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it has borne ever since. His great grandson, Cathban,
chief of the sept in the reign of Brian Boroimhe, first
assumed the name of O’Donell as chief, which was
adopted by all bis subjects and followers. Besides the
O’Dohertys, the septs of O’Boyle, Mac Sweeney, and
several others were subordinate to the O’Donells of
Tyrconnel.
The chieftaincy of Nial Garbh, who succeeded his
father Turlogh an Fhiona in 1422, was the commence-
ment of a sanguinary era of internal discord aggravated
by external warfare. This chieftain, after having en-
dured much opposition from his brother Neachtan, and
maintained continual hostilities with the English, by
whom he was at length taken prisoner, died in captivity.
The first effort of importance made by the English
to subjugate this territory commenced by their seizure
of the convent of Donegal and a castle of the O’Boyles,
giving them a temporary command over the adjacent
territory, from all which they were quickly expelled by
the celebrated Hugh Roe, or Red Hugh, O’Donell, who
succeeded to the chieftaincy in 1592. This powerful
toparch, at an early period of his government, marched
into Tir Owen against Tirlogh Luineagh Q’Neil, chief of
the sept of the same name and a partizan of the En-
glish, whom O’Donell, although he had recently entered
into terms of amity with the Lord-Justice of Ireland,
expelled from his principality in 1593, forced him to
resign the title of O’Neil in favour of Hugh, Earl of
Tyrone, and afterwards compelled the whole province
of Ulster to acknowledge his superiority and pay him
tribute. He then sent an embassy to the king of Spain
to aid him in the total expulsion of the English, and
having obtained a reinforcement of mercenaries from
Scotland, carried on a successful war far beyond the
limits of his own territory.
The English government, after various disasters,
particularly the defeat of Sir Conyers Clifford in the
Curlew mountains, resolved to transfer the seat of war
into O’Donell’s country, for which purpose a large fleet,
having on board a force of six thousand well-appointed
troops, was sent from Dublin under the command of
Sir Henry Docwra. Having landed in Ennishowen in
the summer of 1600, they possessed themselves of the
forts of Culmore, Dunnalong, and Derry. Each of these
fortresses was immediately invested by O’Donell, who,
while his troops maintained the blockade, made two
expeditions into Connaught and Munster. During his
absence, his brother-in-law, Nial O’Donell, and his
brothers were prevailed upon to join the English, and
to give them possession of Lifford, which they fortified.
Here also they were hemmed in by the Irish, as likewise
at the monastery of Donegal, which they had afterwards
gained. The landing of the Spaniards in the south
caused a total suspension of arms in Ulster, and the
subsequent defeat of the invaders at Kinsale compelled
O’Donell to proceed to Spain in quest of further suc-
cours, where he died in September, 1602, being the
last chief of the sept universally acknowledged as the
O’Donell.
On the attainder in 1612 of Rory O’Donell, to whom
Jas. I. had given the. title of Earl of Tyrconnell and the
greater part of the family possessions, the district, which
had been erected into a county called Donegal, by Sir
John Perrot, in 1584, was included by that king in his
plan for the plantation of Ulster. By the survey then
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taken, the whole county was found to contain 110,700
acres of cultivable, or, as it was styled, profitable land.
Of these, the termon lands, containing 9160 acres, were
assigned to the bishoprick of Raphoe, to which they
had previously belonged; 3680 acres were allotted for
the bishop’s mensal lands; 6600 acres for glebe to the
incumbents of the 87 parishes into which the county
was to be divided; 9224 acres of monastery lands to
the college of Dublin; 300 acres to Culmore fort; 1000
acres to Ballyshannon, and 1024 acres, named the Inch,
to Sir Ralph Bingley. The remainder, amounting to
79,074 acres, were to be divided among the settlers or
undertakers, as they were called, in 62 portions, 40 of
1000 acres, 13 of 1500, and 9 of 2000 each, with a
certain portion of wood, bog, and mountain, to consti-
tute a parish. Of these portions, 38 were to be granted
to English and Scotch undertakers, 9 to servitors, and
15 to natives. The 2204 acres still undisposed of were
to be given to corporate towns to be erected and entitled
to send burgesses to parliament, 800 to Derry, and
200 each to Killybegs, Donegal, and Rath: Lifford had
500 acres previously assigned to it. The residue of 604
acres was to be equally allotted to free schools at Derry
and Donegal. All fisheries were reserved to the Crown.
The distributive portions thus assigned do not corres-
pond with the general total above stated, and the pro-
posed provisions both as to distribution and regulation
were far from being rigidly observed in practice.
The county is chiefly in the diocese of Raphoe, but
parts of it extend into those of Derry and Clogher. For
purposes of civil jurisdiction it is divided into the baro-
nies of Raphoe, Kilmacrenan, Ennishowen, Tyrhugh,
Bannagh and Boylagh. It contains the disfranchised
borough, sea-port and market-towns of Ballyshannon,
Donegal, and Killybegs; the disfranchised borough and
market-town of Lifford; the disfranchised borough of
St. Johnstown; the market and post-towns of Letter -
kenny, Ramelton, Raphoe, Cam, Stranorlar, Buncrana,
and Moville Upper; the post-towns of Castlefin, Dun-
fanaghy, Ardara, Dungloe, and Narin, and several other
small towns and villages, of which Bundoran, Mount-
Charles, and Rathmullen have each a penny post. Prior
to the union the county sent 12 members to parliament;
two for the county at large, and two for each of the
above-named boroughs, but, subsequently, it has been,
represented by the two county members only, who are
elected at Lifford. The number of voters registered in
January, 1836, was 1745; of whom 181 were free-
holders of £50, 169 of £20, and 1159 of £10 per ann.;
33 clergymen of £50, and. 1 of £20, being the free-
holds of their respective benefices; 1 rent-charger of
£50, and 10 of £20; and 48 leaseholders of £20, and
143 of £10. It is included in the north-western circuit.
Lifford, where the county gaol and court-house are situ-
ated, is the assize town; quarter sessions are held four
times in the year at Donegal, twice at Letterkenny, and
once at Lifford and Buncrana. There are bridewells at
Letterkenny and Donegal, and session-houses at each of
those places and at Buncrana. The local government
is vested in a lieutenant, 19 deputy-lieutenants, and 66
other magistrates, with the usual county officers. The
number of persons charged with criminal offences and
committed, in 1835, was 472, and of civil bill commit-
ments, 49. There are 29 constabulary police stations,
having a force of one stipendiary magistrate 7 chief