Kilmacrenan

Kilmacrenan (Gaelic: Cill Mhic nÉanáin or Cill Mhic Réanáin ^[1]) is a small village located in County Donegal on the north west coast of Ireland. The village had a population of 4,300 in the 2002 census, however the village's population has increased rapidily over the last decade as a result of people leaving Letterkenny and living in the countryside and commute to work daily. Kilmacrenan is also the name of the parish and Barony in which Kilmacrenan village is situated. Kilmacrenan has been centre of activity in the region for centuries. It is thought that St. Cholmcille, Columba one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland received his early education in a school thought to be located in around the area were the now ruined Fransican Abbey stands. Not forgetting his time in Kilmacrenan, Cholmcille granted a monastery to the town, also thought have been located in the vicinity of the Abbey. The crowning of the great O'Donnell Chieftains took place in the parish. The religious part of the ceremony taking place in the Abbey and then walking to Doon Rock, then in the parish, now in the parish of Termon, were the incoming chief stood in the footprints of the first chieftain and received an Slát Bán meaning in English 'the White Stick' for which all his judgements must be as white and pure and the 'slát' he had just received. Traditionally the person to 'crown' the chief was the abbot of the abbey who was usually a member of the Friell clan who are famous as the lifters of the Gartan Clay. In more recent centuries the town gave its name to the surrounding barony. Famous descendants of the village included Cardinal Michael Logue. Source: Wikipedia