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I OHIOA! 





701 



Doooaster a durable place for visiters. Another cau- of attraction U 

 furnished by the annual races. Then* are bald in the third week of 

 September, nod continue for fire <lay. It u mid that they are a 

 source of great emolument to the town, bat this has been doubted. 

 It u oerUiu Uiat they are productive of much immorality. The raos- 

 grouud, which U about a mile from the town, i* |KT|I| unrivalled. 

 The grand stand, a handeome and commodious edifice, wae erected 

 by the corporation of Douoaster. The St Leger stakrs excite peat 

 interest not only throughout the kingdom, but in all parte of the 

 world. The municipal body lubecribee largely to the maintenance 

 of the races, under the idea that they tend to the prosperity of the 



! :\:i. 



DONEGAL, a maritime county of the province of Ulster in Ireland, 

 lie* between 64* 87' and o.V 2'}' N. lot. 6* 56' and ' 48' W. Ion;. ; 

 it U bounded K. and 8. on the inland tide by parte of the couutiee of 

 Londonderry, Tyrone, Fermanagh, and Leitrim, and S.W., W., and 

 N. by the Atlantic Uoean. The greatest length from Iniihowen Head 

 on the north-east to Malin Beg Head (eometimee called Teelin Head) 

 on the eouth-weet u 86 statute miles; the greatest breadth from 

 Fearn Hill on the south-east to Horn Head on the north-west i* 

 41 statute miles. The area, according to the Ordnance Survey of 

 Ireland, comprises 1866 square miles, or 1,193,448 acres, of which 

 398,101 aores are arable, 769,687 uncultivated, 7079 in plantations, 

 47u in towns, and 28,107 under water. The population in 1861 was 

 366,160. 



Surface, Hydrography, Communication*. Donegal forms the north- 

 western extremity of Ireland. The inland boundary preserves a 

 general direction of south-west by north-east, and from Lifford 

 northward is formed by the navigable river and harbour of Lough 

 Koyle. The maritime boundary ia extremely irregular, being deeply 

 indented on the north by the sestuariea of Lough Swilly, Mnlroy, and 

 Sheep Haven, and on thu south by Donegal Bay. The whole county 

 U uneven and mountainous, with the exception of the midland 

 district extending from the liberties of Londonderry westward to 

 Letterkonny and Kathmclton, ou Lough Swilly, and southward along 

 the Koyle to Lifford and Castle Finn ; and some other inconsiderable 

 tract* around Bullyahannon and Donegal on the south and Dunfanaghy 

 and Buncrana on the north. The mountain groups of Donegal, 

 together with the highlands of Tyrone and Derry, present a deeply 

 withdrawn amphitheatre to the north-east inclosing the basin of the 

 Foyle. That portion of the mountainous circuit which lies within 

 thin county is broken only in the north by the openings of Lough 

 Swilly and Mulroy Bay ; and on the south (where the connecting 

 highlands of Donegal and Tyrone are narrowed between the valley 

 of the Finn and the Bay of Donegal) by the gap of Barneamore. 

 Slieve Snaght, which rises to a height of 2019 feet in the centre of 

 the peninsula of Inianowen, forms the extremity of thi-t chain on tha 

 north. Westward from Slieve Snaght, and similarly situated in the 

 centre of the peninsula of Fanad between Lough Swilly and Mulroy 

 Bay, is Knockalla, 1186 feet, backed in like manner by Lough Salt 

 Mountain, 1641 feet, between the head of Mulroy Bay and the low 

 country stretching inland from Sheep Haven. Westward again from 

 Sheep Haven is Muckish, 2190 feet in height, which slopes down 

 on the north to the promontory of Horn Head ; and Carntreena 

 (1896 feet), which extends to the sea at Bloody Foreland. Southward 

 from Muckiah stretches a vast region of highlands, which expands 

 towards the west in wide-extended tracts of bog, interspersed with 

 small lakes and covered with black heaths down to the sandy beach 

 of the Atlantic : on the east it presents a series of boH continuous 

 eminences overhanging the basin of the Foyle. The chief eminences 

 of the chain are Krigal and Dooish on the north, the first 2402 feet 

 in height (the highest ground in the county), the second 2143 feet ; 

 and Bluestack, 8218 feet, and Silverhill, 1967 feet, both on the south. 

