Tawlaght

21 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Tawlaght, from 630 m² to 328,705 m² (32.87 ha, 81.22 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary. 19 neighbouring parcels touch it.

Download the townland as DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its boundary, parcels and buildings, or as GeoJSON or KML.

No zone of a development plan covers Tawlaght in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply to each application.

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

• 10 Nov 2025Conditional

  HAY SHED AND PERMISSION FOR CONSTRUCTION OF EXTENSION TO EXISTING MACHINERY STORAGE SHED

  Retention · Donegal County Council, 2561954

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches the townland of Tawlaght.

Recorded monuments

• DG101-007 Megalithic tomb - court tomb
  Description

  The monument lies 2.3km E of Lough Derg. It stands near the base of a S-facing slope in wettish land amid hilly terrain overlooked from the E by Crockkinnagoe, the summit (1194 feet (c. 364m) OD) of which is 1.2km to the E. The outlook from the site is restricted except to the SE, where there is a view along the catchment area of the River Termon to Lower Lough Erne, c. 7km distant. The monument, a gallery preceded at the E by a largely concealed court, stands in a large, roughly oval cairn. Peat, c. 0.1-0.15m thick, covers much of the cairn, the southern side of which is overgrown by heather and furze. The cairn surface is disturbed in the area immediately around the gallery, where its stony character is evident. The NE sector has been partially robbed, and the material has been used to build two field fences, one alongside the cairn and another running south-eastward from the front of the gallery. The cairn is 23.5m long (E-W) and 13m wide. It survives to the height of the gallery orthostats, c. 1.5m, and obscures their outer faces. The tops of three stones of the N arm of the court can be identified. The tops of the outer two are flush with the surface of the cairn. The innermost one, a pointed stone, rises 0.4m above the cairn surface. Almost directly opposite this and 0.7m SE of the front of the gallery a set stone rises 0.45m above the cairn surface. It may be a courtstone, but as this is uncertain it is not hatched on the plan. Lying in the court area, 2.5m from the front of the gallery, is a displaced slab, 1.6m by 0.6m by 0.35m thick, and 1m beyond this, on the field fence, is another, measuring 1.45m by 0.6m by 0.3m thick. The gallery is 6m long. Its outer part is c. 2.2m wide, and it narrows to c. 1.5m at around mid-length and beyond this widens to 1.8m before narrowing slightly toward the back. The evident narrowing of the gallery at around mid-length seems to indicate a division into at least two chambers. Apart from a lintel above the entrance, it lacks roof stones, although corbelling survives along both sides. In 1952 the gallery was filled to around half-height with displaced stones and collapsed cairn material. In 1981 the front one-third of the gallery was cleared, exposing a doorstone at the gallery entrance. It is understood that this work was undertaken as part of a security operation. A short time later a large flint knife was recovered from spoil cleared from the gallery (C. Cotter, pers. comm.). This doorstone had already been exposed in the mid-19th century (see below). Two transversely set entrance jambs, 0.6m apart, flank the doorstone, which is around half their height. The northern jamb is 1.6m in exposed height, c. 0.2m taller than the southern jamb. The doorstone is 0.8m in exposed height. The northern jamb rises 0.8m, and the southern one rises 0.6m, above the top of the doorstone. The lintel above the jambs is a flattish slab with rounded ends. It measures 2.15m by 1.2m by 0.6m in maximum thickness. There is a single pad-stone, 0.25m in maximum dimension, interposed between the top of the northern jamb and the lintel. There are three such stones, the largest 0.4m in maximum dimension, between the top of the southern jamb and the lintel. Five orthostats remain on the S side of the gallery, and four are visible along the N side. A backstone is set just beyond the gallery walls. The first orthostat on the S side, the top of which is obscured by a layer of peat, is c. 1.5m in exposed height and appears to be around the same height as the entrance jamb. It rises 0.3m above the