55.034968°N 7.444668°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Ulster |
| County | County Donegal |
| Government | |
| • Dáil Éireann | Donegal |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (IST (WEST)) |
Burt (Irish : An Bheart) [1] is a parish in County Donegal, Ireland, on the main road between Letterkenny and Derry. [2]
At the base of the Inishowen Peninsula, Burt is part the parish of Fahan. The ancient Grianán of Aileach stone fort dates to 1700BC. [3] On a clear day, it is possible to see the hills of seven counties of Ireland and the Ulster coastline, particularly Lough Swilly, Inch Island and Lough Foyle. From Grianán hill you can see the extent of the reclaimed land at Inch Level which was enclosed by three embankments in 1856. Burt Roman Catholic Chapel on N13 was modelled after the Grianán of Aileach. The Presbyterian congregation nearby dates from 1673, but the present church was built in 1896. [4]
Travellers along the main N13 road from Derry to Letterkenny also see the remains of the Burt Distillery with its stone chimney, in use during the 18th and 19th centuries at Bohullion.
Burt Castle (Irish : Caisleán Bhirt) stands on top of Castlehill and dates from 16th century; it has strong connections with the O'Doherty clan.
Behind Castlehill, on the edge of Lough Swilly, are the remains of an abbey or church at Grange. [5] The churchyard at Grange contains some of the earliest grave stones in this area dating from 17th Century. On the walls of the old building are gravestones and tablets showing the graves of Rev. Andrew Ferguson Sen the second Presbyterian minister of Burt 1690 to 1725 and also his son Rev. Andrew Ferguson Jun who succeeded his father as Minister of Burt from 1725 to 1787. [6]
County Donegal is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconnell or Tirconaill, after the historic territory. Donegal County Council is the local council and Lifford is the county town.
Letterkenny, nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional economic gateway for the north-west of Ireland.
Inishowen is a peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. Inishowen is the largest peninsula on the island of Ireland.
Dunfanaghy is a small town, former fishing port, and commercial centre on the north coast of County Donegal, Ireland. It lies on Donegal's North West coast, specifically the west side of Sheephaven Bay, on the N56 road, 30 km north-west of Letterkenny.
Buncrana is a town in Inishowen in the north of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. The town sits on the eastern shores of Lough Swilly, being 23 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of Derry and 43 kilometres (27 mi) north of Letterkenny. In the 2022 census, the population was 6,971, making it the second most populous town in County Donegal, after Letterkenny, and the largest in Inishowen.
Lough Swilly in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three glacial fjords in Ireland.
Stranorlar is a town, townland and civil parish in the Finn Valley of County Donegal, in Ireland. Stranorlar and Ballybofey form the twin towns of Ballybofey–Stranorlar.
Fanad is a peninsula that lies between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay on the north coast of County Donegal, Ireland. The origin of the name Fanad derives from the Irish language word Fána for "sloping ground". It is also referred to as Fannet or Fannett in older records. There are an estimated 700 people living in Fanad and 30% Irish speakers.
Newtown Cunningham, usually spelled Newtowncunningham or abbreviated to Newton, is a village and townland in the Laggan district in the east of County Donegal, Ireland. It is located on the N13 road 18 kilometres (11 mi) east of Letterkenny and 16 km (10 mi) west of Derry. At the 2022 census, the village population was 1,192.
The O'Doherty family of Inishowen in County Donegal is an Irish clan who were a prominent sept of the Northern Uí Néill's Cenél Conaill, and one of the most powerful clans of Tír Connaill.
The N13 road is a national primary road in Ireland, running in County Donegal in Ulster from Stranorlar to just outside Derry. This road connects Letterkenny to Sligo, Derry and onwards to other destinations.
The Grianan of Aileach, sometimes anglicised as Greenan Ely or Greenan Fort, is a hillfort atop the 244 metres (801 ft) high Greenan Mountain at Inishowen in County Donegal, Ireland. The main structure is a 19th-century reconstruction of a stone ringfort, thought to have been built by the Northern Uí Néill, in the sixth or seventh century CE; although there is evidence that the site had been in use before the fort was built. It has been identified as the seat of the Kingdom of Ailech and one of the royal sites of Gaelic Ireland. The wall is about 4.5 metres (15 ft) thick and 5 metres (16 ft) high. Inside it has three terraces, which are linked by steps, and two long passages within it. Originally, there would have been buildings inside the ringfort. Just outside it are the remains of a well and a tumulus.
The Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Company was an Irish public transport and freight company that operated in parts of County Londonderry and County Donegal between 1853 and 2014. Incorporated in June 1853, it once operated 99 miles of railways. It began the transition to bus and road freight services in 1929. It closed its last railway line in July 1953 but continued to operate bus services under the name Lough Swilly Bus Company until April 2014, becoming the oldest railway company established in the Victorian era to continue trading as a commercial concern into the 21st century. Following a High Court petition by HM Revenue and Customs, the company went into liquidation and operated its final bus services on 19 April 2014.
Ramelton, also Rathmelton, is a town and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. As of 2022, its population was 1,288.
Manorcunningham, or Manor is a village and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located 7 km (4 mi) from Letterkenny on the main road to Derry. It is known locally and throughout Donegal as just Manor.
Much of the architecture of Letterkenny, the largest town in County Donegal in Ireland, dates from the 19th century. Some examples of older architecture remain in the town – though much has been lost also, through decay and modern development.
Drumardagh is a townland in the east of County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland. The townland is about 5 kilometres east of Letterkenny in the Laggan district of East Donegal. The townland is just outside the village of Manorcunningham. The Isle Burn flows along the eastern boundary of the townland. The Irish name means 'the Ridge (drum) on the High Place (ardagh)', and it is this elevation that gives Drumardagh its commanding views over Lough Swilly, from Glenswilly to Inch Island, and beyond to the peaks of the Fanad and Inishowen peninsulae.
Inch Island is in Lough Swilly, a sea lough in County Donegal on the northern coast of Ireland. Inch is also the name of the civil parish covering the island.
Inch Castle is a ruined castle located on the southern tip of Inch Island in County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. The castle was constructed around 1430 by the Gaelic Irish lord Neachtain O'Donnell for his father-in-law, Cahir O'Doherty. The Ó Dochartaigh (O'Doherty) clan were the dominant family on the nearby peninsula of Inishowen and had close links with the O'Donnells. It came to form part of the defensive network of O'Doherty fortifications designed to protect them from rival clans and to overawe those who accepted their overlordship.
The 1860 Londonderry City by-election was held on 2 April following the 13 March 1860 death of the incumbent, the Liberal Party's Sir Robert Ferguson. Ferguson had held the seat since 1830 and had received significant support from the Catholic segment of the constituency. The Liberal Party's candidate Samuel MacCurdy Greer had counted on this support transferring to him, however the Irish Conservative Party's candidate William McCormick, who employed a significant number of Catholic workers, managed to split the Catholic vote. The Liberal Party's Presbyterian support had also been adversely affected by their defeat to the Tories in Londonderry County in 1857, which led many to withdraw from politics.