Castlefin

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Castlefin (sometimes spelt Castlefinn) is a tranquil market town in the north-west of Ireland. It is located between Ballybofey and Lifford in County Donegal. The River Finn flows by the town.

The local parish priest is called Fr. Polke.

The main social outlet in the town is a pub called McBride's, at the foot of the Long Brae beside the main road between Lifford and Ballybofey. Other pubs in the town include Tinney's, The Sheaf of Wheat and The Diamond Bar. There was also a pub called the Jug Of Punch on the main road next to the service station, at its peak there was also a niteclub attached to this called the Tracksend.

There used to be a clothing factory in the town which made shirts and other items (I cant remember if this was run by the Sharma family - I think it was called Nenagh Models), but like so much of the textile industry in Donegal, this is long since gone.

The local garda station is also closed, I believe the town is "policed" now either from Ballybofey or Lifford.

The main two housing estates in the town are called the Hillhead and Grahamsland - these were built in the sixties.

William Lafferty's shop at the bottom of Hillhead beside the National School was the only place in town that opened on Christmas morning - many's a parent was saved by buying batteries in the shop that morning if they had forgotten.

There used to be a chippy called Vincent's on the Diamond, I remember waiting for the schoolbus to St Columbas in Stranorlar and seeing a stray dog piss on the two plastic sacks of raw chipped spuds that would be left outside the door each morning (this was not a one off event either).

A lady who I knew only as Alice ran a clothing shop next to Gallagher's butchers - this place never seemed to modernise or change in the sixteen or so years I lived in the town.

The Post Office used to be run on the diamond by a man called Ernan Patton, this subsequently was moved to William Lafferty's shop. William Lafferty's shop is now trading under new management.

There is a Centra/Service Station on Sandy Row near the junction to the Raphoe Road. This used to be a shell station with a Seat/Citroen car dealership owned by Mickey McNamee. Prior to that there may have been a garage proper there which made repairs to cars.

Does anyone remember these?

Scor Na Nog in the Hall? The other old Lafferty's shop on the main street? Mrs Quinn who was the principal of the National School in the seventies? Jack Charlton visting during the Festival? The accident at the Bridge when the minibus went off the bridge into the river and three people drowned? Georgie Blackburn on his bike? When Mace was Crawfords - is Marie Devlin still there? The dog that used to live in the waste ground behind Crawfords along the long brae? When 3rd class used to be taught in the room off the parish hall?