Conwal Parish & Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, Ireland in 1837
Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland

Transcribed, Compiled and Submitted by
Len Swindley, Melbourne, Australia
len_swindley[at]hotmail.com

CONWALL, (sic) a parish, partly in the barony of RAPHOE, but chiefly in that of KILMACRENAN, county of DONEGAL, and province of ULSTER; containing, with the post-town of Letterkenny, 12,978 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the road from Lifford to Dunfanaghy, and contains, according to the Ordnance survey, 45,270 statute acres, of which 32,715 are in the barony of Kilmacrenan; there is much waste land and bog. Among the seats are Ballymacool, the residence of J. Boyd, Esq.; and Gortlee, of J. Cochran, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Raphoe,-and in the patronage of the Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin. The tithes amount to £800. The glebe-house was built in 1816, by aid of a gift of £100 and a loan of £1500 from the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe comprises 868 acres, of which 328 are arable. The church, to the repairs of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £273. 11.7., is a small plain structure with a spire, in the town of Letterkenny. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the district of Aughnish, and has chapels at Letterkenny and Glen-Swilly. There are two Presbyterian meeting-houses in Letterkenny, one in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the first class, the other is connected with the Seceding Synod, and is of the second class. There are also places of worship for Covenanters and Methodists. The parish school is aided by £12 per annum from the late Col. Robertson’s school fund, and an annual donation from the rector; and there are a Presbyterian free school and eight other public schools in the parish, in all of which about 850 children are taught; also eight Sunday schools. An abbey existed here so early as the 6th century, and continued at least till the 13th. There are still some ruins of the old parish church.

LETTERKENNY, a market and post-town, in the parish of CONWALL, barony of KILMACRENAN, county of DONEGAL, and province of ULSTER, 13 miles (W.) from Lifford, and 118 (N. W.) from Dublin, on the road from Lifford to Ramelton and Dunfanaghy; containing 2160 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Swilly, over which is a bridge of one arch, and consists of one street with a spacious market-square, containing 416 houses. The market is on Friday, and is well supplied with provisions; the fairs are on the first Friday in January, May 12th, July 10th, the third Friday in August, and Nov. 8th. A constabulary police force is stationed here; petty sessions are held every Wednesday, and the quarter sessions for the county are held here in April and October; the court-house is a neat building, and there is a bridewell, containing six cells and two day-rooms, with two airing-yards. In the mountains in the vicinity are great quantities of stone of good quality, and marl; about half a mile from the town, and about the same distance from Lough Swilly, is a good quarry of slate; and on the shores of the lough are great quantities of potters’ clay and clay for bricks. The river is navigable from Lough Swilly to this place for vessels of 150 tons’ burden. The parish church, and the R. C. chapel of the district of Aughnish, a plain small building, are situated in the town; and there are three places of worship for Presbyterians respectively of the Ulster and Seceding Synods and for Covenanters. There are also a national school, a dispensary, and a small fever hospital. Near this place were the ancient English settlements of Drummore and Lurgagh, comprising about 2000 acres, with a bawn of brick and a castle of stone in a strong position, also a village at some distance, in which were 29 British families able to muster 64 men-at-arms; and Dunboy, a territory comprising 1000 acres, where, at the time of Pynnar’s survey, in 1619, Mr. John Cunningham had a strong bawn, 70 feet square and 14 feet high, defended with two lofty towers, with a castle and 26 houses and a mill within the enclosure, the houses tenanted by British families, able to muster 50 armed men.