Convoy is a village in the east of County Donegal, Ireland, in the Finn Valley district. It is part of the Barony of Raphoe. It is situated on the Burn Dale, and is located on the R236 road to Raphoe. Convoy had a total population of 1,526 according to the 2016 census. Like many other villages in the vicinity, it has its origins in the Plantation of Ulster. Convoy is home to a mixed religious community which is reflected in the schools and churches in the village. There is a Catholic and a mixed primary school in the village. There is also a Catholic church, a Church of Ireland church and a Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster church or 'kirk' in the village. There are no secondary schools in Convoy and local children tend to travel to Raphoe or Stranorlar for second-level education. The Burn Dale is a burn that flows along the southern edge of Convoy.
Convoy Woollen Mill
Convoy once had a woollen mill located on the banks of the Burn Dale, but this closed in the early 1980s with the resultant loss of many local jobs. The woollen mill is now host to a business area that was promoted and assisted by the Republic of Ireland's former state development body FÁS.
Convoy House
The Montgomery family of Convoy is descended from Alexander Montgomery, Prebendary of Doe, who died about 1658. He was brought over from Scotland by his kinsman, George Montgomery, who became the first Protestant Bishop of Raphoe in 1604. Alexander Montgomery of Croaghan, near Lifford, bought the Convoy estate from the Nesbitt family in 1719. Boyton House was first occupied in November 1807 by the family of Robert Montgomery of Brandrim who had inherited the estate from his cousin, Sandy Montgomery of Convoy. Sandy represented Donegal in Grattan's Parliament for thirty-two years. He spent part of his youth in America and was noted for his duelling. His brothers were John of Lisbon and Richard, a general in Washington’s army who fell at the siege of Quebec in 1775. Sandy was a friend of Lord Edward Fitzgerald and a secret supporter of the United Irishmen. He voted against the Act of Union in 1800. Boyton House used to contain the letter which Washington wrote to the family on Richard’s death and receipts for meat bought by thehundred-weight in Raphoe by the Montgomery family for free distribution in Convoy during the Famine. The house passed through marriage to the Boyton family in the nineteenth century.
Convoy is to be the proposed site of the Donegal GAA centre of excellence, it is set to be completed by the end of 2013. Seán Dunnion, chairman of the county board said of the centre: “The benefits that can be accrued out of it will be huge to our footballers, our hurlers, our ladies, our camogie players, our schools…the benefits to everyone will be immense.” Naomh Mhuire Conmhaigh is the local GAA club. Founded in 1928 the club caters for players both male and female at all age levels in football. The players come from the villages of Convoy, Drumkeen and Raphoe with the pitch located in Convoy. They have a long and distinguished history having won many junior titles. Convoy has a local amateur soccer team, Convoy Arsenal. The club were Donegal Junior League winners in 2003, won the Division One title in 2004 and were runners-up in the Premier Division in 2005. On the back of that success, Convoy Arsenal joined the Ulster Senior League in 2005. As well as catering for the more senior players from the area, they presently have teams in the Donegal Saturday League in the under-8, under-10, under-12, under-14 and under-16 grades.
