County Donegal

is the northernmost county of the Republic of Ireland. Bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the east by Northern Ireland it is in the unenviable position of being surrounded by frequently inhospitable and sometimes volatile neighbours. Donegal is primarily mountainous and has a kind of rugged beauty which makes for great postcard pictures but its history is one of poverty and hardship.

   This has recently changed and today Donegal is enjoying the pros- perity that is evident in most of Ireland. Most of the population of about 150,000 live along the coast and in the river valleys where they grow potatoes and oats. Fishing, tourism and sheep-raising are also important. In fact there are more sheep in Donegal than people. Tweeds and other textiles are the principal products of the towns. A thriving cottage industry, not only in Donegal but throughout Ireland, is genealogy. There is a virtual army of researchers anxious to help anyone trace their family history.
    Traditionally an integral part of Ulster Donegal joined the South when Ireland was divided in 1921. Although Donegal is neighbour to County Derry it has somehow escaped the sectarian violence with its killings, bombings, marches and other assorted acts of mayhem that has characterized the history of Derry.