Gortahork

Gort an Choirce or Gort a' Choirce Irish pronunciation: [ˌɡˠɔɾˠt̪ˠ ə ˈxɔɾʲcə] or [ˌɡˠɔɾˠt̪ˠ ə ˈhɔɾʲcə] (anglicized as Gortahork) is a village and townland in the northwest of County Donegal, Ireland. It is a lively Gaeltacht community, where the Irish language is still the main language of the area. Along with Falcarragh, it forms part of the district known as Cloughaneely.

Irish language

There are 1,599 people living in the Gortahork ED and 81% are native Irish speakers, making it one of the top two EDs in terms of proportion of Irish speakers.

Name

The official name of the townland is Gort an Choirce (anglicised to Gortahork), meaning 'the Field of Oats', early habitation is evident by the sourterrain and the various ring forts evident in the townland. It's known as the Parish of Críost Rí (Christ the King) in the Catholic division, or Tullaghobegley East in the Protestant division.

History

It is claimed that a Charlie McGee, from Inishbofin, some 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.