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Liscooley

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Coordinates: 54°48′04″N 7°38′30″W / 54.80111°N 7.64167°W / 54.80111; -7.64167
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Liscooley
Lios Cúile
Small Village
Liscooley, Killygordon (N15)
Liscooley, Killygordon (N15)
Map
Coordinates: 54°48′04″N 7°38′30″W / 54.80111°N 7.64167°W / 54.80111; -7.64167
CountryIreland
ProvinceUlster
CountyCounty Donegal
RegionFinn Valley
Electoral divisionKillygordon
Time zoneGMT+1

Liscooley or Liscooly (Irish: Lios Cúile)[1] is a townland and small village in the Finn Valley in east County Donegal in Ireland. It is located within the electoral division of Killygordon on the N15 road between Stranorlar and Castlefin.[2] It comes under the postal addresses of Killygordon and Castlefin and is within the civil parish of Donaghmore. As of the 2011 census, the townland of Liscooly had a population of 17 people.[3]

Name

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Liscooley or Liscooly derives from the Irish Lios Cúile, which may mean the "ringfort of the corner" or the "ringfort of Cúile".[1] The area was originally known as 'High Town' and 'Low Town'.[citation needed]

History

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Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of standing stone, court tomb and ringfort sites in the townlands of Liscooly, Carrick, Carricknashane and Magheraboy.[4][5] Saint Bridget's holy well is located at Kiltown, Killygordon (near Liscooley).[6][better source needed]

Donoughmore Church, located in Carrick townland, is a Presbyterian church which was originally founded in 1658. The current church building was constructed in 1977.[7][8] There is a graveyard alongside the church and Donoughmore National school is also nearby.

Berwick Hall, a detached three-bay single-storey over raised basement house built in 1760, is located in Low Town, Liscooly. It is set back from road in overgrown grounds to the south of Liscooly, and a short distance to the north of Liscooly Bridge.[9]

Liscooly Bridge was built c. 1801
Donoughmore Presbyterian Church was built in 1977 to replace an earlier structure

Liscooly Bridge, which crosses the River Finn, is located at Low town and was built c. 1801.[10]

J.Davis, a former shop associated with the Davis family, was based in a group of two-bay two-storey houses built in 1820. Located at Liscooly near Low town, one of the buildings was used as a retail outlet into the 20th century.[11]

Liscooly railway station opened on the 7 September 1863, which stopped at High town, Liscooley. The station closed in January 1960 due to the closure of the Finn Valley railway line between Strabane and Stanorlar.[12]

Amenities

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Byrne's Shop in Liscooley operated from 1918 to 2018 (to the left)

Byrne's shop and petrol station is in Carricknashane townland. Opened in 1918, Byrne's shop and LCC Oil Limited ultimately closed in 2018.[13] 'Go Liscooly' subsequently opened there but only the petrol station remains.[citation needed] Since then, the village has not had a shop and Liscooley locals have shopped at the nearby town of Castlefin.[14]

There is one housing estate in Liscooley, Liscooley Villas, which is located in Carricknashane townland.[15]

Donaghmore Presbyterian church/meeting house is in Carricknashane townland (Low Town).[7] The local Catholic parish church is St. Patrick's Church in Crossroads to the southwest of Killygordon.[16]

Education

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Donoughmore National School, located within Carrick townland in Liscooley, is under the patronage of the local Presbyterian church.[17] As of 2024, approximately 30 pupils were attending the school.[18] Pupils from the primary school typically attend secondary school in Deele College, St. Columba's Collage or Finn Valley College.[original research?]

Public transport

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There is a Bus Éireann stop in Liscooley. It serves several bus routes, including services to Ballybofey.[19]

Geography

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Layout

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The settlement at Liscooley is split into two areas: 'Low Town' is at the eastern end and 'High Town' is to the west.[20]

Lowtown, Liscooley, Killygordon
Area (hamlet) Townlands
High town Carricknashane, Carrick, Magheraboy, Leaght, Scotland & Blairstown.
Low town (or Laytown) Liscooly & Carranadore
Other Kiltown

Townlands and electoral divisions

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Liscooley townland lies within the electoral division of Killygordon.[2] Other neighbouring townlands (and their electoral divisions) include:[21]

Townland Gaelige Electoral Division Postal Address
Carricknashane[22] Carraig na Seana Killygordon ED Carricknashane, Castlefin
Liscooly[2] Lios Cúile Killygordon ED Liscooley, Castlefin
Magheraboy[23] An Machaire Buí Killygordon ED Magheraboy, Killygordon
Carrick Carraig Killygordon ED Carrick, Castlefin
Scotland[24] Albain Killygordon ED Scotland, Castlefin
Blairstown[25] ~ Killygordon ED Blairstown, Castlefin
Leaght[26] ~ Killygordon ED Leaght, Castlefin

References

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  1. ^ a b "Lios Cúile / Liscooly". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Liscooly Townland, Co. Donegal". www.townlands.ie. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  3. ^ "CD154 - Donegal Population by Private Households, Occupied and Vacancy Rate". data.gov.ie. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 14 June 2025. Population [..] Townlands [..] Liscooly, Killygordon, Co. Donegal: 17
  4. ^ Cody, Eamon, ed. (2002), Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume VI, County Donegal, Dublin: Government Stationery Office
  5. ^ Lacey, Brian; Cody, Eamon, eds. (1983), Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century, Lifford: Donegal County Council
  6. ^ Crawford, Cathal (3 September 2024). "Facebook".
  7. ^ a b "Donaghmore Presbyterian Church, CARRICKNASHANE, Low Town, DONEGAL". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  8. ^ "Donoughmore Church, Liscooley - Castlefinn, Co. Donegal. History | Heritage Walking Trail | Visitor Information". 2021-10-07. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  9. ^ "Berwick Hall, LISCOOLY, Low Town, DONEGAL". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
  10. ^ "Liscooly Bridge, LISCOOLY, Low Town, DONEGAL". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  11. ^ "J. Davis, LISCOOLY, Low Town, DONEGAL". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
  12. ^ "The Railways of Donegal". Donegal Railway Museum. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  13. ^ Maguire, Stephen (September 30, 2018). "Byrne's Shop closes in Liscooly after 100 years in business". Donegal Daily. pp. 1 page.
  14. ^ Scanlon, Cronan (2021-03-31). "No chance of Castlefin-Liscooley footpath extension - Walking to shop required". Donegal Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  15. ^ "Liscooley Villas, Killygordon, Donegal". mynest.ie. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  16. ^ https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/40839017/saint-patricks-catholic-church-ballynacar-cross-roads-co-donegal
  17. ^ "Whole School Evaluation Report - Donoughmore National School - Liscooley, County Donegal". Department of Education. December 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2025 – via gov.ie.
  18. ^ "Scoil Naisiunta Domhnach Mor". Department of Education. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2025 – via gov.ie.
  19. ^ "Liscooly, Donegal – Bus Times". bustimes.org. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  20. ^ "Town History - Castlefinn, Co. Donegal. History | Heritage Walking Trail | Visitor Information". Retrieved 2025-05-25.
  21. ^ "Killygordon & Liscooley [list of townlands]". www.townlands.ie. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  22. ^ "Carricknashane Townland, Co. Donegal". www.townlands.ie. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  23. ^ "Magheraboy Townland, Co. Donegal". www.townlands.ie. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  24. ^ "Scotland Townland, Co. Donegal". www.townlands.ie. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  25. ^ "Townlands in Ireland". www.townlands.ie. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
  26. ^ "Leaght Townland, Co. Donegal". www.townlands.ie. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
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