Burtonport

*Ailt an Chorráin*

Burtonport
Ailt an Chorráin Burtonport
Village
	Location in Ireland
	Coordinates: 54°58′56″N 8°26′04″W / 54.982293°N 8.434324°W
Country	Ireland
Province	Ulster
County	County Donegal
Barony	Kilmacrenan
Government
• Dáil Éireann	Donegal
Population (2022)	311
Irish Grid Reference	B717154
	As this is a Gaeltacht village, the Irish Ailt an Chorráin is the only official name. However, the name 'Burtonport' remains in widespread use.

Ailt an Chorráin or Ailt a' Chorráin (English name: Burtonport)^[2] is a Gaeltacht fishing village about 7 km (4 mi) northwest of Dungloe in The Rosses district of County Donegal, Ireland. The main employers in the village were the Burtonport Fishermen's Co-op and the Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM; Irish Sea Fisheries Board) ice plant; but these have both since closed and their former premises were demolished in 2021 as part of a seafront environment upgrade scheme.^[3]

History

Burtonport was developed by Marquess of Conyngham as a rival to another planned village on Rutland Island.^[4]

A plaque in the village commemorates the brief landing on the nearby Rutland Island of a French military force led by James Napper Tandy in a failed attempt to assist rebels during the 1798 rebellion on 16 September 1798.^[5] ^[6] St Columba's Church dates from 1899.^[7]

In 1974, a commune called Atlantis Primal Therapy Commune was established in Burtonport by Jenny James. The commune, which came to be known as "The Screamers" for its practice of primal therapy, moved to the island of Inishfree in 1980.^[8] From 1982 to 1992 Burtonport was the home of the Silver Sisterhood, a new religious movement. Members believed that God was a woman.^[9]

Transport

As the mainland port for both the Arranmore car ferry services, Burtonport receives some passing tourist traffic. Burtonport had a railway service from Letterkenny between 1903 and 1940 provided by the Letterkenny & Burtonport Extension Railway (L&BER), a company jointly owned by the State and the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway (L&LSR). Burtonport railway station opened on 9 March 1903, but finally closed on 3 June 1940.^[10] The TFI Local Link Route 271 (Burtonport/Letterkenny) service links the area to Dungloe, Crolly and Letterkenny.^[11]

People

Packie Bonner, football goalkeeper, is from the area around Burtonport.
Joseph Duffy, martial artist and UFC fighter, is from Burtonport.
Pat "the Cope" Gallagher, Fianna Fáil politician, was born in Burtonport.
Major-General Joe Sweeney, Irish military commander and politician who served as both an MP and as a TD, was born and raised in Burtonport.

References

^ "Census Interactive Map – Towns: Ailt An Chorráin". Census 2022. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
^ Teanga, An Coimisinéir. "An Coimisinéir Teanga" (PDF). www.commissioner.ie. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
^ McLaughlin, Rachel. "Burtonport Harbour Redevelopment works to begin this January – Donegal Daily". www.donegaldaily.com. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
^ Darley, Gillian (1975). Villages of vision. London: Architectural Press. p. 148. ISBN 0-85139-705-0. OCLC 1921555.
^ MacCarthy, Dan (4 November 2019). "The Islands Of Ireland: Fine and Tandy in Rutland". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
^ "Napper Tandy in Burtonport". Scoláire Staire. Vol. 2, no. 3 (published July 2012). 2012. p. 27. Retrieved 21 March 2024. On September 16, 1798, James Napper Tandy, a Dublin-born leader of the United Irishmen arrived in Rutland Island, Co. Donegal, on a French warship named the Anacrean, which had 3,000 rifles on board, more than a hundred French army officers and a battle plan to drive the British out of Ireland completely.
^ "Kincasslagh and Burtonport Parish – St. Mary's Church and St. Columba's Church". www.kincasslagh.ie. Retrieved 21 March 2024. In 1899 St. Columba's Church was built in Lackenagh, Burtonport as a second church in the parish of Kincasslagh and has served the people since.
^ Dunne, Aidan (7 November 2017). "The screaming cult makes its way to Galway". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
^ "The Silver Sisterhood Of Burtonport". RTÉ Archives. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
^ "Burtonport station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
^ "117431 SITT TT Burtonport to Letterkenny 4pg DL" (PDF). Local Link Donegal-Sligo-Leitrim. Retrieved 17 August 2023.