The harp is also used as the logo for League of Ireland football team Finn Harps, who are Donegal's senior soccer club.

There was controversy when Donegal's manager Brian McIver was upset as he thought the game should have been played at Croke Park in Dublin.

After Donegal's Ulster Senior Football Championship defeat of Antrim in May 2011, Spillane was critical on The Sunday Game of Ryan Bradley, scorer of two points in his first Ulster start, being in receipt of the man-of-the-match award.

The band played gigs in Chile and Argentine in May 2012 a number of UK festivals in the summer of 2012, including headlining Camp Bestival in Dorset in July 2012 and T in the Park and Donegal's Sea Sessions.

Performers of popular music began appearing as early as the late 1940s ; Delia Murphy popularised Irish folk songs that she recorded for HMV in 1949 ; Margaret Barry is also credited with bringing traditional songs to the fore ; Donegal's Bridie Gallagher shot to fame in 1956 and is considered ' Ireland's first international pop star '; Belfast-born singer Ruby Murray achieved unprecedented chart success in the UK in the mid-1950s ; The Bachelors were an all-male harmony group from Dublin who had hits in the UK, Europe, US, Australia and Russia ; Mary O ' Hara was a soprano and harpist who was successful on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1950s and early 1960s ; Waterford crooner Val Doonican had a string of UK hits and presented his own TV show on the BBC from 1965 to 1986.

Surfing on Donegal's Atlantic coast is considered to be as good as any in Ireland.

The following indicates the distance and travel time ( on main routeways ) between Letterkenny and Donegal's other main centres:

Dunfanaghy is located on Donegal's North West coast, specifically the west side of Sheephaven Bay.

Vast numbers of County Donegal's people emigrated at this time, chiefly through the Port of Derry.

Letterkenny is County Donegal's largest and most important town, providing the county with the necessary commercial, retail, social and economic facilities.

They brought Donegal's rich collection of Irish language songs and instrumental styles to audiences around the world, and they remain as the world's foremost Irish traditional group with over a million records sold.

The 2006 Census, undertaken by the State's Central Statistics Office, had County Donegal's population standing at 147, 264.

Because of Donegal's hilly and mountain landscape, Mountain Biking has become a significant and growing interest.

The game is mainly played and followed by members of County Donegal's Protestant community.

Donegal's rugged landscape lends itself to active sports like climbing, hillwalking, surfing and kite-flying.

An ancient castle once stood near where the Cathedral of St. Eunan and St. Columba, Donegal's only Roman Catholic cathedral, stands today.

The figures also show that most of Donegal's non-national population are living in the town.

The Rosses boasts Donegal's only airport at Carrickfinn.

The area claims a large proportion of Donegal's tourist income, due to its renowned scenery and its many festivals, including the Mary From Dungloe International Festival.

Donegal's semi-final defeat of Westmeath had also taken place at Breffni Park.

Lynch also played Gaelic football with his local club St. Nicholas ' and with the Cork senior inter-county team from 1936 until 1946.

In a senior inter-county football career that lasted for ten years Lynch won one All-Ireland title, two Munster titles and one Railway Cup title.

In 1939 he became the only player, in history to captain both the inter-county football and hurling teams in the same year.

He had retired from inter-county football several years earlier.

The annual championships are preceded by national inter-county leagues in both football and hurling.

Hurling and Gaelic football have become the most popular spectator sports in the Republic of Ireland ; 1, 962, 769 attendances were recorded at senior inter-county hurling and football championship games in 2003 while 60 % of all attendances to sports events in the Republic of Ireland were at Gaelic games, with 34 % of the total going to Gaelic football and 23 % to hurling.

This stadium is regularly used for inter-county matches during the Ulster provincial championship in Gaelic football, and traditionally hosts the final.

* Michael Murphy, All-Ireland winning inter-county and international rules footballer, captained the Donegal senior football team to victory in the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

* Neil Gallagher, All-Ireland winning inter-county footballer, captained the Donegal senior football team to the 2007 National Football League title

Páirc na nGael was opened on Sunday, December 7th 2008 by GAA President Nicky Brennan prior to the Vodafone GAA All-Star football game starring the top inter-county gaelic footballers in Ireland.

He played football with his local club An Ghaeltacht and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1975 until 1987.

Ó Sé decided to retire from inter-county football following this defeat.

He played Gaelic football with Kerins O ' Rahilly's and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1931 until 1948.

He played Gaelic football with his local club St. Michael's and was a member of the Meath senior inter-county team from 1984 util 1997.

He played Gaelic football with his local clubs Young Islanders and Waterville and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1956 until 1973.

He played Gaelic football with his local club John Mitchel and was a member of the Down senior inter-county team from the 1950s until the 1960s.

He played Gaelic football with his local club Templenoe and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1975 until 1991.

Kerry were subsequently defeated by eventual champions Down in the All-Ireland semi-final and Spillane decided to retite from inter-county football.

His inter-county football career, which spanned three decades, saw him earn a record nine All-Star awards, more than any other player in the history of the game.

He played Gaelic football with his local club Austin Stacks and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1974 until 1987.

With that Sheehy decided to retire from inter-county football.

He came from a sporting family, with his grandfather Paddy Healy having been a Gaelic footballer and hurler who won All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship medals with the Cork inter-county football and hurling teams respectively in 1945 and 1946.