''Croithlí'' or ''Croichshlí'' (anglicised as Crolly) is a village in the ''

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

'' parishes and traditional districts of

Gweedore Gweedore ( , officially known by its Irish language name, ) is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) district, and parish, located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. It stretches some from Glasserchoo and Bloody For ...

(''Gaoth Dobhair'') and

The Rosses The Rosses (officially known by its Irish language name, ''Na Rosa''; in the genitive case ''Na Rosann'') is a traditional 'district' in the west of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. The Rosses has ...

(''Na Rossan'') in the west 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 ...

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

, the northern

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

in Ireland. The two 'districts' are separated by the Crolly River (also known as the Gweedore River). It has one convenience shop/restaurant and petrol station and one

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

, Páidí Óg's. Crolly is located in two

baronies Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

: the Gweedore part of the village is in the Barony of

Kilmacrenan Kilmacrennan ( or ), also Kilmacrenan, is a village, townland and civil parish in County Donegal, Ireland. The village population was 888, as of the 2022 census. The village's population has increased steadily over the last decade with many n ...

, while The Rosses part of the village is in the Barony of

Boylagh Boylagh () is a historic barony in County Donegal in Ireland. Patrick Weston Joyce said the name ''Boylagh'' comes from the territory of the O'Boyles. It was created along with Banagh when the former barony of Boylagh and Banagh was split in 179 ...

, the Crolly River being the boundary between the two baronies.

Etymology

The official name of the village is ''Croithlí''. This is taken to come from the

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...

''Craithlidh'', meaning shaking bog or quagmire. ''Croichshlí'', the less used spelling, means the hanging or crooked way. This most likely refers to how the road twists around the hills.

Features

The village sits at the base of several large hills, among them ''Án Grógan Mór'' and ''Cnoc na bhFaircheach.'' These hills are remote and sparsely populated. They extend deep into

. The Crolly Stone (known in Irish as ''Cloch Mhór Léim An tSionnaigh'', or the Large Rock Of The Foxes Leap), an erratic left during the

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

, is reputed to be the largest boulder in Ireland. The Crolly River, which flows from Loughanure to an estuary known locally as '' An Ghaoth'', is known for its fishing. The Crolly Waterfall is also nearby. Crolly Bridge also indicates the point where the two parishes, and the two traditional districts, meet.

Irish language

As the village is located on the border of

and ''

Gaoth Dobhair Gweedore ( , officially known by its Irish language name, ) is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) district, and parish, located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. It stretches some from Glasserchoo ...

'', both districts within the West Donegal ''

'', the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

is to be heard and most residents are

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...

. During the summer students stay in the village to learn Irish.

Amenities

There is one petrol station/shop known locally as Stephen Anns. In the village there is one pub, Páidí Ógs. The famous Leo's Tavern is a short walk from the village in the neighbouring

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 ...

of Meenaleck, with another pub, Teach Tessie, opposite the tavern. The local garage is McDonaghs' Tyre Centre. There is a caravan park behind Páidí Ógs, and another in Meenaleck, Sleepy Hollow Campsite. There are also

glamping Glamping is a portmanteau of " glamorous" and "camping", and describes a style of camping with amenities and, in some cases, resort-style services not usually associated with "traditional" camping. Glamping has become particularly popular with 2 ...

pods (Meenaleck Glamping) near Leo's Tavern in Meenaleck. Since 2018 there has been a local whiskey distillery called "Croithlí Distillery" located in the former Crolly factory. There's one

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church, known locally as 'the Chapel', for the area located in Meenaweel. As there is no school in the village, children usually attend ''Scoil Phadraig Dobhair'', in the

of Dobhar, or ''Scoil Naomh Duigh'' in ''

Anagaire ''Anagaire'' (anglicised as Annagry) is a village in The Rosses district in County Donegal, Ireland. , the population was 309. Name The Irish and official name for Annagry is , which in turn derives from meaning "ford of the cauldrons". Langu ...

''.

Crolly Dolls

The Crolly Factory opened in 1939, and started making the renowned Crolly Dolls. The early dolls were handmade with a soft-filled body, a strong head and arms and legs. Their clothes were made from local fabrics and knitted vestments. Soft toys for boys, like teddy bears, were also made at the factory. Falls at Crolly - geograph

The original factory closed in the 1970s. This was a major blow to the local economy. However, in 1993, the popularity of the dolls was recognised and a smaller company was reopened. The Crolly Doll is sold all over the world.

Folklore

Most of the townland's folklore refers to ''Cloch Mhór Léim An tSionnaigh''. The boulder's origin is attributed to

Fionn Mac Cumhaill Fionn mac Cumhaill, often anglicised Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is the leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of young roving hunter-warriors, as well as being a seer a ...

. He is reputed to have thrown it at Diarmuid and Grainne during his pursuit of them. In some versions they are sleeping by the Crolly Waterfall and he misses, in others they are on top of

Errigal Errigal () is a mountain near Gweedore in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the tallest peak of the Derryveagh Mountains and the tallest peak in County Donegal. Errigal is also the most southern and the highest of the mountain chain called th ...

and the Stone bounces off the tip of the mountain. One story about the Stone suggests that when the most beautiful (or sometimes reddest) girl in Ireland passes under its shadow, it will topple. Today it is said that if one can successfully throw three stones on top of it, they are granted a wish.

Monuments

In 2016, a 1916 monument was erected beside Paddy Ógs in Crolly by the Crolly Commemoration Committee commemorating both the

1916 Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an in ...

and those who died during the

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

. There is also a monument erected beside Leo's Tavern in Meenaleck for part-time resident and

Provisional IRA The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

Volunteer Caoimhín Mac Brádaigh, who was killed during the

Milltown cemetery attack The Milltown Cemetery attack (also known as the Milltown Cemetery killings or Milltown massacre) took place on 16 March 1988 at Milltown Cemetery in Belfast, Northern Ireland. During the large funeral of three Provisional Irish Republican Arm ...

by loyalist Michael Stone on the 1988 Gibraltar Three funeral at

Milltown cemetery Milltown Cemetery () is a cemetery in west Belfast, Northern Ireland. It lies within the townland of Ballymurphy, between Falls Road and the M1 motorway. History Milltown Cemetery opened in 1869 as part of the broader provision of services f ...

in West Belfast.

References

{{County Donegal Gaeltacht places in County Donegal Gaeltacht towns and villages Geography of Gweedore The Rosses Towns and villages in County Donegal