Slater's Directory - 1846

Slater's Directory was the leading directory in Ireland that recorded the landed gentry, clergy and local trades people. In the 1846 edition for County Donegal, as the famine swept through Ireland, there were fifty four people mentioned from Moville. The article reads ........

A small market town, in the parish of Lower Moville, barony of Inishowen, county of Donegal, is 19 miles NNE from Londonderry, and about 5 1/2 SW of Inishowen Head; situated at the south-eastern extremity of its parish, on the western shore of Lough Foyle, on the road coastways between the two places before-mentioned. A clever work on the towns of Ireland thus notices Moville

"It is sheltered from the westerly gales by the Squire's Car and Craignamaddy mountains; it possesses good bathing ground within the strongly marine waters of Lough Foyle; it looks out on a wide sweep of beautiful scenery athwart the bosum and around the shores of the lough; and, in general it has already acquired a high character, and is likely to acquire a still higher one as a very eligible sea-bathing resort for the citizens of Londonderry and the inhabitants of the circumjacent country."

The town is clean, possesses every accommodation for visitors in lodging-houses, baths and hotels. Among the latter Mr. M'Connell's Commercial Hotel is an excellent house, and commands beautiful views of the coast, and over the counties of Londonderry, Antrim and Donegal, with the lively addition of steamers passing to and fro daily on the lough. Three miles hence is the fort of Green Castle, furnished with the, at present, unnecessary means of defending the entrance to the lough.

The places of worship are the parish church (situated two miles hence), a Roman Catholic chapel, and a Presbyterian meeting-house. A dispensary, two schools under the national board and one of the Ladies Hibernian Society, are the charitable institutions. In the school-house of the last named, divine service is performed every Sunday evening. The market is held on Thursday, and fairs on the 28th of the months of January, April, July and October. Population of the parish, in 1841, 6,061, including 595 inhabitants of the town.

POST OFFICE - Letters from all parts arrive (from Londonderry) every afternoon at half-past four, and are despatched every morning at half-past seven.

CAR - To DERRY a mail car from the Post Office every morning at half-past seven: goes through Quigley's Point and Muff.

Many of these people are mentioned in the book A History of Moville and its Neighbourhood. Click on the link to read the book.