Life in the Dordogne: The Donegal Coast

I headed first for Glenties, birth-place of the legendary Jim McGuinness, and home of the current county champions, Naomh Conaill. The only place open was a shop/deli/cafe named after a woman whose name I forget, so I entered hoping to find edible food. There was a hot counter serving various options, but I asked the woman if I could have tea and a sandwich. She said “no problem, what do you want in the sandwich”. I settled for turkey, ham stuffing and cranberry sauce. It turned out to be about the biggest and best sandwich that I have ever eaten, and it came with a pot of tea and a plate of home-made chips, all for 6 euro. There was as much turkey and ham in it as you would eat for your Christmas dinner!

Main Street Glenties

After that I headed for the heritage town of Ardara, and took the turn for Loughros point. The weather was terrible at this stage, but I took photos anyhow. I could see Maghera strand across the inlet, but too far off to photograph through the rain.

View of Ardara

Rocks at Loughros Point

Then I looped around the bay to the Maghera side to see the beach close-up. This was a disappointment, as the weather had got even worse, and it was impossible to get a good viewpoint without getting soaked to the skin, followed by pneumonia, tuberculossis and other such ailments.

But, I got a good view of Assaranca Falls, and got a photo which is technically sound, but the lens was suffering under the weight of a hundred raindrops. That ended the trip, as night was coming on and the wind was getting stronger.

Part of Maghera Strand on a bad day

Assaranca Falls through a very wet lens

The next day, I took the road to Donegal Town, and stopped to photograph the castle, which was once the headquarters of the O'Donnell clan. This clan was, of course, led by the legendary Red Hugh. He is the subject of the well-known Donegal song “O'Donnell Abu”, and is famous for his part in the march to the (losing) battle of Kinsale. He was on the winning side at the battle of the Yellow Forks in Fermanagh. He is also famous for his escape from Dublin castle, by crawling through the sewers. He died suddenly in Spain at the age of 30, and may well have been poisoned by an agent of the English crown.

The O'Donnell's Castle in Donegal Town

I then headed for Killybegs, but, at Dunkineely, I took the turn for St. John's Point. I didn't realise that I had driven part of this road previously, until I saw a sign for Castlemurray House Hotel and Restaurant. Some of my children may remember going there for Sunday lunch hundreds of years ago, along with my mother, who wasn't pleased by the bizarre opening time of three in the afternoon! The road seems to go on forever, and worsens as it goes, particularly for the final kilometre or two. The only worse road that I have ever driven on is in the Monument Valley Park in Utah, and it is kept that way deliberately by the Navajo Indians so that tourists will hire them to chauffer them in their bockety pick-up trucks. The final rough patch is almost worth it for the view of the lighthouse, but the mud is so deep around it that it's difficult to get a good vantage point.

St John's point Lighthouse surrounded by deep mud

But, on the way to the lighthouse, there is an interesting beach, a ruin on a headland and a herd of miscellaneous and very nosey cattle.

Beach near St. John's Point

Ruin on a headland near St. John's Point

Some inquisitive cattle near St. John's Point

After that, I retraced my route and went on to Killybegs, where I got a few shots of the fishing fleet just as the rain was restarting.

A section of the fishing fleet moored in Killybegs

The next stop was at the lovely Fintragh beach which we visited now and again as children around 1960. Like the other beaches, it was deserted, but there was a lone runner making his way through the sand dunes above the strand.

Fintragh Strand

After that I traversed Kilcar and Carrick on the way to Malin More and Trabane Beach, also known as Silver Strand. The scenery around here is really quite spectacular. I stopped in Kilcar in search of food, and made a bee-line for a premises which referred to itself as a tea room and restaurant. On closer inspection, there was a notice in the window advertising the fact that it was available for rent, and was now closed, possibly forever. There was a young man sweeping out a pub on the other side of the street, but he informed me that the pub, although open, did not offer sandwiches or any other type of nutrition. But, he suggested the local Londis, or a drive on to Carrick. Carrick is even smaller than Kilcar, and has nowhere to eat! So, I repaired to Londis, bought a sandwich and a cup of hot coffee, and dined in the car.

Silver Strand is accessed by descending 160 steep steps in a gale-force wind; not as easy as it looks. The sheep just ignore the steps and walk up and down the steep bank.

Trabane Beach also known as Silver Strand

Sheep may safely graze - high above Silver Strand

After Trabane Beach, I went back through Malin Beg and Glencolmcille to Carrick, where I took the turn for Slieve League. The road is surprisingly good; it looks like it was recently resurfaced. It even has room for two lanes, a rarity in Donegal for this type of road. Eventually I came to a car park and a large gate barring the way. But, I opened the gate and continued, having closed the gate again. Several miles later, I came to the end of the line and had to park. However, the viewing gallery for the cliffs is only fifty yards further on. Unfortunately, a fog had descended on the area, and a large cloud sat on top of the cliffs. But, I took some photos anyhow, hoping they would be OK, as most photos of the Golden Gate bridge seem to have fog all over the bridge. I also managed to climb right to the top of Slieve League. This takes a bit of effort, but it is paved and has steps most of the way. On a clear day, the view from the top would be remarkable, but all I could see was fog and clouds and more fog.