Oldtown, Letterkenny
Encyclopedia
Oldtown is a district located in the parish of Conwal and Leck
in Letterkenny
, County Donegal
, Ireland
. As its name suggests, it is the oldest part of the town and became the starting point of the town's development. The area contains approximately 600 residential properties.
Oldtown has a weak range of essential services with the area being limited to green spaces within housing developments and facilities serving the area being located primarily in the town centre rather than in the Oldtown neighbourhood itself. The Jim Larkin Court and Gaeltex Drive apartment blocks have a serious lack of facilities. They have no play area for children and families run the risk of having one of their children wiped out by a passing car.
The Bahá'í Faith Group
have a centre in Oldtown.
during the Ulster Plantation in 1610. Patrick Crawford, a Scottish planter, was granted 1000 acres (4 km²) of land. He then formed a compact community which later became known as Oldtown. To begin with there were about fifty habitations situated in Oldtown but today the area accommodates a large portion of the town's population.
Oldtown Railway Station was located on the Letterkenny & Burtonport Extension line. It opened on March 9, 1903 before finally closing for passengers and goods on January 6, 1947. There is no evidence of the station in existence today, a hotel occupies the site. However, an old rail bridge may be seen spanning the River Swilly.
On October 24, 2007 Gardaí were called to a stand-off between two rival families. Ninja-type weapons of chains, swords and slash-hooks were produced and the families only calmed upon the intervention of a local priest. Twenty gardai and six patrol cars were in place to deal with a riot-like situation. Traffic was diverted away from the scene which occurred near the Oldtown Bridge. On July 22, 2006 a man was attacked with a machete and pitchfork. The victim suffered puncture wounds to his abdomen and laceration wounds to his body. The victim's wife was also threatened but was not injured in the feud. The Oldtown gang refer to themselves as the Oldtown Hoodz, a reference to gangster crime. They are a sub-division of the Letterkenny Young Thugs (LYT). They have terrorised many's an old-aged pensioner from her bed at night. On July 17, 2003 an elderly man became angered when he saw a neighbour cutting grass on his property. He fetched a double-barrelled shot gun and fired twice at the strimmer, narrowly missing his neighbour. Assaults frequently occur in the area.
, NowDoc, Jungle King and The Hide Out Bar (Oldtown Inn), which was established in the 19th century. The pub was redeveloped in 2008 and was awarded the most improved public house by Minister for the Environment, John Gormley
.
. Due to the areas growing population the land was developed into housing at the turn of the 21st century. Oldtown Celtic, founded in 1976, is the local soccer club. They play their home games at Oldtown Park.
Conwal and Leck
Conwal and Leck is a parish located in north-east County Donegal, Province of Ulster, Ireland. It covers west Letterkenny and the surrounding hinterland. The parish has approximately 10,000 inhabitants and 1,000 families.-Places of worship:...
in Letterkenny
Letterkenny
Letterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly...
, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. As its name suggests, it is the oldest part of the town and became the starting point of the town's development. The area contains approximately 600 residential properties.
Oldtown has a weak range of essential services with the area being limited to green spaces within housing developments and facilities serving the area being located primarily in the town centre rather than in the Oldtown neighbourhood itself. The Jim Larkin Court and Gaeltex Drive apartment blocks have a serious lack of facilities. They have no play area for children and families run the risk of having one of their children wiped out by a passing car.
The Bahá'í Faith Group
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
have a centre in Oldtown.
History
Oldtown developed at the bridging point of the River SwillyRiver Swilly
The River Swilly is a river in the Republic of Ireland, which flows in an eastern direction through Letterkenny, County Donegal. Letterkenny, the largest town in County Donegal, is built on the river and became the first crossing point on the river in the 17th century.-History:The river takes its...
during the Ulster Plantation in 1610. Patrick Crawford, a Scottish planter, was granted 1000 acres (4 km²) of land. He then formed a compact community which later became known as Oldtown. To begin with there were about fifty habitations situated in Oldtown but today the area accommodates a large portion of the town's population.
