Donegal, most northerly county of Ireland, in the historic province of Ulster. The small village of Lifford in eastern Donegal is the county seat.
Donegal is bounded on the west and north by the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by Lough (lake) Foyle and Northern Ireland, and on the south by Northern Ireland and the Irish county of Leitrim. The rugged coast is heavily indented in the north, major inlets being Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle, between which is the Inishowen Peninsula. The chief rivers are the Finn and Erne. The main mountain ranges are the Blue Stack, whose highest peak is Lavagh More (2,218 feet [676 metres]), and Derryveagh, which reaches 2,467 feet (752 metres) at Errigal. Evidence of extensive glaciation exists. The climate is temperate, with warm summers and mild, moist winters.
Donegal’s population is concentrated largely along the coasts and river valleys. The main towns are Donegal, Buncrana, Ballyshannon, and Letterkenny. With the exception of the county’s urban districts, Donegal is administered by a county council and county manager.
The Foyle and Finn basins are intensively cultivated, but the rugged western seaboard is unsuitable for cultivation. Agriculture consists of tillage and the raising of cattle, sheep, and poultry; the chief crops are oats and potatoes. Killybegs on the southwest coast is the main fishing port and a fish-processing centre. Salmon are caught in the Rivers Finn, Foyle, Erne, and Gweebarra. With the county’s scenery and its many beaches and golf courses, tourism is important. In west Donegal, which remains an Irish- (Gaelic-) speaking region, woolen garments are made by hand, and Donegal tweeds are woven at Convoy. The county has light industry. Modern railway lines no longer serve Donegal, though railway enthusiasts in the county maintain a railway heritage centre.
The name Donegal was extended from the town to the county, which was made a shire in 1585. The ancient name was Tyrconnell (“Land of Conall”). Conall, with his brother Eoghan, conquered northwestern Ulster in approximately 400 ce and founded the kingdom of Ailech; its capital was at the concentric stone fortress known as the Grianan of Ailech on a hill west of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Eoghan took Tyrone and Inishowen for his share, and his descendants, the O’Neills, ruled central Ulster. Conall took Tyrconnell, which his descendants, the O’Donnells, ruled. The remoteness of these areas enabled them to escape serious interference from the Anglo-Normans. Following the defeat of the Irish cause in 1603, however, Hugh O’Neill and Rory O’Donnell took flight secretly to the European continent in 1607. The county was immediately included in the plan for the plantation of Ulster, and its history thereafter merged with that of Ireland. Area 1,877 square miles (4,861 square km). Pop. (2006) 147,264; (2011) 161,137.