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find holiday homes in Raphoe
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Raphoe is a small
market town serving the agricultural sector which remains important
in this part of east Donegal. Its triangular Diamond, similar to
that in Donegal Town, is surrounded by fine buildings, including the
Church of Ireland Cathedral, one of the two Greek-style Presbyterian
churches in the town, the Volt House, originally built to house the
widows of clergymen, and now used for a range of community purposes.
The town is in the fertile east of the county, at the heart of the
diocese comprising most of the County, to which it gives its name.
Although the Catholic Cathedral for Raphoe is now in Letterkenny,
the Church of Ireland cathedral of St. Euanan remains in the town,
leaving Raphoe as the smallest cathedral town in either Ireland or
Britain. There are many interesting pre-Christian and ecclesiastical
remains in and around the town. The rich agricultural land around
Raphoe has been inhabited and cultivated for thousands of years and
evidence of this can be seen through monuments such as the Beltany
Stone Stone Circle, just outside the town. The stone circle is one
of the largest in Ireland with a diameter of 44 metres and made up
of more than sixty stones in all. The site is believed to date to
around 2000 BC, and that it was originally an enclosed cairn. Its
name is believed to be linked the Celtic festival of fertility known
as 'Beltane' |