Рафо: История и наследие города в графстве Донегол.

Town in County Donegal, Ireland

Raphoe (/r//ə/'/f//oʊ/ rəFOH; ) is a small town in County Donegal in the north west of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was later divided into the baronies of Raphoe North and Raphoe South, as well as to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe and the Church of Ireland (Anglican) Diocese of Derry and Raphoe. There is also a civil parish of Raphoe. The Burn Dale (also known in English as the Burn Deele) is a burn (a small river) that flows a short distance to the south of Raphoe. The Burn Dale eventually flows, via the village of Ballindrait, into the River Foyle just north of Lifford.

Raphoe, historically Raffoe, It is believed these huts were built by monks in the early Christian period.

The rich agricultural land around Raphoe has been inhabited and cultivated for thousands of years, and evidence of this can be seen through monuments such as the Beltany stone circle, just outside the town. The stone circle is one of the largest in Ireland with a diameter of and made up of more than sixty stones in all. The site is believed to date to around 2000 BC, and that it was originally an enclosed cairn. Its name is believed to be linked to the Celtic festival of fertility Beltane. Around 550 AD Columba (also known as Colmcille), one of the three patron saints of Ireland, founded a monastic settlement in the area. This site was further developed by his kinsman Eunan, (Irish form of the name Adamnan), who gives his name to the town's cathedral and is the patron saint of the Diocese of Raphoe. In 1198, John de Courcy, a Norman knight who had invaded Ulster in 1177, returned to County Donegal to devastate Inishowen and on his way destroyed churches at Ardstraw, County Tyrone, and Raphoe. The design of the modern town is traced to the Ulster Plantation of the early 17th century when the town was granted to English and Scottish settlers. It was these settlers who laid out the town with the 'Diamond' at its centre, in a similar manner to other Plantation towns like Derry and Donegal.

St. Columcille and St. Eunan, ninth abbot of Iona, had churches at Raphoe in the fifth and sixth centuries. Several ninth century blocks of stone can be found in the porch and in the north wall of the present cathedral. The southeast corner dates from the twelfth century. The latest building dates from the 1730s. The communion plate is also noteworthy. Notable bishops include Bishop George Montgomery, first Protestant bishop, 1605 to 1610, a Scot, who was mainly involved in reclaiming church lands, and Bishop Andrew Knox, 1611 to 1633, who set about repairing and rebuilding the cathedral. A stone inscribed "And. Knox II. Epi. Cura", set in the porch, commemorates him. Bishop John Leslie had formerly been a soldier and had his own private army which he led into battle. Bishop Philip Twysden, 1747–1752, spent little time in Raphoe but squandered the family fortune in London; according to later reports, he was shot whilst robbing a stagecoach. Sandy Montgomery, a kinsman of Bishop Montgomery, lies within the churchyard. His inscription reads, "Here lyeth the Body of Alexander Montgomery Esq., who departed this Life 29 September 1800, aged 78. He Represented this once Independent Country, 32 years".

The town lends its name to both the Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland dioceses, which covers nearly all except the very southern section of County Donegal including Inishowen as well as County Londonderry and the northern section of County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Raphoe's status has declined significantly in recent centuries, however, with the Anglican diocese being merged with Derry, while the Roman Catholic bishop now has his see in the larger town of Letterkenny. The Church of Ireland Cathedral, built on the site of Columba's monastery, is named for St Eunan (as is the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Letterkenny). There is also a Presbyterian Church in Ireland in Raphoe.

Raphoe railway station opened on 1 January 1909 and finally closed on 31 January 1959. The nearest railway station is operated by Northern Ireland Railways and runs from Londonderry railway station via Coleraine to Belfast Central railway station and Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station. The strategically important Belfast Derry railway line is to be upgraded to facilitate more frequent trains and improvements to the permanent way such as track and signalling to enable faster services.

Raphoe has two secondary schools and two primary schools. The Royal and Prior School is of the Protestant ethos and Deele College is non denominational.

In recent years, Raphoe has come under the media spotlight following the establishment of the Morris Tribunal to investigate allegations of corrupt and dishonest policing in the county by the Garda Síochána. The Tribunal's second report related to Garda attempts to frame a local publican, Frankie McBrearty, for the murder of cattle dealer Richie Barron. On 27 August 2005, the first main Royal Black Preceptory demonstration in Ireland was held in Raphoe, although local preceptories have been parading in the county for decades. Sir Gerry Robinson is an Irish businessman and television personality lived in Raphoe. He is the former non executive chairman of Allied Domecq and the ex chairman/chief executive of Granada. He owns an estate on the outskirts of Raphoe named Oakfield Park (often known locally as Stoney's Estate), which contains a Georgian country house and a botanical garden with a 15in gauge railway, the Difflin Lake Railway. The gardens and railway are open to the public.