Muff, County Donegal

Muff (from Irish: Magh)[2] is a village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is near the mouth of the River Foyle (where it flows into Lough Foyle) and sits close to the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The village of Culmore and the city of Derry are to the south in Northern Ireland.

Not to be confused with Eglinton, County Londonderry (formerly known as Muff).

Muff Magh
Village
Muff Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 55°04′03″N 7°16′09″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Ulster
County	County Donegal
Government
• Dáil Éireann	Donegal
• EU Parliament	Midlands–North-West
Population  (2016)[1]
• Urban	1,226
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))

History

Muff was one of several Protestant villages in eastern Donegal that would have been transferred to Northern Ireland, had the recommendations of the Irish Boundary Commission been enacted in 1925.[3]

Muff has experienced significant growth in population during the last decade as people from Northern Ireland migrate across the border.

Education

The village has a primary school, Scoil Naomh Bríd, which has slightly over 200 students enrolled. It is a co-educational primary school under the patronage of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Derry. The staff comprises an administrative principal, eight mainstream class teachers and three special education teachers (SETs), one of whom is shared with another school.

Sport and Recreation

The local association football team is called Quigley's Point Swifts.[4] The club was formed in 1975. In 1985 they then joined the Derry & District League (D&D). In the nineties the club developed its reserve teams and several underage squads.

The Local Gaelic football club, Naomh Padraig was founded on the 16th of February 1989. It has developed a pitch and clubhouse and competes at underage levels as well as Donegal’s all county league divisions.

Each summer, usually during the first week in August, the village celebrates Muff Festival;[5] which includes céilithe, competitions, street parties, parades, amusements, night-time entertainment, and live performances.

Notable residents

• The playwright Brian Friel was a resident of the village for some time.[6]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

Further reading

• Sean Beattie (2004). Donegal. Sutton: Printing Press. ISBN 0-7509-3825-0.(Ireland in Old Photographs series)

References

1. "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Muff". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
2. Placenames Database of Ireland
3. "Irish Boundary Commission Report". National Archives. 1925. p. 140-43.
4. "The Quigleys Point Swifts". Retrieved 26 January 2019.
5. Muff Festival
6. "Brian Friel, Playwright Called the Irish Chekhov, Dies at 86". New York Times. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2020.