page_title: Architecture of Letterkenny
section_title: Historical structures
hierarchical_section_title: Architecture of Letterkenny / Historical structures
caption_attribution_description: Conwal Parish Church
context_page_description: As with other towns and cities in Ireland, Letterkenny has a history of great architecture. Many examples of ancient architecture remain in the town to the present day – though much has been lost also, through decay and modern development.
context_section_description: The Cathedral of St. Eunan and St Columba, built between 1890 and 1900, has one of the tallest steeples in Ireland. Located near the town centre on Castle Street, it is the only Catholic cathedral in the county; an older cathedral, now owned by the Church of Ireland and officially called The Cathedral Church of St. Eunan, is located in the town of Raphoe, about ten miles away. Letterkenny Cathedral was designed by William Hague from Cavan Town. It is built in the Victorian neo-Gothic style. The ceilings are the work of Amici of Rome, while the majestic stained glass windows that illuminate the Sanctuary and the Lady Chapel are by the Mayer firm of Munich.
  Another dominant building in the town is the historic St Eunan's College which was built as a seminary in 1906, using the money left over after the building of the Cathedral and the Parochial House. The college is a three-storey picturesque castle with four round towers at each corner of the building. The school is named after the Abbot of Iona St. Eunan, a native of Donegal and patron saint of the Diocese of Raphoe. It is an all-male education facility which today houses over 850 students.
  The Donegal County Museum is housed in what remains of the old workhouse and is located on the High Road. It was built in 1843. Each year the museum attracts thousands of tourists, who seek to find out about the history of County Donegal, to the town.
  Trinity Presbyterian Church is located on Upper Main Street on the site of the earliest regular 'Meeting House' for Presbyterians, dated with a stone declaring the origin of the congregation in 1640. Presbyterianism in Letterkenny dates back more than 350 years when the Rev. William Semple officiated from 1648 to 1674. The 'Meeting House' then was also on the Main Street and was originally probably a large thatched building. The church adopted the name 'Trinity' in 1916.
  Conwal Parish Church is located opposite St Eunan's Cathedral. The Church dates back to the 17th Century. Parts of this Protestant church date from the mid- to late eighteenth-century. It was expanded and extensively altered in the 1860s. The building is believed to have been constructed when a church located at Conwal fell into ruins. The remains of Redmond O'Hanlon are also located on the church grounds.
  Rockhill House is located some two miles west of Letterkenny. It is a large classical house dating from the middle of the 18th century with additions in the early 19th century and with further additions from 1853. Its most recent use was by the Irish Defence Forces, who ceased using it as an army barracks in January 2009. Rockhill House is due to be transferred from its present owners, the Department of Defence, to Donegal Co. Council. A locally based group, the Rockhill House Heritage Association, has been campaigning to have it preserved and developed in a proper manner.
caption: Conwal Parish Church
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