List of Donegal people

This is a list of people fromCounty Donegal.

This is adynamic listand may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help byadding missing itemswithreliable sources.

Sport

• Packie Bonner,formerGlasgow CelticandRepublic of Irelandgoalkeeper
• Séamus Colemanplays right back forEvertonandRepublic of Ireland
• Philip Deignan,former professional cyclist
• Gary Doherty,former professionalassociation footballplayer
• Joseph Duffy,formerUFC fighterandprofessional boxer
• John Dunleavy,Sligo Rovers F.C.centre-back
• Mark English,middle-distance runner
• Sharon Foley,international athlete
• Dave Gallaher,formerNew ZealandRugby Unionplayer and captain
• Shay Given,formerRepublic of Irelandand currentStoke Citygoalkeeper
• Caitriona Jennings,international athlete and Olympian
• Sinéad Lynch,Olympic rowing finalist
• Conrad Logan,Rochdale A.F.C.goalkeeper
• Brian McEniff,formerGaelic Athletic Associationcounty manager
• Colm McFadden,Gaelic Football player
• Jim McGuinness,Gaelic football coach and former player
• Carl McHugh,ATK Mohun Bagan FCassociation footballdefender
• Kevin McHugh,Finn Harps F.C.under-15 manager
• Ronan McLaughlin,former professional cyclist
• Stephen McLaughlin,Mansfield Town F.C.winger
• Larissa Muldoon,Irelandwomen'sRugby Unionscrum-half
• Michael Murphy,Gaelic Footballplayer
• Jason Quigley,professional boxer
• Nora Stapleton,Irelandwomen'sRugby Unionfly-half

Churchmen

• Adomnán– also known as Saint Eunan; Abbot ofIona679–704.
• Columba– or Saint Colmcille, one of the threepatron saintsof Ireland.
• Francis Alison– prominentPresbyterianminister in theThirteen Coloniesand a leading member of theSynod of the Trinity.At least three of the signatories of theUnited States Declaration of Independencewere former students of Alison, who was born and raised in theParishof Leck, on the outskirts ofLetterkenny.
• Stopford Brooke–Anglicanand, later,Unitarianclergyman and literary historian. He served as chaplain toThe Crown Princess Friedrich of Prussia,1863–1865, and later served as chaplain-in-ordinary to her mother,Queen Victoria,1875–1880. Was born and raised in Glendowan, just west of Letterkenny.
• Michael Cardinal Logue,CatholicPrimate of All IrelandandArchbishop of Armagh,1887-1924. FromKilmacrennan,he was the first Donegal person to be created acardinal.
• The Rev.Francis Makemie– founder ofPresbyterianismin what later became the United States. He was fromRamelton.
• Patrick Cardinal O'Donnell,Catholic Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh, 1924-1927. He was from Kilraine, just outsideGlenties.
• George Simms–Church of IrelandPrimate of All IrelandandArchbishop of Armagh.A well known historian, he was fromLifford.

Arts

Music

• Altan,folk band
• Moya Brennan,Celtic folk singer
• Clannad,folk band
• John Doherty,fiddler
• Enya,singer
• Aoife Ní Fhearraigh,singer
• Rory Gallagher,blues/folk guitarist and singer
• Conal Gallen,singer
• Mickey Joe Harte,singer/songwriter
• Danny Hutton,singer/songwriter, Three Dog Night
• Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh,fiddler
• Lee Mulhern,singer/songwriter, member Of Stateside
• Daniel O'Donnell,singer
• Margo O'Donnell,singer
• Proinsias Ó Maonaigh,fiddler
• Tommy Peoples,fiddler
• The Revs,indie rock band

Literary

• William Allingham,poet
• E. Rentoul Esler,LateVictorianandEdwardian eranovelist. Born inManorcunningham.
• Patrick MacGill,writer
• Neil McBridepoet, author
• Frank McGuinness,playwright, poet, translator
• Annemarie Ní Churreáin,poet
• Mícheál Ó Cléirigh,one of theFour Masters
• Séamus Ó Grianna,writer
• Cathal Ó Searcaigh,poet
• John Toland,philosopher, writer

Artists

• Felim Egan,painter
• Kenneth King (artist)
• Patsaí Dan Mac Ruairí,painter and "King of Tory"
• Sheila McClean,painter
• Kevin Sharkey,painter

Actors

• Ray McAnally,actor
• Keith McErlean,actor
• Seán McGinley,actor
• Gavin Ó Fearraigh,actor, model
• Art Parkinson,actor
• John D Ruddy,actor
• Andrew Simpson,actor

