Parish of Moville Co Donegal
(Taken from Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Parishes of Co Donegal 1 1833 - 5 North East Donegal).

Statistical Report on Lower Moville by Lieutenant WE Delves Broughton May 1833

Situated
The Parish of Lower Moville, situated at the north east extremity of the barony of Inishowen, in the county of Donegal, is bounded on the north by the ocean, south by Lough Foyle, east by the sea forming the entrance to the lough and west by the parishes of Culdaff and Upper Moville

Principal market town
The town of Bonyfoble or Moville is situated in the townland of Ballynelly. It has a market on a Thursday, chiefly for grain and potatoes, being otherwise but badly supplied. The market place is a square space walled in with lean-to open sheds on 2 sides and a thoroughfare opening on the road. The shops are small and bad and few of any sort.
This is a police station and the magistrates hold their sessions in a room adjoining the market place.
The town is nearly new and is becoming more important every year as a bathing place for the wealthier inhabitants of Derry, who resort to it during the summer months.
The Houses chiefly built of the stone of the country, being a coarse clay slate which, splitting in lamina, is easily procured and rendered fit for the purpose of building. They are, however, small and generally ill-contrived and inconvenient.
The post office is about quarter of a mile to the north west of the town.
The stream forming the boundary between Upper and Lower Moville runs below the north west of the town, from which a corn mill is supplied.
There are 4 fairs during the year for cattle. A small steam-boat offers a daily communication with Derry.

Geology
The geological structure of this parish is exclusively clay slate with occasional traces of hornblende passing in gradations into slate.

Cultivation and Produce
Being essentially part of a mountain district running from south east to north west, as is usual in such cases every patch to the south between rocks or bog is cultivated. The chief produce is oats, potatoes and a small quantity of rye and flax. Seaweed forms the chief manure.

Subsistence and Employment
The inhabitants exist almost entirely on potatoes, oatmeal bread and the produce of fishing, which forms a large portion of their employment and means of subsistence.

Coast and Harbours
The coast on the north side is precipitous and in many places inaccessible. To the south, however, and on the borders of the lake, are many small inlets and sandy bays from which harbours for their boats.
There has also been lately erected at the expense of Fishery Board a pier at Greencastle, as also one at Moville for the accommodation of the steam-boat.

Back