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Stranorlar

*Srath an Urláir*
Stranorlar Srath an Urláir
Town
	Stranorlar's Roman Catholic church
	Stranorlar Location in Ireland
	Coordinates: 54°48′00″N 7°47′24″W / 54.8°N 7.790°W
Country	Ireland
Province	Ulster
County	County Donegal
Elevation	30 m (100 ft)
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	H194946
Website	www.ballybofeystranorlar.com

Stranorlar (Irish: Srath an Urláir)^[1] is a town, townland and civil parish in the Finn Valley of County Donegal, in Ireland. Stranorlar and Ballybofey (located on the other side of the River Finn) form the twin towns of Ballybofey–Stranorlar.

History

Built heritage

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ring fort and holy well sites in the townlands of Stranorlar, Mullandrait, Lough Hill and Admiran.^[2] Stranorlar's Church of Ireland church, St John's Church in Glebe townland, was built c. 1729.^[3] Isaac Butt (1813–1879), founder of the Home Rule movement, is buried in its churchyard.^[3]

Drumboe killings

In November 1922, during the Irish Civil War, a column of Anti-Treaty IRA irregulars from the 2nd Northern Division were captured at Dunlewey in west Donegal by the National Army and held in Drumboe Castle outside Stranorlar. On 14 March 1923, they were taken from the castle to the nearby Drumboe woods and summarily executed.^[4]

There is a memorial to the four men near the Church of Ireland and Bus Éireann depot buildings, and since 1924 there has been a commemoration march to the monument each year by republicans.^[5] The four executed men were:

Charlie Daly (26), from Knockane, Firies, County Kerry;
Daniel Enright (23), from Patrick Street, Listowel, County Kerry;
Timothy O'Sullivan (23), Patrick Street, Listowel, County Kerry;
Seán Larkin (26), Ballagherty, Magherafelt, County Londonderry.

Transport

The town is located at the junction of the N15 and N13 national primary roads. For nearly 100 years, Stranorlar was the headquarters of the County Donegal Railway system (originally the Finn Valley Railway), with services to Derry and Letterkenny via Strabane (near Lifford), to Ballyshannon and Killybegs via Donegal, and to Glenties. At its peak, the railway had 130 employees. The last train ran from Stranorlar in 1960.^{[citation needed]} As of the 21st century, the nearest operational railway station is the Northern Ireland Railways station, Derry~Londonderry railway station, in Derry.^{[citation needed]}

Stranorlar railway station was built by the Finn Valley Railway and opened on 7 September 1863 and closed on 6 February 1960. The old railway station was demolished to make way for a new bus garage owned and run by Bus Éireann. As part of a series of millennium celebrations, the old clock from the railway station was restored and installed in a new clock tower which sits at the old pedestrian entrance to the railway station yard.^{[citation needed]} The town remains the main depot for Bus Éireann within County Donegal.^{[citation needed]}

The town is served by the Bus Éireann No. 64 (Derry/Galway)^[6] service which connects the town to Donegal Town, Ballyshannon, Bundoran, Sligo and Letterkenny. There is also a regular service to Lifford and Strabane. TFI Local Link routes 264 (Ballyshannon/Letterkenny),^[7] 288 (Ballybofey/Derry),^[8] 290 (Ballybofey/Letterkenny),^[9] 988 (Cloghan/Letterkenny)^[9] and 1426 (Stranorlar/Convoy/Derry)^[8] also service the area.

Education

Stranorlar is home to St. Columba's College and Finn Valley College. The town is also home to three primary schools. St Mary's primary school, Robertson National School and the Sessiaghoneil school.

Religion

The town's Church of Ireland church, St John's Church, is a registered monument.^{[citation needed]} The Catholic church of St Mary is a nineteenth-century structure. There is also a Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland church and a Presbyterian Church of Ireland church in the town.

Sport

The local athletics club, Finn Valley Athletics Club, has a track in the town.^{[citation needed]} Stranorlar is home to Finn Valley Rugby Club.^{[citation needed]}

There is also an 18-hole golf course in the area, and game fishing occurs in the River Finn.^{[citation needed]} Nearby is the Lough Alann bird sanctuary.^{[citation needed]}

Tourism

Drumboe Woods are a tourist attraction at Stranorlar. The woods are managed by Coillte and provide walking routes along the banks of the River Finn and the upper woods. Outside the town, a small folly called "The Steeple" is a destination for walkers. From the top of the tower, on a clear day, the hillfort of the Grianan of Aileach can be seen. There is a raised ring fort at Dunwiley, outside the town.^{[citation needed]}

There are a number of guest houses in the town and on the main street is Stranorlar's only hotel.^{[citation needed]} Kee's Hotel is a family-run hotel, first established in the 19th century as a coach house.^{[citation needed]}