- Glenties
Infobox Irish Place
name = Glenties
gaeilge = Na Gleannta
crest
motto =
map
pin coords = left: 46px; top: 80px
north coord = 54.7975 | west coord = 8.2825 | irish grid = G818944
area = | elevation = 78m
province =Ulster
county =County Donegal
town pop = 811 | rural pop =
census yr = 2006
web =
|Glenties (official name: Na Gleannta, meaning "The Glens") [ [http://www.commissioner.ie/downloads/An_tOrdu_Logainmneacha_(Ceantair_Ghaeltachta)_2004.pdf Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004] ] is a small town in the northwest of
Ireland in centralCounty Donegal . The town is situated where two glens meet, northwest of theBlue Stack Mountains , near the confluence of two rivers. Glenties is the largest centre of population in the parish of Iniskeel. Glenties has won the NationalTidy Towns competition five times and has won a medal many other times. Population 811 [http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/census2006_Table_7_and_12.pdf] .Around Glenties
One of the town's most striking buildings is its unusual church, St Connell's, which was built in
1974 to replace the old church. The building has a flat roof sloping to the ground at a sharp angle. The original bell from the first church is still used today in the newer church. St. Connell is the patron saint of the parish. Liam McCormack won a European Award for its design in 1974.During the Great Famine, an old hospital and workhouse stood on the site of the current comprehensive school.
In
2004 , Glenties was named by The Irish Time as having the highest teen pregnancy rate for any town in the Republic of Ireland with a population of under 5000 residents.Fact|date=April 2008Tourism
The town has a reasonably large tourist trade and boasts a hotel ("The Highlands") and a variety of lively pubs and the locally famous 'Lime Light' night club which often have traditional
Irish music . There are several guesthouses around the town. The majority of visitors come for the area's scenic beauty.Patrick MacGill statue
A statue to the 'Navvy Poet',
Patrick MacGill , who was born in Glenties, is located on the bridge over the river in the center of town.t. Connell's Museum
St. Connell's Museum and Heritage Center has a good collection of local history artifacts, including some from the famine. The museum is named after St. Connell Caol, who founded a monastic settlement on
Inishkeel Island in the 6th century. The museum also has a display aboutPatrick Cardinal O'Donnell , mementos from the filming ofDancing at Lughnasa , and an extensive display about theCounty Donegal Railways Joint Committee . It also has a reading room with a good collection of local historic records.Glenties in popular culture
Glenties was the model for
Brian Friel 's fictional village ofBallybeg , where several of his works were set. His play,Dancing at Lughnasa was set in Ballybeg and was made into a film in 1994 starringMeryl Streep .Transport
Glenties was formerly served by a branch line of the
County Donegal Railways Joint Committee , a narrow gauge railway system. The Glenties branch was the first part of the County Donegal Railways to be closed; the railway station (and the branch line) opened on3 June 1895 and finally closed on15 December 1947 . [cite web | title=Glenties station | work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-10-14]Tidy Towns
Glenties was the national winner of Ireland's
Tidy Towns competition in 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, and 1995. Other recent results include being a Gold Medal winner in 2004, 2005, and 2006 and a silver medal winner in 2003.People
*
Enda Bonner - policitian, football player
*Thomas F. Breslin - Colonel, victim ofBataan Death March
*Brian Friel - playwright
*Thomas Gildea - politician
*Patrick MacGill - the Navvy Poet
*Patrick Cardinal O'Donnell -Primate of All Ireland References
External links
* [http://www.glenties.ie/ Glenties.ie]
* [http://homepage.eircom.net/~glenties/ Glenties Online]
* [http://www.geocities.com/glentiesgaa/ Glenties GAA]
* [http://www.dun-na-ngall.com/glent.html Dun-na-nGall.com's Glenties entry]
* [http://www.dun-na-ngall.com/stcon.html St. Connell's Museum]
* [http://www.countydonegal.com/donegal_glenties.htm Glenties entry]
* [http://www.tidytowns.ie/TidyTownsResultsBook2005.pdf Tidy Town results - page 2 shows past winners]
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