Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Raphoe
Raphoe (/rəˈfoʊ/ rə-FOH; Irish: Ráth Bhoth) is a small town in County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan. It gave its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was later divided into the baronies of Raphoe North and Raphoe South, as well as to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe and the Church of Ireland (Anglican) Diocese of Derry and Raphoe. There is also a civil parish of Raphoe.
The Burn Dale (also known in English as the Burn Deele) is a burn (a small river) that flows a short distance to the south of Raphoe. The Burn Dale eventually flows, via the village of Ballindrait, into the River Foyle just north of Lifford.
Raphoe, historically Raffoe, comes from the Irish Ráth Bhoth, which is made up of the words ráth (fort) and both (hut). This likely refers to clay and wattle huts surrounded with a strong fortified mound. It is believed these huts were built by monks in the early Christian period.[citation needed]
The rich agricultural land around Raphoe has been inhabited and cultivated for thousands of years, and evidence of this can be seen through monuments such as the Beltany stone circle, just outside the town. The stone circle is one of the largest in Ireland with a diameter of 44 metres (144 ft) and is made up of more than sixty stones in all. The site is believed to date to around 2000 BC, and it was originally an enclosed cairn. Its name is believed to be linked to the Celtic festival of fertility Beltane. Around 550 AD Columba (also known as Colmcille), one of the three patron saints of Ireland, founded a monastic settlement in the area. This site was further developed by his kinsman Eunan, (Irish form of the name Adamnan), who gives his name to the town's cathedral and is the patron saint of the Diocese of Raphoe.
In 1198, John de Courcy, a Norman knight who had invaded Ulster in 1177, returned to County Donegal to devastate Inishowen and on his way destroyed churches at Ardstraw, County Tyrone, and Raphoe.
The design of the modern town is traced to the Ulster Plantation of the early 17th century when the town was granted to English and Scottish settlers. It was these settlers who laid out the town with the 'Diamond' at its centre, in a similar manner to other Plantation towns like Derry and Donegal.[citation needed]
Built in the 1630s as the Bishop's Palace, the 'castle', which is now a ruin, was laid siege to during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, captured by Cromwell's troops in 1650 and was damaged by supporters of King James II & VII in 1689. Although still awaiting restoration, Raphoe Castle is probably the most impressive castle in Donegal. In 1633, John Leslie was translated from the Scottish See of the Isles to become the bishop of Raphoe. Marrying at the age of 67, and absorbing the Bishopric of Clogher at the age of 90, Leslie dominated the area until his death, aged 100, in 1671. Feeling threatened in his new location, he built himself a new palace on a hill overlooking the town using stone from an ancient Round Tower in 1637. This proved fortuitous when a rebellion broke out in 1641 and the Bishop was forced to shelter in the "castle", as it has come to be known until relieved by the Lagganeer army. Eight years later, Leslie, a Royalist was besieged by Cromwellian troops. This time, he was forced to surrender but unlike virtually every other bishop in Ireland, Leslie survived and was returned to his see at the Restoration in 1660. A leading figure in the Established Church, Bishop Leslie was no friend of either Catholic or Non-conformist. In 1664, he ordered four dissenting Presbyterian ministers to appear before his court, and when they failed to appear, had them arrested and imprisoned in Lifford gaol. A century later, in 1798, the castle was attacked again, this time by the United Irishmen, three of whom were killed. The castle was destroyed in an accidental fire in 1838
St. Columcille and St. Eunan, the ninth abbot of Iona, had churches at Raphoe in the fifth and sixth centuries. Several ninth-century blocks of stone can be found on the porch and the north wall of the present cathedral. The southeast corner dates from the twelfth century. The latest building dates from the 1730s. The communion plate is also noteworthy.
Hub AI
Raphoe AI simulator
(@Raphoe_simulator)
Raphoe
Raphoe (/rəˈfoʊ/ rə-FOH; Irish: Ráth Bhoth) is a small town in County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan. It gave its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was later divided into the baronies of Raphoe North and Raphoe South, as well as to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe and the Church of Ireland (Anglican) Diocese of Derry and Raphoe. There is also a civil parish of Raphoe.
The Burn Dale (also known in English as the Burn Deele) is a burn (a small river) that flows a short distance to the south of Raphoe. The Burn Dale eventually flows, via the village of Ballindrait, into the River Foyle just north of Lifford.
Raphoe, historically Raffoe, comes from the Irish Ráth Bhoth, which is made up of the words ráth (fort) and both (hut). This likely refers to clay and wattle huts surrounded with a strong fortified mound. It is believed these huts were built by monks in the early Christian period.[citation needed]
The rich agricultural land around Raphoe has been inhabited and cultivated for thousands of years, and evidence of this can be seen through monuments such as the Beltany stone circle, just outside the town. The stone circle is one of the largest in Ireland with a diameter of 44 metres (144 ft) and is made up of more than sixty stones in all. The site is believed to date to around 2000 BC, and it was originally an enclosed cairn. Its name is believed to be linked to the Celtic festival of fertility Beltane. Around 550 AD Columba (also known as Colmcille), one of the three patron saints of Ireland, founded a monastic settlement in the area. This site was further developed by his kinsman Eunan, (Irish form of the name Adamnan), who gives his name to the town's cathedral and is the patron saint of the Diocese of Raphoe.
In 1198, John de Courcy, a Norman knight who had invaded Ulster in 1177, returned to County Donegal to devastate Inishowen and on his way destroyed churches at Ardstraw, County Tyrone, and Raphoe.
The design of the modern town is traced to the Ulster Plantation of the early 17th century when the town was granted to English and Scottish settlers. It was these settlers who laid out the town with the 'Diamond' at its centre, in a similar manner to other Plantation towns like Derry and Donegal.[citation needed]
Built in the 1630s as the Bishop's Palace, the 'castle', which is now a ruin, was laid siege to during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, captured by Cromwell's troops in 1650 and was damaged by supporters of King James II & VII in 1689. Although still awaiting restoration, Raphoe Castle is probably the most impressive castle in Donegal. In 1633, John Leslie was translated from the Scottish See of the Isles to become the bishop of Raphoe. Marrying at the age of 67, and absorbing the Bishopric of Clogher at the age of 90, Leslie dominated the area until his death, aged 100, in 1671. Feeling threatened in his new location, he built himself a new palace on a hill overlooking the town using stone from an ancient Round Tower in 1637. This proved fortuitous when a rebellion broke out in 1641 and the Bishop was forced to shelter in the "castle", as it has come to be known until relieved by the Lagganeer army. Eight years later, Leslie, a Royalist was besieged by Cromwellian troops. This time, he was forced to surrender but unlike virtually every other bishop in Ireland, Leslie survived and was returned to his see at the Restoration in 1660. A leading figure in the Established Church, Bishop Leslie was no friend of either Catholic or Non-conformist. In 1664, he ordered four dissenting Presbyterian ministers to appear before his court, and when they failed to appear, had them arrested and imprisoned in Lifford gaol. A century later, in 1798, the castle was attacked again, this time by the United Irishmen, three of whom were killed. The castle was destroyed in an accidental fire in 1838
St. Columcille and St. Eunan, the ninth abbot of Iona, had churches at Raphoe in the fifth and sixth centuries. Several ninth-century blocks of stone can be found on the porch and the north wall of the present cathedral. The southeast corner dates from the twelfth century. The latest building dates from the 1730s. The communion plate is also noteworthy.