Film

• Gerard Lough,Film director

Politics

• Ian Anderson,prominentManxpolitician who was a long-serving member of theTynwald.FromRathmullan.
• Harry Blaney,former Irish politician
• Neil Blaney,former Irish politician
• Niall Blaney,Irish politician
• Brian Brady,Irish politician
• Joseph Brennan,Irish politician
• Isaac Butt,barrister,Member of Parliamentand founder of theHome Rule movement.Born and raised in Glenfin, a district nearBallybofey.
• Francis Campbell,former American politician
• Sir Bob Cooper,former Deputy Leader of theAlliance Party of Northern Irelandand formerly the long-serving head of theEquality Commission for Northern Ireland.Born and raised in East Donegal.
• Mary Coughlan,formerTánaisteand formerTDforDonegal South-West.First woman to be appointed asMinister for Agriculture, Food and the Marinein the Irish Government.
• Pat "the Cope" Gallagher,Irish politician
• Tommy Gallagher,SDLPpolitician who was formerly anMLAforFermanagh and South Tyrone
• Paddy Harte,retired Irish politician
• The Baron Hay of Ballyore,served asSpeaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly,2007–2014. Lord Hay of Ballyore also served as anMLAforFoyleup until 2014.
• Samuel Hays(1783–1868), American politician
• Cahir Healy,journalist who was a very prominentIrish nationalistpolitician and who was a long-serving Member of Parliament forCounty Fermanagh.Born and raised nearMountcharles
• The 4th Viscount Lifford,peerwho once served as the Deputy Lieutenant of County Donegal. He also served asHigh Sheriff of Donegal,1841–1845. Lord Lifford was also a prominent businessman in the county, serving as Chairman of theFinn Valley Railwayc. 1860.He also served as Chairman of theWest Donegal Railway.He sat as anIrish representative peersin theHouse of Lords,1856-1887
• ColonelSir Michael McCorkell,British Armysoldier who became a prominentUlster Unionist Partypolitician inDerry.He served asLord Lieutenant of County Londonderry,1975–2000. Born inBuncrana.
• Basil McCrea,formerly a prominentUnionistpolitician in theNorthern Ireland Assembly.He was the leader ofNI21from 2013 to 2016, and was previously a member of theUUP.He was born inRamelton.
• Jim McDaid,Irish politician
• Dinny McGinley,Irish politician
• Joe McHugh,Irish politician
• James McNulty,Irish political activist
• Charles James O'Donnell,politician
• Peadar O'Donnell,Irish Republican
• Alexander Porter,U.S. Senator in theUnited States Senate.
• Bríd Rodgers,formerMLAwho formerly served asSDLPDeputy Leader and was formerly Northern IrishMinister for Agriculture and Rural Development.Born and raised inGweedore.
• Patrick Stone,Member of theWestern Australian Legislative Assembly

Other

• Sir Alexander Armstrong,explorer, was educated atTrinity College, Dublin,and at theUniversity of Edinburgh.He entered the Medical Department of theRoyal Navyin 1842 and became its Director-General in 1869.
• Sir George Bowen,colonial governor in theBritish Empireand author. He was born and raised at Bogay House, nearNewtowncunningham.
• William C. Campbell,winner of 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, born inRamelton
• Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll,mafia enforcer in the United States of America
• Columba,one of three patron saints of Ireland
• Sir Jamie Flanagan,Chief Constable of theRoyal Ulster Constabulary(RUC), 1973–1976. Sir Jamie was born inDerrybut was raised nearKillygordonin East Donegal.
• ProfessorJohn Kells Ingram,economist, Irish patriot and poet who was based atTrinity College, Dublin
• Major-GeneralSir James Murray Irwin,senior-ranking doctor in theBritish Army.FromManorcunningham
• Robert Johnston,recipient of theVictoria Cross;rugby union international
• Andrew Lewis,soldier
• Michael Malloy,was known for surviving multiple murder attempts
• Hugh McLaughlin,inventor
• Sir Robert Montgomery,colonial administrator inBritish India.Grandfather ofField MarshalThe 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein,British military commander during theSecond World War.Sir Robert was fromMovilleinInishowen.
• Henry Musgrave,DL,was an East Ulster businessman and philanthropist. Involved with many business concerns including theDonegal Railway Company.In 1913, Henry Musgrave paid for a tower to be built on theChurch of Irelandparish church atGlencolumbkille,near the family's country estate. He also left bequests to this church andKilcarParish Church in his will. On 1 March 1917, Musgrave was made an honorary burgess of the City of Belfast. He was also grand juror andHigh Sheriff of Donegalfor 1909–10 and was madeDeputy Lieutenantof both the City of Belfast and of Donegal.
• Hugh Roe O'Donnell,nobleman and soldier
• Walter Patterson,first British colonial governor ofPrince Edward Island
• Sir Gerry Robinson,businessman and former head ofGranada Television
• Pauric Sweeney,fashion designer
• Frederick Young,from Culdaff was the founder of the Sirmoor Battalion later2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles),the firstGurkharegiment to fight for the British.

See also

• List of Letterkenny people