top of the second orthostat. This stone is set inside the line of the last, a position in which it could have acted as a jamb. The inner end of this orthostat is concealed. It is 0.85m in exposed height. The third orthostat marks the narrowest part of the gallery. It rises 0.2m above the level of the fill in the gallery and c. 0.1m above the top of the second orthostat. This too could have functioned as a jamb. The fourth orthostat on this side is the same height as the third. It rises c. 0.4m above the fill in the gallery. The fifth orthostat, the same height as the third and fourth, also rises 0.4m above the fill. The top of the first orthostat on the N side of the gallery, like its counterpart on the S side, is hidden by peat and sod-grown cairn material. It is 0.9m in exposed height. The second orthostat is set askew to the end of the last so as to narrow the chamber, and its inner end is concealed by fill. This is also 0.9m in exposed height. Beyond this stone and inside the line of the gallery the uppermost 0.1m of a flat-topped stone rises clear of the fill. It is the same height as the two orthostats. The status of this stone (not hatched on plan) is not clear. Immediately W of it a displaced slab rising from the fill lies across the gallery. This measures 1.1m by at least 0.6m and is at least 0.1m thick. North of this the faces of two separate stones are exposed at the side of the gallery. Both are around the same height as the orthostats on this side, but it is unclear whether they are structural stones, and they are not hatched on the plan. Beyond these are two sidestones. These match the two on the S side in that they are disposed so as to widen the gallery before narrowing it again toward the backstone. These are of about equal height. Both rise 0.55m above the fill in the gallery. The backstone is 0.5m in exposed height. It rises 0.3m above the top of the adjacent sidestone at the S and 0.2m above that to the N. It is of uniform height along its length, and its top is bevelled inwardly. Two large stones lie prostrate in the gallery. That toward the front measures 1.35m by 0.8m by 0.25m thick, and the other, partly buried at the back of the gallery, measures 1.85m by at least 0.4m by 0.25m thick. There are two tiers of corbels along the inner two-thirds of the S side of the gallery. Four corbels remain of the lower tier, and one survives of the upper. The outermost of the four lower corbels measures 0.9m by 0.8m and is 0.25m thick. This rests on cairn stones behind the second orthostat. The second corbel measures 0.95m by 0.8m by 0.3m thick and rests on cairn stones behind the third orthostat. The third corbel overlies the fourth orthostat on this side and measures 1.05m by 0.8m by 0.25m thick. There is a small pad-stone, 0.15m across, between the two. The fourth corbel, 0.95m by 0.9m by 0.35m thick, rests on the outer half of the innermost orthostat. The single corbel of the upper tier overlies the junction of the third and fourth corbels of the lower tier and measures 1.2m by 1.1m by 0.25m thick. Corbelling survives at both ends of the N side of the gallery. At the front is a corbel that leans toward but does not touch the end of the lintel. This is supported on three packing-stones, the largest 0.6m in maximum dimension, jammed against the outer face of the entrance jamb. The corbel measures 0.75m by 1.2m by 0.3m thick. At the other end of this side of the gallery there are three corbels, two of a lower tier and a lone corbel of an upper tier. The outer one of the lower two overlies the junction of the two orthostats at this end of the gallery and measures 0.95m by 0.7m by 0.25m thick. The inner one, 1m by 0.9m and up to 0.3m thick, rests against the innermost orthostat here and on small packing-stones beside it. The lone corbel of the upper tier leans against the inner one of the lower tier and measures 1m by 0.9m by 0.3m thick. Beyond the N side of the gallery there are five slabs rising at an angle from the cairn surface. All appear to be displaced corbels. Four lean away from the gallery, and one, the westernmost, leans toward it. This measures 0.7m by 0.6m by 0.25m thick and is 0.5m N of the inner end of the gallery. Less than 1m to the E are two more, N (0.8m by 0.7m by 0.2m thick) and S (0.7m by 0.5m by 0.15m thick) of each other and 0.5m apart. East of these are two others also roughly N and S of each other and 0.5m apart,