 From Bluestnck extends a series of considerable elevations westward, 

 long the northern boundary of the Bay of Donegal, terminating in 

 the precipices of Slieve League and the promontory of Malin Beg ; 

 the Barneamore Mountain* sweeping eastward continue the chain int 

 Tyrone. This mountainous tract covers upwards of 700 square miles. 

 It contains several spot* of great interest to the tourist, such a* 

 Lough Halt, the prospect from which over H.TII Hi,l and Tory 

 Island has been justly celebrated ; and Olen Veagh, under the eaitrn 

 declivity of Dooiah, where cliffs of 1000 feet hang for upwards of 

 two mile* over a glen and lake, the op|sito bank being clothed with 

 rtorml forest, which is still the retreat of the red deer. 



From the liberties of Londonderry northward the coast of Lough 

 Foyle between the mountains of Inishoweu and the sea is well 

 inhabited and improved. Fn.m Inishowen Head, at the entrance of 

 Longh Foyle, the eoast. which from this point is very rocky and 

 precipitous, bends north-west to Malin Head, the most northern 

 point of this county and of Ireland. The chili, at Inishowen Head 

 an 313 feet in bright; at Bin Head, about half-way between Culdaff 

 and Malin, they rise to the altitude of 814 feet above the sen. On 

 the Loogh BwiUy side of the peninsula the coast is low, and in many 

 places covered with Mod, which the north-westerly gale* heap up in 

 immense quantise* on all the exposed beaches of this coast Lough 

 Swilly extends inland upwards of SO mil**, and forms a spacious and 

 secure harbour ; the average breadth is about a mile and a half, and 

 the inner basin is completely land-locked ; but the vicinity of Lough 



FoyU, which floats vessels of 900 tons up to the bridge of Derry, 

 renders Loogh Swilly of less importance as a harbour. Westward 

 from Lough Swilly the coast of Fanad, which is peninsulated by the 

 Bay of Mulroy, is very rugged, and in many parts overspread with 

 sand blown in between the higher points 'of rock. The Bay of 

 Mulroy is encumbered with sand-banks and intricate windings; it 

 extends inland upwards of 10 mil**, and is completely land-looked, 

 being scarcely half a quarter of a mile wide at the entrance. The 

 small peninsula of Koaguill, intercepted between this bay and Sheep 

 Haven, has been almost obliterated by the sands which have been 

 blown in here within the last csntury. On the opposite shore of 



opposite 



Sheep Haven stand Doe Castle, and the house and demesne of Ardes, 

 the most remote and at the came time the most splendid seat in this 

 quarter of Ulster. On a creek of Sheep Haven is the little port-town 

 of Dunfanaghy, immediately under Horn Head, which rises north <>f 

 it to the height of 883 feet, with a cliff to the ocean of 62tJ fef 

 the sound between Horn Head and Bloody Foreland are the islands 

 "i hiiiiribomn, Iniahdoony, and Tory Island, which last u at a distance 

 of 8 miles from the shore. Tory Island U S[ miles in length, by half 

 a mile to three-quarters of a mile in breadth, and is inhabited by 

 perhaps the most primitive race of people in the Unite 1 Kingdom. 

 The average elevation of the western part of the inland U ii" 

 than from 60 to 60 feet above the level of the sea, and the want of 

 shelter is felt very severely in those north-westerly gale* which set in 

 with such violence on this coast. 



