Gortahork

Gort an Choirce or Gort a' Choirce (meaning "oat field"), anglicised as Gortahork, 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 spoken in the area. Along with Falcarragh, it forms part of the district known as Cloughaneely.

Irish language
According to the 2016 census the population of Gort an Choirce was 185, with 41.6% of people speaking Irish on a daily basis outside the education system. This puts the town in 8th place for highest percentage of daily Irish speakers in Ireland.

Name
The official name of the townland is Gort an Choirce (anglicised to Gortahork), meaning "oat field".

History
Evidence of ancient habitation in the townland includes a number of ring forts and souterrains in the area.

The village has a history of local enterprise, 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. 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 participants in the 1916 Rising.

Amenities
There is a hotel on the main street called Óstan Loch Altan (Lake Altan Hotel), named after the lake at the foot of the northern slopes of Errigal. The local Catholic church for the parish of Gortahork is Teach Pobail Chríost Rí (Christ is King Church) located beside Óstan Loch Altan and across from Teach Bhillie pub.

Community
The arts community in the area includes visual artists, poets, singers, musicians and others from or attracted to the area. Gort a' Choirce has been home to a documentary film festival which, in its first year, screened 30 films from 15 different countries.

Gortahork is mentioned in the opening lines of the Christy Moore song Lisdoonvarna.

The village is a base for wind surfers who come to Machaire Rabhartaigh Beach.

Education
There is are two primary schools in the area, Scoil Naisiunta Gort An Choirce (Gortahork National School) in the village and Cnoc na Naomh (Hill of the Saints National School) in Derryconnor. Both are gaelscoils.

There is no secondary school in the area and pupils either attend Pobalscoil Gaoth Dobhair in Derrybeg or Pobalscoil Chloich Cheannfhaola in Falcarragh.

Transport
The Falcarragh/Dungloe (route 966) TFI Local Link public bus route services the town, linking it to Falcarragh, Dungloe, Crolly, Magheroarty and the Gweedore area.

Several private bus services also service the town. These Patrick Gallagher Coaches, which provides routes from Crolly to Derry via Letterkenny, and another to Belfast via Letterkenny and Derry. John McGinley Coach Travel has a route to Dublin, Mangan Tours has a route from Meenlaragh to Letterkenny. Bus Feda operates 3 routes: a Donegal/Galway route, a college term service on a Friday to Limerick City, and a college term Sunday route with stops at University of Limerick, TUS Limerick Moylish Campus and Mary Immaculate College.

Notable people

 * Natives include
 * Cathal Ó Searcaigh, poet
 * Micí Mac Gabhann, author of Irish language book Rotha Mór an tSaoil
 * Breandán Mac Cnáimhsí, translator and RTÉ newsreader


 * Residents include:
 * Gerry Adams, Former president of Sinn Féin.
 * Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, journalist.
 * Brian Ó Domhnaill, former Fianna Fáil politician and Independent politician.