Castlefin (), sometimes spelt Castlefinn, is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

and

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

in the Finn Valley of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

, Ireland. It is located between

Stranorlar Stranorlar () is a town, townland and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in the River Finn (County Donegal), Finn Valley of County Donegal, in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Stranorlar and Ballybofey (located on the other side of the River F ...

and

Lifford Lifford (, historically anglicised as ''Liffer'') is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland, the administrative centre of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken as holding this ...

in East Donegal. , the population was 730. The River Finn flows by the town. The town is located in along the main N15 national primary road, which runs from

Bundoran Bundoran () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. The town is located near the N15 road near Ballyshannon, and is the most southerly town in Donegal. The town is a tourist seaside resort, and tourism has been at the heart of the local economy s ...

to Lifford. The town lies 6 miles from Lifford and 8 miles from the twin towns of

Ballybofey Ballybofey ( , ; ) is a town located on the south bank of the River Finn (County Donegal), River Finn, County Donegal, Ireland. Together with the smaller town of Stranorlar on the north side of the River Finn (County Donegal), River Finn, the ...

and

. It has close links to

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( , meaning "hillside of the O'Cannons"), nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional eco ...

, to the twin towns of Ballybofey and Stranorlar, and to West Tyrone in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, especially with the towns of

Strabane Strabane (; ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Strabane had a population of 13,507 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th Open Government Li ...

and

Castlederg Castlederg (earlier Caslanadergy, ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Derg and is near the border with County Donegal, Ireland. It stands in the townlands of Castlesessagh and Churchtown, in the historic baro ...

Amenities

The five housing estates in the town are called the Emmett Park built in the 1980s Sessaigh Park built in the 2000s, Caislean Court built in the 1990s, Hillhead built in the 1970s and Grahamsland built in the 1950s. The town centre is located around the Diamond area, which is where three routes merge. The Diamond has landscaped seating and planting areas, and the surrounding area also has a number of buildings that are included on the Record of Protected Structures. The town has a number of retail, commercial, religious, economic, social and recreational amenities. Castlefinn also serves as a focus of primary education for the surrounding rural areas. The local national school has a large catchment area and currently has 180+ pupils attending. The town also has a pre-school. Approaching Castlefin from the south - geograph

Approaching Castlefin from the south - geograph

The town centre has a number of amenities including retail outlets, grocery stores, a petrol station, post office, butchers, take-aways, public houses and some hairdressers. The town also has a recycling facility that is located on the Castlederg road beside the bridge. The C.P.I center is used for football, parties, computing and the youth club. There is a local GAA club (Robert Emmetts) and a soccer field (Castlefinn Celtic). Castlefinn is also the home of Finn Valley Radio which broadcasts on 95.8FM locally and online. The station holds a community licence and its studios are located at the CPI Centre.

Schools

Local schools include St Mary's National School, Scoil Náisiúnta Domhnach Mór, (Liscooley) and St. Safan's National School (Doneyloop).

Transport

Castlefinn railway station opened on 7 September 1863, but finally closed on 1 January 1960. A number of buses pass through Castlefinn on a daily basis going to Letterkenny,

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

, Strabane,

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...

and

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

Townlands, hamlets and electoral divisions

There are 18 townlands in Castlefin, along with two

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

and three electoral divisions.

Politics

Castlefin is in the Donegal constituency for Dáil elections. The town is in the Lifford–Stranorlar Municipal District of

Donegal County Council Donegal County Council () is the authority responsible for Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local government in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The ...

. The six councillors for the district include Gary Doherty of Castlefin.

Notable people

Seán Reid Seán Reid (1907–1978) was an Irish musician known as a player of the uilleann pipes, for promoting the County Clare style of piping, and for being the leader of the Tulla Céilí Band in the late 1940s. Biography He was born in Castlefin, ...

, Musician * Ruby Druce (1915-2025) - oldest person in Ireland

References

External links

Donegal County Council - Castlefinn Local Area Plan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castlefinn Towns and villages in County Donegal Townlands of County Donegal