Moville

Coordinates: 55°11′20″N 7°2′26″W / 55.18889°N 7.04056°W / 55.18889; -7.04056
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Moville
Bun an Phobail
Town
Moville Market Square
Moville Market Square
Moville is located in Ireland
Moville
Moville
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 55°11′20″N 7°2′26″W / 55.18889°N 7.04056°W / 55.18889; -7.04056
CountryRepublic of Ireland
ProvinceUlster
CountyCounty Donegal
Elevation
30 m (100 ft)
Population1,390
Irish Grid ReferenceC648397

Moville (moh-VIL; Irish: Bun an Phobail)[2] is a coastal town located on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donegal, Ireland, close to the northern tip of the island of Ireland. It is the first coastal town of the Wild Atlantic Way when starting on the northern end.

Location[edit]

The town is located on the western shore of Lough Foyle, approximately 30 kilometres (20 mi) from Derry,[3] which lies across the border in Northern Ireland. Features include Moville Green, a pier, a large seaside park in the Victorian style which features bandstands, walking trails, playgrounds, a coastal footpath and views east across the waters of the lough to Northern Ireland. Moville is close to several beaches, and receives visitors and daytrippers in the summer months.[citation needed]

The town is in the civil parish of Moville Lower (Irish: Maigh Bhile Íochtarach).[2] This alternative Irish language version of the place name, Maigh Bhile, which means “plain of the ancient tree”, is one possible origin of the English language name.[4]

Moville Community College is located to the south of the town centre, in the townland of Carrownaff.[5]

History[edit]

In the second half of the 19th century, Moville was a point of embarkation for travellers, especially emigrants, to Canada and the United States of America. In the late 19th century, steamships of the Glasgow-based Anchor Line and Allan Line made port at Moville while en route to and from New York, while just after the turn of the 20th century, the Canadian Pacific Line also established a terminal at the port as part of their service connecting Liverpool and Montreal for Canadian-bound Irish immigrants.[citation needed] Today, the town receives little maritime traffic but retains a small fishing harbour. The commercial fishing port at Greencastle lies a few miles away.[citation needed]

The ancestors of Field-Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the Montgomerys of New Park, were a landed family of the town. When flying over the town in 1947 he commented: "It looks just the same. My dear old Irish home".[6] His grandfather Robert Montgomery had built Montgomery Terrace in 1884.[7]

Festivals[edit]

An annual regatta is held at Moville every year and has done so since early in the 19th century.[citation needed]

Several music festivals take place in the area annually, including a festival of Bob Dylan music (DylanFest) which has taken place on the last weekend in August since 2007,[8] and a festival of Beatles' music (BeatlesFest) which takes place on the August bank holiday weekend at the start of the month.[9]

Notable people[edit]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Interactive Data Visualisations: Towns: Moville". Census 2022. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Bun an Phobail / Moville". logainm.ie. Irish Placenames Commission. Retrieved 9 November 2018. Civil Parish [..] Maigh Bhile Íochtarach/Moville Lower
  3. ^ A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. Samuel Lewis. 1837.
  4. ^ "Towns & Regions in Donegal - Moville Heritage Town". govisitdonegal.com. Retrieved 23 August 2023. Moville has two possible Gaelic origins, translated from Bun a Phobail, meaning 'Foot of the Parish' or Magh Bhile, meaning 'Plain of the Ancient Tree'
  5. ^ "Moville Community College – Contact Us". movillecc.ie. Moville Community College. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Notes on the 1947 visit". Movilleinishowen.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012.
  7. ^ "Black and White Postcards Moville Inishowen Co Donegal". Movilleinishowen.com. NE Inishowen Company. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012.
  8. ^ "Dylanfest event to take place in Derry in 2018". derryjournal.com. Derry Journal. 18 December 2017.
  9. ^ "BeatlesFest Moville Programme of Events 2017". inishowennews.com. Inishowen News Donegal. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  10. ^ "Montgomery, Sir Robert (1809–1887)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/19075. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  11. ^ "Sheila McClean's vibrant personality and life matched her art". irishnews.com. Irish News. 13 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Donegal teenager Art Parkinson gets his Hollywood break in new disaster film". bbc.com. BBC News. 1 June 2015.
  13. ^ "Parish History". Moville Parish, Derry Diocese, Ireland. Retrieved 9 May 2015.