Donegal tweed manufactured for centuries it took on its modern form in the 1880s, largely due to the pioneering work of English philanthropist Alice Rowland Hart. While the weavers in County Donegal produce a number of different tweed fabrics, including herringbone and check patterns, the area is best known for a plain-weave cloth of differently-coloured warp and weft, with small pieces of yarn in various colours woven in at irregular intervals to produce a heathered effect. Such fabric is often labelled as "donegal" (with a lowercase "d") regardless of its provenance. Along with Harris Tweed manufactured in the Scottish Highlands, Donegal is
Siege of Donegal Siege of Donegal The Siege of Donegal took place in 1601 during Tyrone's Rebellion when a force led by Hugh Roe O'Donnell laid siege to the settlement of Donegal. The garrison of the town were a mixture of Irish Army troops and Gaelic forces loyal to the Crown led by Niall Garve O'Donnell. Heavy fighting took place during the month-long siege in which Donegal Abbey was wrecked by an accidental gunpowder explosion. Having suffered several repulses Hugh Roe O'Donnell abandoned the siege and moved his army southwards to Munster to take part in the Battle of Kinsale. In his absence