Muff (from Irish Magh)[2] is a village, civil parish and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. It is near the mouth of the River Foyle (where it flows into Lough Foyle) and sits close to the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The village of Culmore and the city of Derry are to the south in Northern Ireland.
Muff
Magh | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Main Street | |
  Muff Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 55°04′03″N 7°16′09″W / 55.067586°N 7.26903°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Ulster |
| County | County Donegal |
| Government | |
| • Dáil constituency | Donegal |
| • EU Parliament | Midlands–North-West |
| Population | 1,418 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 (IST (WEST)) |
History
editMuff was one of several Protestant villages in eastern Donegal that would have been transferred to Northern Ireland, had the recommendations of the Irish Boundary Commission been enacted in 1925.[3]
Muff has experienced significant growth in population during the last decade as people from Northern Ireland migrate across the border.[citation needed]
Education
editThe village has a primary school, Scoil Naomh Bríd, which has slightly over 200 students enrolled.[4] It is a co-educational primary school under the patronage of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Derry. The staff comprises an administrative principal, eight mainstream class teachers and three special education teachers (SETs), one of whom is shared with another school. Historically, many children crossed the border to attend either Culmore Primary School[5] or Hollybush Primary School.[6]
Sport and recreation
editThe local association football team is called Quigley's Point Swifts.[7] The club was formed in 1975. In 1985 they then joined the Derry & District League (D&D). In the nineties the club developed its reserve teams and several underage squads.
The Local Gaelic football club, Naomh Padraig was founded on 16 February 1989. It has developed a pitch and clubhouse and competes at underage levels as well as Donegal's all county league divisions.
Each summer, usually during the first week in August, the village celebrates Muff Festival;[8] which includes céilidhs, competitions, street parties, parades, amusements, night-time entertainment, and live performances.
Because of the village's proximity to a beach, it is a popular destination for diving.[9]
Notable residents
edit- The playwright Brian Friel was a resident of the village for some time.[10]
See also
editFurther reading
edit- Sean Beattie (2004). Donegal. Sutton: Printing Press. ISBN 0-7509-3825-0.(Ireland in Old Photographs series)
References
edit- ^ "Census Interactive Map – Towns: Muff". Census 2022. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Placenames Database of Ireland". Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
- ^ "Irish Boundary Commission Report". National Archives. 1925. pp. 140–43. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ "Scoil Naomh Brid". Scoil Naomh Brid. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ "Culmore Primary School". Culmore Primary School. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ "Hollybush Primary School". Hollybush Primary School. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ "The Quigleys Point Swifts". Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ "Muff Festival". Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ "Muff Diving Club in Muff, Ireland". Muff Diving Club. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ "Brian Friel, Playwright Called the Irish Chekhov, Dies at 86". New York Times. 2 October 2015. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.