• DG101-008 Ringfort - cashel
  Description

  Internal diam. c. 34m. A much damaged cashel situated within a forested area. A subcircular area enclosed by a collapsed stone wall. Sections of wall facing are visible to the NW. It survives up to .8m in height. The W section of the wall has been almost entirely removed. Forestry trenches have been cut up to and into the monument and it has been planted over. It is situated in rough mountainous terrain on the SW slope of Meennagassagh Hill. The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Date of upload: 22 September 2008

• DG101-009 Megalithic tomb - wedge tomb
  Description

  This tomb, not shown on any edition of the OS 6-inch map, is 2km SE of Lough Derg and c. 900m SSW of the court tomb (Dg. 118) in the same townland. It stands on sloping boggy ground and commands extensive views to the N and S. Crockkinnagoe Hill (1194 feet (c. 364m) OD) dominates the outlook to the E, and the view westward is restricted by a series of low hills. The usual W-E convention is not followed in this description. The monument consists of part of a roofed gallery, 2.3m long, orientated SSW-NNE. It narrows from 0.95m wide at the S to 0.75m at the N. Approximately 1m beyond the S end of the gallery a stone stands at right angles to its western side. This seems to be a facade-stone. The structure stands in a low, grass-grown, oval mound measuring 8.5m by 6.4m and not more than 0.3m high. Each side of the gallery is represented by two orthostats. The southern stone at the E side is 0.4m high and rises 0.15m over the adjoining stone. The southern stone at the W side is 0.4m high, and that next to it is 0.45m high. The roofstone rests on the sidestones. It measures 1.8m by 1.7m wide and is up to 0.4m thick. The facade-stone, which leans southward, would stand at least 0.6m high if upright. Approximately 12m E of the tomb an ill-defined, NE-SW-aligned, rectangular heap of stones, c. 10m long and 2m wide, rises c. 0.5m clear of the boggy surface. Low upright stones form a facing along much of its perimeter. This is clearly an ancient feature. Approximately 5m to the E a gapped line of set stones seems to form part of an ancient field wall. Anon. 1951, 346 ('Half a mile away is an interesting dolmen' seems to refer); Killanin and Duignan 1962, 396; Killanin and Duignan 1967, 399; SMR 1987, 101:9; Ó Nualláin 1989, 137; RMP 1995, 101:9. The above description was published in the 'Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume VI, County Donegal.' Compiled by: Eamon Cody (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). Date of upload: 22 September 2008 See linked document with details from Eamon Cody, Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume VI. County Donegal. (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002)

Architectural heritage

• Bridge, 1840–1880 · Regional interest
  Description

  Single-arched bridge carrying road over the Ominey River, built c. 1860. Round-headed arch having rock-faced voussoirs to arch having dressed margins; squared and coursed rubble stone construction to arch barrel. Squared rubble stone construction to parapets and spandrels with mildly rock-faced cut stone coping over parapets. Some dressed ashlar stonework to one of the parapets. Some modern repairs to parapets. Tarmacadam deck with grass verges; bridge rises to centre. Located in the rural landscape to the north of Pettigoe.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Radon

At the centre of the townland of Tawlaght, about 1 in 20 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

The 1:50,000 map rates the landslide susceptibility here as high, moderately high, moderately low, low, partly inferred.

Terrain model

No LiDAR survey of the Office of Public Works covers the centre of the townland of Tawlaght.

Flooding

The Office of Public Works publishes its flood maps on floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, and Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland, both under CC BY 4.0. LiDAR: contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

No address of the register names Tawlaght with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Donegal.

Name

Tawlaght

Area

2,322,178 m² (232.22 ha, 573.82 acres)

Civil parish

Templecarn, and its townlands

Barony

Tirhugh

Electoral division

Pettigoe, the unit of the census

Census 2022

368 people lived in 170 households in the Pettigoe electoral division. 76% of households owned their home. 19% of homes were built since 2001. 19% of dwellings stood vacant on census night, and 8% were holiday homes.

Neighbouring townlands

Ballymacavany, Carn, Crocknacunny, Cullion, Sessiaghkeelta

Placenames

Tawlaght on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. Census 2022, Small Area Population Statistics by electoral division, Central Statistics Office, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address. Old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.