Creeslough

Creeslough (/ˈkriːsˌlɒx/; Irish: An Craoslach [ə ˈkˠɾˠiːsˠˌlɑx], meaning ‘The Gorge’ or ‘Throat Lake’) is a village in County Donegal, Ireland, which is located 12 km south of Dunfanaghy on the N56 road, 54 m above sea level and overlooking an arm of Sheephaven Bay. It is a small village, with the population of the surrounding area engaged mainly in agriculture, mostly livestock rearing, as little of the surrounding land is suitable for tillage.

Creeslough An Craoslach
Village
A view of Creeslough village, taken in 2008
Creeslough Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 55°07′20″N 7°54′22″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Ulster
County	County Donegal
Population  (2016)[1]
• Total	393
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	C055307
Website	www.creeslough.com

Muckish Mountain in the Derryveagh range, near Creeslough, Co. Donegal

St. Michael's Church, designed by Liam McCormick in 1971

Places of interest

Nearby attractions include:

• Doe Castle, a 16th-century castle of the MacSuibhne clan, which has been restored during 2002-2005. It is perhaps best known as the place to which Owen Roe O'Neill returned to command the Irish Confederate's Ulster army in 1642 during the Irish Confederate Wars.
• Ards Forest Park, which contains some megalithic tombs, ringforts and a Mass rock.[2] The forest park encompasses a variety of habitats, including sand dunes, tidal salt marsh as well as several small lakes, two of which are vegetation-filled and in the process of becoming bogs.
• Owencarrow Viaduct, (ruins) whose railway line closed in 1941. Scene of the Owencarrow Viaduct Disaster in 1925.
• Glenveagh National Park, Created in 1981 from lands granted by Henry P. McIlhenny, of Philadelphia.
• Muckish Mountain, with its distinctive outline and a number of routes to the summit to choose from, is a popular hiking destination.[3] The surrounding mountainous areas are suitable for hiking and are notable for their ease of access. The annual Glover Highlander walk (from Muckish to Errigal) starts nearby.[4] There are also several marked trails in Glenveagh National Park.
• Doe Chapel, (1784-1971) The remains of the outer walls of the chapel are situated within the current graveyard at Doe (in Cashelmore, 3 km north of Creeslough). The bell tower stands intact.
• St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church, designed by Derry architect, Liam McCormick in 1971, is notable for its unique design, which mimics the shape of the nearby table mountain of Muckish.[5] McCormick was also responsible for the design of the RIAI Triennial Gold Medal-winning St Aengus' Church, Burt, County Donegal.[6] The church bell was moved from the bell tower from Doe Chapel.

Transport

Creeslough railway station opened on 9 March 1903, closed for passenger traffic on 3 June 1940, and finally closed altogether on 6 January 1947.[7]

Education

A view of the countryside around Creeslough with Muckish mountain in the background.

Creeslough supports three primary schools:

• Scoil Mhuire (142 pupils, 2011 figures,[8] Roman Catholic)
• Creeslough National School (20 pupils, 2011 figures,[9] Church of Ireland)
• Glassan National School (29 pupils, 2011 figures,[10] Roman Catholic), Glassan National School is located 5 km to the west of Creeslough village.

Clonmass Bay at Ards Forest Park, Creeslough.

People

• Kathleen Antonelli, programmer of ENIAC, the first ever computer
• Thomas Bartholomew Curran, barrister and Anti-Parnellite
• Lawrence Donegan, author of No News at Throat Lake (2000)[11]
• Bridie Gallagher, internationally acclaimed singer
• Bernard Lafferty, butler and heir to Doris Duke[12]
• Neil McBride (Niall Mac Gioll Bhridé), poet, author, and lyricist[13]
• Martin McElhinney, Gaelic footballer[14]
• Colm McFadden, Gaelic footballer
• James McNulty, activist for Irish Independence and father of Kathleen Antonelli
• Christy Toye, Gaelic footballer

In popular culture

• No News at Throat Lake is a memoir by Lawrence Donegan about his year living in Creeslough as a reporter at the bi-weekly newspaper, Tirconaill Tribune.[11]
• The area has featured in many Irish folk songs, the most famous being "Cutting the Corn in Creeslough" which has been covered by the likes of Daniel O'Donnell and Creeslough native Bridie Gallagher.

See also

• List of populated places in Ireland

References

1. "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Creeslough". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). Retrieved June 6, 2018.
2. "THE MASSROCK". www.creeslough.com. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
3. "Walking Ireland's Iconic Mountains – Number 2: Muckish". January 20, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
4. The Glover Highlander Walk
5. "St. Michael's Church". www.dunfanaghy.info. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
6. "Liam McCormick - Father of modern Irish church architecture". www.culturenorthernireland.org. April 7, 2006. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
7. "Creeslough station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
11. Zibart, Eve (2000). "No News At Throat Lake BookPage review". www.bookpage.com. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
12. Sheridan, Kathy (November 9, 1996). "Flamboyant life and death of a billionaire butler". The Irish Times. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
13. Gallagher, Bridie. "Noreen Bawn". www.youtube.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
14. McNulty, Chris (6 March 2019). "All-Ireland winner Martin McElhinney pulls out of Donegal panel". Retrieved 6 March 2019. ...the 30-year-old Creeslough man said in January.

External links

• Creeslough News