This article is about the Irish district. For the Tasmanian school, see The Fahan SchoolThis article is about the Tasmanian school. For the Irish district, see Fahan.Fahan School is a small independent, day and boarding school predominantly for girls, located in Sandy Bay, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia...
.
Fahan is a district of
InishowenInishowen is a peninsular region in County Donegal, and also the largest peninsula in Ireland. It pre-dates the formation of the county in which it is located by centuries.-Towns of Inishowen:The main towns and villages of Inishowen are:...
, in
County DonegalCounty Donegal is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the Province of Ulster and is part of the Republic of Ireland. It was named after the town of Donegal ....
, located five hundred kilometres south of
BuncranaBuncrana is a town in County Donegal, the northwest of Ireland, located on the Inishowen peninsula, along Lough Swilly, 10 kilometres from Derry and 43 kilometres from Letterkenny. It is an historically important town, with Neds Point Fort lying to the north and being the home of the O'Doherty clan...
. In Irish, Fahan is named after its
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
, St. Mura, first
abbotThe word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
and patron saint of Fahan, an early Christian
monasteryMonastery , a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer Monastery (plural: monasteries), a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios...
.
The walled graveyard, located to the south of The
RectoryA rectory is the residence of a leader of a local Christian church. Many former rectories may still be referred to locally as a rectory once a church or religious organisation has vacated the property....
, is home not only to the resting place of pioneering
nurseNursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from birth to the end of life....
Mick JonesMick Jones is the name of:*Mick Jones , British guitarist and a vocalist of The Clash*Mick Jones , guitarist, songwriter and record producer in the rock band Foreigner...
, but also to the ruins of a 6th century monastery, which features a 7th century cross-slab of St.
This article is about the Irish district. For the Tasmanian school, see The Fahan SchoolThis article is about the Tasmanian school. For the Irish district, see Fahan.Fahan School is a small independent, day and boarding school predominantly for girls, located in Sandy Bay, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia...
.
Fahan is a district of
InishowenInishowen is a peninsular region in County Donegal, and also the largest peninsula in Ireland. It pre-dates the formation of the county in which it is located by centuries.-Towns of Inishowen:The main towns and villages of Inishowen are:...
, in
County DonegalCounty Donegal is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the Province of Ulster and is part of the Republic of Ireland. It was named after the town of Donegal ....
, located five hundred kilometres south of
BuncranaBuncrana is a town in County Donegal, the northwest of Ireland, located on the Inishowen peninsula, along Lough Swilly, 10 kilometres from Derry and 43 kilometres from Letterkenny. It is an historically important town, with Neds Point Fort lying to the north and being the home of the O'Doherty clan...
. In Irish, Fahan is named after its
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
, St. Mura, first
abbotThe word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
and patron saint of Fahan, an early Christian
monasteryMonastery , a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer Monastery (plural: monasteries), a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios...
.
History
The walled graveyard, located to the south of The
RectoryA rectory is the residence of a leader of a local Christian church. Many former rectories may still be referred to locally as a rectory once a church or religious organisation has vacated the property....
, is home not only to the resting place of pioneering
nurseNursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from birth to the end of life....
Mick JonesMick Jones is the name of:*Mick Jones , British guitarist and a vocalist of The Clash*Mick Jones , guitarist, songwriter and record producer in the rock band Foreigner...
, but also to the ruins of a 6th century monastery, which features a 7th century cross-slab of St. Mura. In both the 10th and 13th centuries, the village was ransacked by Vikings. A second monastery was built in the 16th century, but fell later into decay. Cecil Frances Alexander lived in the Old Rectory in the late 19th century. Her contemporary, Agnes Jones, who trained with
Florence NightingaleFlorence Nightingale, OM, RRC was an English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence during the Crimean War for her pioneering work in nursing, and was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night to tend injured soldiers...
and nursed in the
Crimean WarThe Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of the British Empire, France, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia on the other. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, was born in Fahan House.
Edward MaginnEdward Maginn was an Irish Roman Catholic priest, an advocate of Catholic Emancipation, and supporter of Daniel O'Connell in the Repeal movement. He became coadjutor bishop of Derry....
, a 19th century bishop, was a parish priest in Fahan. The church to the north of The Rectory contains an early 20th century stained-glass window by Evie Hone which depicts
St. Elizabeth of HungarySaint Elisabeth of Hungary is a Hungarian Catholic saint, princess of Hungary. According to tradition, she was born in the castle of Sárospatak, Hungary, on July 7, 1207...
.
Transport
- Fahan railway station opened on 9 September 1864, closed for passenger traffic on 6 September 1948 and finally closed altogether on 10 August 1953.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Donegal)