Ramelton 4.89

Ramelton is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its population is 1,212 (2011).HistoryRamelton is situated at the mouth of the River Lennon, 11 km north of Letterkenny and 4 km east of Milford, on the western shores of Lough Swilly. The town is named from Ráth Mealtain, (Irish for "the fort of Mealtan"), an early Gaelic chieftain. The fort is said to lie under the ruins of a medieval castle of the O'Donnells, the ruling family of West Donegal before their exile to mainland Europe in 1607.Ramelton was settled by English and Scots planters during the Ulster Plantation of the 17th century and is the site of the oldest Presbyterian church in Ireland.FacilitiesRamelton is serviced by many shops and services within the town. The Town Hall in Ramelton was built in the late 19th century and still has a vital role in the community today. Ramelton also has a Church of Ireland Church of St.Paul, Parish of Tullyaughnish.OtherThe town was the setting for the 1995 television serial The Hanging Gale, which told of the potato Famine of the 19th century.