Border

The relationship between Donegal and Northern Ireland is a very important one. It has the counties of Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh as neighbours and only has a 9kilometres border with Leitrim in the Republic of Ireland.

So, how has its proximity to Northern Ireland shaped Donegal as a county?

One of the problems that the people of Donegal felt was an isolation from the rest of the Republic of Ireland. For example, any time that anyone left Donegal to visit Dublin, they would need to go through Northern Ireland to get there. That is less of a problem now as a result of the peace process but it was a serious issue for many Donegal natives.

It is also felt that Donegal's proximity to Northern Ireland during The Troubles was unhelpful in attracting business to the area and there was very high unemployment in Donegal during that period. However, things have changed for the better since peace was restored and with the development of cross-border bodies.

Much work has been carried out in recent years to build on the improved relationship between the border counties (Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan) and the rest of Ulster.

A lot of this work has been organised through funding from organisations like the European Union and the International Fund for Ireland.

For example, in 2005, Donegal County Council worked alongside Strabane District Council on a Crossborder arts project. By working together, both parties where able to benefit from the fresh ideas and expertise of each other.