Muff () is a village and
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...
in
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...
, Ireland. It is near the mouth of the
River Foyle (where it flows into
Lough Foyle) and sits close to the
border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
between the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. The village of
Culmore
Culmore () is a village and townland in Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is at the mouth of the River Foyle. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 3,465 people. It is situated within Derry and Strabane district.
History ...
and the city of
Derry are to the south in Northern Ireland.
History
Muff was one of several Protestant villages in eastern Donegal that would have been transferred to Northern Ireland, had the recommendations of the
Irish Boundary Commission been enacted in 1925.
Muff has experienced significant growth in population during the last decade as people from Northern Ireland migrate across the border.
Education
The village has a primary school, Scoil Naomh Bríd, which has slightly over 200 students enrolled. It is a co-educational primary school under the patronage of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Derry. The staff comprises an administrative principal, eight mainstream class teachers and three special education teachers (SETs), one of whom is shared with another school.
Sport and recreation
The local
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
team is called Quigley's Point Swifts. The club was formed in 1975. In 1985 they then joined the Derry & District League (D&D). In the nineties the club developed its reserve teams and several underage squads.
The Local
Gaelic football club, Naomh Padraig was founded on 16 February 1989. It has developed a pitch and clubhouse and competes at underage levels as well as Donegal's all county league divisions.
Each summer, usually during the first week in August, the village celebrates Muff Festival; which includes
céilithe, competitions, street parties, parades, amusements, night-time entertainment, and live performances.
Notable residents
* The playwright
Brian Friel
Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription req ...
was a resident of the village for some time.
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
Further reading
*(Ireland in Old Photographs series)
References
{{Authority control
Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border crossings
Towns and villages in County Donegal
Townlands of County Donegal