Gortahork

Gort an Choirce or Gort a' Choirce Irish pronunciation: [ˌɡˠɔɾˠt̪ˠ ə ˈxɔɾʲcə] or [ˌɡˠɔɾˠt̪ˠ ə ˈhɔɾʲcə] (anglicized as Gortahork, the name in Irish meaning The Field of Oats)[1] is a village and townland in the northwest of County Donegal, Ireland. It is a Gaeltacht community, where the Irish language is the main language of the area. Along with Falcarragh, it forms part of the district known as Cloughaneely.

Gort an Choirce
Village
Gort an Choirce
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 55°07′10″N 8°08′09″W
CountryIreland
ProvinceUlster
CountyCounty Donegal
Government
 • Dáil ÉireannDonegal
Population
 (2002)
 • Rural
500
Area code(s)+00353 07491
Irish Grid ReferenceC055307
Gort an Choirce is the only official name. The anglicized spelling Gortahork has no official status.

Irish language

There are 1,599 people living in Gort an Choirce, in the Gortahork ED and 81% are native Irish speakers, making it one of the top two EDs in terms of proportion of Irish speakers. It is the high percentage of Irish speakers in any locality in the Republic of Ireland according to CSO statistics.

Name

The official name of the townland is Gort an Choirce (anglicised to Gortahork), meaning 'the Field of Oats'. Early habitation is evident by the sourterrain and the various ring forts evident in the townland. It is known as the Parish of Críost Rí (Christ the King) in the Catholic division, or Tullaghobegley East in the Protestant division.

History

Gort an Choirce means 'the field of Corn (Oats)'. The field in question is believed to be where the church is now located. The village has a history of enterprise local shops, forges, hotels, post office halls, and other meeting places for the communities in the surrounding areas.

It is claimed that a Charlie McGee, from Inishbofin, four miles offshore from Gort a' Choirce, was the first person to have been killed in the 1916 Easter Rising.[2] McGee, who was a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), was shot on duty while in Castlebellingham, County Louth. He was brought home to be buried in Gortahork, where an RIC tombstone now lies over his grave.

In 2006 Coláiste Uladh (the Ulster College) celebrated its centenary. Among those who attended the College were Pádraig Pearse, Joseph Mary Plunkett and Roger Casement – three members of the 1916 Rising.[2]

Arts

The arts community in the area includes visual artists, poets, singers, and musicians from the area. With others attracted to the village. Gort a' Choirce has been home to the Guth Gafa International Documentary Film Festival and in its first year screened 30 films from 15 different countries.

Gortahork is mentioned in the opening lines of the popular Christy Moore song Lisdoonvarna.[3] It is a base for wind surfers who come to Machaire Uí Rabhartaigh Beach.

  • The creek at Gort a' Choirce.
  • Shop and filling station in Gortahork.

Notable people
Natives include
Residents include

References
  1. Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004
  2. Colaiste Uladh 1906-2006 Coláiste Uladh by Seosamh Ó Ceallaigh.
  3. http://www.triskelle.eu/lyrics/lisdoonvarna.php?index=080.010.040.060 Archived December 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Sunday Independent Life, 15 June 2008
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