Letterkenny

This article is about the town in Ireland. For the TV series, see Letterkenny (TV series). For other uses, see Letterkenny (disambiguation).

Letterkenny
Leitir Ceanainn
From top, left to right: St Eunan's Cathedral, An Grianán Theatre, the Market Square, St Eunan's College, Polestar Roundabout (also known as the Port Roundabout), Letterkenny Institute of Technology.
From top, left to right: St Eunan's Cathedral, An Grianán Theatre, the Market Square, St Eunan's College, Polestar Roundabout (also known as the Port Roundabout), Letterkenny Institute of Technology.
Coat of arms of Letterkenny
Coat of arms
Nickname: 
the Cathedral Town
Motto(s): 
Ubique Urbem Reminiscar
"Remember the town wherever I am"
Letterkenny is located in Ireland
Letterkenny
Letterkenny
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 54°57′24″N 7°43′13″W / 54.9566°N 7.7203°W / 54.9566; -7.7203
CountryIreland
ProvinceUlster
CountyCounty Donegal
BaroniesKilmacrenan and Raphoe North
Dáil constituencyDonegal
Area
[1][needs update]
 • Total
15.5 km2 (6.0 sq mi)
Elevation
52 m (171 ft)
Population
 (2022 census)[2]
 • Total
22,549
 • Density1,500/km2 (3,800/sq mi)
Irish Grid ReferenceC171121
Dialing code074 91// 0035374

Letterkenny (Irish: Leitir Ceanainn [ˈl̠ʲɛtʲəɾʲ ˈcanˠən̠ʲ], meaning "hillside of the O'Cannons"), nicknamed the Cathedral Town,[3][4][5] is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster.[1] Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional economic gateway for the north-west of Ireland.[6]

Letterkenny began as a market town at the start of the 17th century, during the Plantation of Ulster. A castle once stood near where the Cathedral of St Eunan and St Columba, County Donegal's only Catholic cathedral, stands today. Letterkenny Castle, built in 1625, was located south of Mt Southwell on Castle Street. County Donegal's largest third-level institution, Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Letterkenny, is located in the town, as are St Eunan's College, Highland Radio, and a Hindu temple.[7] Letterkenny was also the original home of Oatfield Sweet Factory, a confectionery manufacturer; the factory closed and was demolished in 2014.[8] In 1798, Theobald Wolfe Tone was arrested at Laird's Hotel in the town.[9] In 2015, Letterkenny was judged as the tidiest town in Ireland.[10]

  1. ^ a b "Population Density and Area Size 2016 by Towns by Size, CensusYear and Statistic". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  2. ^ "Census Interactive Map – Towns: Letterkenny". Census 2022. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference stoking_it_up was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "First Senior County Title". Naomh Adhamhnáin. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Confidence boost for Cathedral Town". Donegal News. 24 December 2014. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  6. ^ Letterkenny & Environs Development Plan 2009–2015 Volume 1 Archived 24 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine – Page 4.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference first_hindu_temple was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Byrne, Brian (24 April 2014). "Sweet sorrow as iconic factory is torn down". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  9. ^ William Tone, 1827.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference tidy towns was invoked but never defined (see the help page).