Lifford is the county town of Donegal in the Republic of Ireland and the seat of Donegal County Council. The town grew up around a castle established there by Manghus Ó Domhnaill, ruler of west Donegal, in the 16th century, and later became a British army garrison until Irish independence in 1922. It is situated across the River Foyle from Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland and joined by the Lifford Bridge.