Glenties
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| Glenties Na Gleannta |
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| Location | ||
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| Irish Grid Reference G818944 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Ulster | |
| County: | County Donegal | |
| Elevation: | 78m | |
| Population (2002) - Town: - Rural: |
789 1,394 |
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Glenties (Na Gleannta in Irish, meaning "The Glens") is a small town in the northwest of Ireland in central County Donegal. The town is situated where two glens meet, northwest of the Blue Stack Mountains, near the confluence of two rivers. Glenties is the largest centre of population in the parish of Iniskeel. Glenties is a previous winner of the National Tidy Towns competition.
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[edit] Around Glenties
One of the town's most striking buildings is its unusual church, St Connell's, which was built in 1974 to replace the old church. The building has a flat roof sloping to the ground at a sharp angle. The original bell from the first church is still used today in the newer church. St. Connell is the patron saint of the parish. Liam McCormack won an European Award for its design in 1974.
During the Great Famine, an old hospital and workhouse stood on the site of the current comprehensive school.
In 2004, Glenties was named by The Irish Time as having the highest teen pregnancy rate for any town in the Republic of Ireland with a population of under 5000 residents.
[edit] Tourism
The town has a reasonably large tourist trade and boasts a hotel (The Highlands) and a variety of lively pubs and the locally famous 'Lime Light' night club which often have traditional Irish music. There are several guesthouses around the town. The majority of visitors come for the area's scenic beauty.
St. Connell's Museum and Heritage Center has a good collection of local history artifacts, including some from the famine.
[edit] Glenties in popular culture
Glenties was the model for Brian Friel's fictional village of Ballybeg, where several of his works were set. His play, Dancing at Lughnasa that was set in Ballybeg, was made into a film in 1994 starring Meryl Streep.
[edit] Glenties people
- Enda Bonner - policitian, football player
- Thomas F. Breslin - Colonel, victim of Bataan Death March
- Brian Friel - playwright
- Thomas Gildea - politician
