Donegal or Donegal Town ( /ˈdʌnɨɡɔːl/ or /ˌdʌnɨˈɡɔːl/; Irish: Dún na nGall) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" (i.e. the Vikings).

Donegal gave its name to County Donegal, although Lifford is now the county town. Until the early 1600s, Donegal was the 'capital' of Tír Chonaill, a gaelic kingdom controlled by the O'Donnell Clan of the Cenél Conaill. Donegal sits at the mouth of the River Eske and Donegal Bay, which is overshadowed by the Bluestack Mountains ('the Croaghs'). The town is bypassed by the N15 and N56 roads. The centre of the town, known as "The Diamond", is a hub for music, poetic and cultural gatherings in the area.

There is evidence for settlements around the town dating back to prehistoric times including the remains of round forts and other earth works.

It is generally accepted by historians that St. Patrick was captured by raiders from the Clans governed by Niall of the Nine Hostages and that this region is that to which St. Patrick returned; being familiar with the people, language, customs and lands. The first Clan to convert to Christianity as the result of St Patrick's efforts was the Clan Connaill (also known at one time as Clan Dalaigh: in English, this is pronounced Daley and it translates as "one in a leadership role"). Connaill was a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. As a result on their acceptance of Christianity, St Patrick bless the clan members and the sign of the Cross appeared on the chieftains shield and this became not only the coat of arms for the clan but also for County Donegal (up until the early 1970s).

Jim McGuinness (born 12 November 1972 in Glenties, County Donegal), is a retired Gaelic footballer and current manager for Donegal senior team, He was a member of the 1992 All-Ireland winning team. He was also a star of Third Level Colleges football winning Sigerson Cups with Tralee in 1998 and 1999 as captain and with University of Ulster, Jordanstown again as captain in 2001. He played club football with Naomh Conaill and won a Donegal Senior Football Championship in 2005. He played with Ireland in the 1998 International Rules Series.

McGuinness previously guided the U21 team to the All-Ireland U21 final which they were defeated by Dublin. In July 2010 Jim was appointed as the Senior manager after his colleague John Joe Doherty resigned due to a disastrous season. His first year as manager turned to be a success as Donegal gained promotion to Division 1 after beating Laois with the scoreline of 2-11 to 0-16. The 2011 championship began with Donegal playing Antrim on 15 May 2011 which proved to a very poor performance from both sides however, Donegal earned their ever first Ulster championship win in 4 years. On 17 July 2011, Donegal won their first Ulster title since 1992 after a 1-11 to 0-8 win against Derry. Donegal went on to face Kildare in the All-Ireland Quarter final on 30 July 2011 which turned to be a disastrous first half but a thriller during the 2nd quarter with the sides finishing level at full-time to drag extra-time before Donegal edged out winners with the scoreline 1-12 to 0-14 with late points from captain Michael Murphy & two veterans Christy Toye & Kevin Cassidy.

Daniel Francis Noel O'Donnell (born 12 December 1961) is an Irish singer, television presenter and philanthropist. O'Donnell came to public attention in 1983 and has since become a household name in Ireland and the UK. He has also had considerable success in the US and Australia. He is known for his close relationship with his fanbase, and his charismatic and engaging stage presence. His music has been described as a mix of country and Irish folk, and he has sold over ten million records to date. O'Donnell is also known for his tenor voice. In Ireland, he is widely considered a 'cultural icon', and is often parodied in the media. He is a prominent ambassador for his home county of Donegal, and he is affectionately known as 'Wee Daniel'.

O'Donnell was born and brought up in the village of Kincasslagh, in the Rosses region of County Donegal. He grew up as the youngest of a Roman Catholic family, with his parents Julia (née McGonagle born 1919) and Francis O'Donnell and his siblings: John (the eldest), Margaret (Margo), Kathleen, and James. He has described his upbringing as mostly happy, with the exception of the death of his father after a heart attack when O'Donnell was just six years old.

Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter, whose work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age. During his career he has passed through several major bands and on to a successful solo phase. Initially popular for playing traditional Irish music in a duo with Andy Irvine and later with Tommy Peoples and Matt Molloy, he later turned to a more rock inspired electric style with poignant political lyrics. Among his most popular songs are "Crazy Dreams", "Nothing but the Same Old Story", "The Island", "Night Hunting" (covered by Santana), and "Steel Claw" and "Paradise is Here"(covered by Tina Turner).

Samuel ("Sam") Maguire (1879 - 6 February 1927), an Irish republican and Gaelic footballer, is chiefly remembered as the eponym of the Sam Maguire Cup, given to the All-Ireland Senior Champions of Gaelic football.

He was born in the townland of Mallabraca near the town of Dunmanway in West Cork and was a member of the Church of Ireland

He had four brothers and two sisters. Willie was the eldest then Mary, Jack, Dick, Paul (who married a Roman Catholic and whose son became a Roman Catholic priest), Sam and Elizabeth. The Maguires farmed 200 acres (0.81 km²) of land. He went to school in Dunmanway and then to the national school in Ardfield. This is the same school Michael Collins later attended. At the age of 20 Maguire passed the exams.

He then took a job in the British Civil Service in London. Maguire joined and captained the successful London Hibernians Gaelic football team to several All-Ireland finals between 1900 and 1904.

In 1907 he went into the administration of the London GAA, becoming the Chairman of the London County Board and a regular delegate to the Annual Congress of the GAA. He later became a trustee of Croke Park. Coincidentally, Vice-Chairman of the London County Board was Liam McCarthy who gave his name to the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Cup.