From Bloody Foreland south to Malin Beg Head, a distance of 

 40 miles in a straight line, nothing can be more desolate than the aspect 

 of the western coast of Donegal Vast moors studded with pool* of bog 

 water descend to the Atlantic between barren deltas of sand, through 

 which each river and rivulet of the coast winds it* way to the sea. 

 In winter when these sandy channels are overflowed it i impossible 

 to proceed by the coast-line, a* there are no bridges over any of til-- 

 larger streams north of the village of Olanties. The wildest part of 

 this district is called the Rosses, in which the village of Dungloe, or 

 Cloghanlea, is the principal place. A great number of islands lie off 

 this coast, separated from the mainland and from one another by 

 narrow sounds and sand-banks. Of these eleren are inhabited, of 

 which the principal are : Aranmore, or the north Island of A ran ; 

 Rutland, or InnUmacdum; Innisfree, and Owney. The 1 

 fishery was very successful here in 1784 and 1786 ; each winter's 

 fishing was calculated to have produced the inhabitants of the Rosses 

 a sum of 40,OOU/. They loaded with herrings upwards of 300 vessels 

 in each of these yean. These successes induced the government, in 

 conjunction with the Marquis of Conyngham, the proprietor, to 

 expend a large sum of money in the improvements necessary to erect 

 a permanent fishing station ou the ii<!aii>l .if Innismacdurn. A small 

 town was built and called Rutland, but it was scarcely completed 

 when the herrings began to desert the coast; at the same tin 

 sands began to accumulate : at present the i*land ia nearly half 

 covered with sand, and the fishing station is quite obliterated. Below 

 high-water mark on the const of luiiisfree grow* a marine grass pecu- 

 liarly sweet and nutritive for cattle, which watch the ebb of tl 

 imd feed upon it at every low water. 



The district of the Rosses ia separated from the more reclaimed 

 country about Qlanties and Ardara on the south by the river Uwee- 

 barra, the sandy channel of which is from a mile and a half to a 

 quarter of a mile in breadth throughout the laat eight miles of its 

 course, and can only be passed by for.linj; in dry weather. Westward 

 from Ardara the coast is lined with lilt* from .loo to C.oo ; 

 height on the northern side of the great pron minated by 



Malin Beg Head. The r on the I 



coast are those of Slieve League immediately oast of Malin 

 where the height from the sea to the summit of - rock 



above U at one point 1864 feet. Eejitward from Slieve League ' 

 town of Donegal the northern shore of Donegal Bay afford* ex< 

 shelter from the north-west gales in several guccewive creeks. Of 

 these the harbour of Killybeggs is very much the most sheltered and 

 commodious, being the only one secure from a gale from the west or 

 the south-west. The harbour of Donegal itself at the head 

 bay is sufficiently good for a much more busy trading place 

 in mill " S from it is the embouchure of the navigable 

 which flows from Lough Erne through Kallyshaninin K..un.l the 

 head of Donegal Hay from Killybeggs to Bundoran cultivation extends 

 more or less up all the seaward declivities : the neighbourhood of 

 ]lllyi<lmnni>n is well improved; ami north-east from the town of 

 Donegal a good tract of arable land stretches in .icturenque 



lake of Lough Eask and the Gap of Barnesmoro, where a mountain 

 defile of the most romantic character, about seven miles in length, 

 connects it with the aouth-western extremity of the district of the 

 Foyle. 



The Finn, which is the chief feeder of the Foyle on thin side, issues 

 from a lake of 438 feet above the level of the sea, situated in the 

 centre of the mountain chain extending south of Krigal, and after a 

 course of about 30 miles eastward joins the Foyle at Lifford bridge, 

 > miles below Castletiiin, where it is navigable for boats of 14 tons. 

 Other feeders of the Foyle out of Donegal are: the Derg, which 

 Cornell from Lough Derg, in the south-eastern extremity of the county 

 of Donegal, and joins the main stream in Tyrone ; the Deelc, which 



