Buncrana

Buncrana
Bun Cranncha
Town
Buncrana from the south
Buncrana from the south
Coat of arms of Buncrana
Motto(s): 
Aoibhinn Linn Áille na hÁite Seo  (Irish)
"sweet to us is the beauty of this place"
Buncrana is located in Ireland
Buncrana
Buncrana
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 55°08′11″N 7°27′22″W / 55.1364°N 7.4560°W / 55.1364; -7.4560
CountryIreland
ProvinceUlster
CountyDonegal
Dáil ÉireannDonegal
EU ParliamentMidlands–North-West
Elevation
62 m (203 ft)
Population6,971
Time zoneUTC±0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode routing key
F93
Telephone area code+353(0)74
Irish Grid ReferenceC346320

Buncrana (/ˈbʌnkrænə/ bun-KRA-NA; Irish: Bun Cranncha, meaning 'foot of the (River) Crana') is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is beside Lough Swilly on the Inishowen peninsula, 23 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of Derry and 43 kilometres (27 mi) north of Letterkenny.[3] In the 2022 census, the population was 6,971,[1] making it the second most populous town in County Donegal, after Letterkenny, and the largest in Inishowen.

Buncrana is the historic home of the O'Doherty clan and originally developed around the defensive tower known as O'Doherty's Keep at the mouth of the River Crana. The town moved to its present location just south of the River Crana when George Vaughan built the main street in 1718.

The town was a major centre for the textile industry in County Donegal from the 19th century until the mid-2000s (decade).

  1. ^ a b c "Interactive Data Visualisations: Towns: Buncrana". Census 2022. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  2. ^ "CSO: Census: Census Home Page". Archived from the original on 20 September 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2012. and www.histpop.org. Post 1961 figures include environs of Buncrana. For a discussion on the accuracy of pre-famine census returns see J. J. Lee "On the accuracy of the pre-famine Irish censuses" in Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p. 54, and also "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850" by Joel Mokyr and Cormac Ó Gráda in The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (November , 1984), pp. 473–488.
  3. ^ "Town information: location". buncrana.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.