Prior to it being called Donegall Street, this was known as New Street. According to Barton it was planned and built by the architect Roger Mulholland. It is included in the list of streets in the Belfast Directory 1831-1832.
There is a blue plaque erected by the Ulster History Circle to commemorate civil engineer William Mulholland (1855-1935) at no. 201, Donegall Street. He is better known in the USA than on this side of the Atlantic, especially for his role in supplying water to the city of Los Angeles. The Mulholland Aqueduct and the road Mulholland Drive are named after him. The latter is a long road through the Santa Monica Mountains, well known as a scenic route and address of the rich and famous, such as Jack Nicholson. David Lynch's noir mystery movie Mulholland Drive (2000) gets its title from this road.