Falcarragh
An Fál Carrach, sometimes called Na Crois Bhealaí, is a small Gaeltacht town and townland in the north-west of County Donegal, Ireland. The settlement is in the district and old parish of Cloughaneely.
Irish language
According to the 2016 census, of the 1,329 people over the age of 3 living in Na Crios Bhealaí electoral division, 70% of the population are able to speak Irish while 34% claim to speak the language on a daily basis outside the education system.Etymology
The name Falcarragh Fál 'Carrach' has been used since 1850, ascribed so by O'Donovan as he believed Na Crois Bhealaí, meaning 'the Crossroads', was too common in Ireland to allow distinction. Na Crois Bhealaí is still used by local native Irish speakers when referring to the town. On some maps it shows up as 'Crossroads', deriving from its Irish language name Na Croisbhealaí, but older maps refer to it as Robinson's Town; however, it is now officially listed as An Fál Carrach. Falcarragh, the main commercial town between Letterkenny and Dungloe, was known in former times both as Crossroads and as Robinson's Town. An Fál Carrach, the official name, originally referred to a little hamlet south-east of the present town, at the foot of Falcarragh Hill - but gradually houses were built at the crossroads itself, mainly for the workers and tradespeople employed on the Olphert Estate, which was centred on Ballyconnell House.History
The first recorded reference to Falcarragh appears in a report written in 1822 by William Wilson, from Raphoe in the Laggan of East Donegal. Wilson was the Church of Ireland bishop's steward responsible for the collection of tithes to support the Church of Ireland clergy. He, apparently, received a hostile reception on arrival in Cloughaneely according to his account to the bishop:Slater's Directory of 1870 provides information about Falcarragh and its surrounding area:
Slater's Directory of 1881 records that the population increased to 258 inhabitants in 1871 and also tells that there was a Protestant Episcopal church in the town. Some information about the local post office situated at the crossroads is also given. Thomas Browne was the postmaster at the time and “letters from all parts arrive at ten minutes past eleven morning, and are dispatched at one afternoon.”
Landlords
From 1622 to 1921, the Olpherts were the main landlords in the district, Sir John Olphert being the last Olphert landlord, who died in 1917. The tallest Celtic cross in Ireland is located near Falcarragh.Transport
- Falcarragh railway station opened on 9 March 1903, closed for passenger traffic on 3 June 1940 and finally closed altogether on 6 January 1947. The 1992 movie The Railway Station Man, starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, was partly filmed at the Cashel Na gCorr Railway Station House which is the next Railway Station House on the line heading towards Dungloe.
- Two private bus operators have a stop in the area; Patrick Gallagher Coaches' services from Crolly to Derry/Belfast runs through the area, and Mangan Tours' service to Letterkenny from Meenlaragh to also do.
- TFI Local Link route 966 Falcarragh/Dungloe links the area to Gortahork, Gweedore, Crolly and Dungloe.
Notable people
- Eithne Coyle, a leading figure within Cumann na mBan, was born in the nearby hamlet of Killult.
- Ciaran Berry, the poet, grew up in Falcarragh.
- Hugh McFadden, the poet, literary critic and journalist, spent part of his childhood in Falcarragh and Newtown, where his father's family originated.
- Michael Dougherty, soldier