Oldtown Railway Station was located on the Letterkenny & Burtonport Extension line. It opened on March 9, 1903 before finally closing for passengers and goods on January 6, 1947. There is no evidence of the station in existence today, a hotel occupies the site. However, an old rail bridge may be seen spanning the River Swilly.
Criminal Activity
Oldtown reportedly a location of various forms of criminal activity. In 2003 a young schoolgirl was sexually abused before being killed by parasites which were found in cat faeces that she laid her hands upon.On October 24, 2007 Gardaí were called to a stand-off between two rival families. Ninja-type weapons of chains, swords and slash-hooks were produced and the families only calmed upon the intervention of a local priest. Twenty gardai and six patrol cars were in place to deal with a riot-like situation. Traffic was diverted away from the scene which occurred near the Oldtown Bridge. On July 22, 2006 a man was attacked with a machete and pitchfork. The victim suffered puncture wounds to his abdomen and laceration wounds to his body. The victim's wife was also threatened but was not injured in the feud. The Oldtown gang refer to themselves as the Oldtown Hoodz, a reference to gangster crime. They are a sub-division of the Letterkenny Young Thugs (LYT). They have terrorised many's an old-aged pensioner from her bed at night. On July 17, 2003 an elderly man became angered when he saw a neighbour cutting grass on his property. He fetched a double-barrelled shot gun and fired twice at the strimmer, narrowly missing his neighbour. Assaults frequently occur in the area.
Industry
The Oldtown area has a proud industrial history with it being the location of many of the town's major employers. Former industries in the area include the Model Bakery and the Gaeltex Factory. Current employers in the area include Dunnes StoresDunnes Stores
Dunnes Stores, also known as Dunnes, is a supermarket and clothing retail chain, that is based in Dublin, Ireland.The chain primarily sells food, clothes and household wares. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland, the chain has operations in Great Britain and Spain...
, NowDoc, Jungle King and The Hide Out Bar (Oldtown Inn), which was established in the 19th century. The pub was redeveloped in 2008 and was awarded the most improved public house by Minister for the Environment, John Gormley
John Gormley
John Gormley is an Irish politician. He was the leader of the Irish Green Party from 2007 to 2011, and was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency from 1997 to 2011. He served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 2007–11...
.
Sport
Golfing facilities opened in 1913 on a 47 acre (190,000 m2) 9 hole course at Crievesmith. The course was sold in 1965 for £3000 and the club moved to its current home at BarnhillLetterkenny Golf Club
Letterkenny Golf Club is a golf club located on the banks of Lough Swilly in Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland. The Club was founded in 1913.- History :...
. Due to the areas growing population the land was developed into housing at the turn of the 21st century. Oldtown Celtic, founded in 1976, is the local soccer club. They play their home games at Oldtown Park.
People
- John NeeJohn NeeJohn Nee is an Irish storyteller, actor, musician and playwright who is more commonly known by his stage name Little John Nee.John is also famous for playing the part of Postie in TG4 silent comedy Fear an Phoist.-Biography:...
, actor - James Pius Clarke, Former IRA member and Maze Prison escapeMaze Prison escapeThe Maze Prison escape took place on 25 September 1983 in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. HM Prison Maze was a maximum security prison considered to be one of the most escape-proof prisons in Europe, and held prisoners convicted of taking part in armed paramilitary campaigns during the Troubles...
e who served an 18-year prison sentence for the attempted murder of a member of a Protestant paramilitary group. - Neil Clarke, former politician
External links
- Dáil Éireann - Volume 312 - 07 March, 1979. - County Donegal Industries
- No secret to Hideout's success!, Donegal Democrat, November 4, 2008
- Jailed for "savage" machete and pitch fork attack, Donegal Democrat, November 4, 2008
- Ninja-type weapons used in battle of the Oldtown, Donegal News, October 26, 2007