Muff Diving, Donegal, Ireland

Muff, Donegal

Muff is a village in County onegal in the northwest of Ireland which, together with its neighbour Bridgend, has recently become part of the outer suburbs of Derry due to the continued growth of that city towards the north and west. It is located on the road to Moville, on the northern outskirts of the city and at the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Muff has experienced a great growth in population during the last decade, which has seen people from Northern Ireland moving across the border.

Each summer, usually during the first week in August, the village celebrates Muff Festival which includes competitions, competitive JCB driving, street partying, parades Céilidh dancing, amusements in the central park, night-time entertainment, and live performances in the public houses in the area: Finnegans, Squealin' Pig, The Ture, The Carmans and Big Jim's. The football competitions held during the festival attract a lot of people from Derry, Redcastle and Moville, as they try to win the prizes.

Local Gaelic club, Naoimh Padraig, has been up and running strong in the community for many years, with various titles to its name. The club has recently developed a new pitch and a new club house.

The two clubs have just recently pioneered a new game of football as a charity fund-raiser after an accident to a member of the local community, which involved played one half of the game with gaelic football rules and one half with soccer rules.

One of Ireland's greatest playwrights of all time, Brian Friel, was a resident of the village for some time. The village is also remembered locally for its Borderland Dance Hall.