Permission granted for extension to Doagh Famine Village

Planning permission has been granted for an extension to an Inishowen tourist attraction that was extensively damaged in a fire earlier this year. 

Patrick and Martina Doherty, directors of Doagh Famine Village, had sought permission for an extension to the front of the existing events building, comprising a display area and shop, both of which are ancillary to the tourist attraction. 

Doagh Famine Village is one of Ireland’s most unique and popular tourist attractions, visited by thousands of people from all over the world every year, where they offer guided tours with a journey through life in Ireland, showing how families learned to survive and adapt as society evolved from the Great Famine in the 1840s to the present day.

Donegal County Council granted permission for the development, subject to three conditions. These included that no surface water from the development is permitted to discharge onto the public road, and the applicant has to take steps to ensure that no public road water discharges onto the site. 

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The fire on the May Bank Holiday weekend this year ripped through the historic site on the Isle of Doagh, destroying over 60% of the village. The Orange Hall, Safe House, Travellers Section, and recently installed boards that were translated into five languages for visitors were among the highlights that were destroyed in the three-quarters of an acre blaze.