South Donegal
Entered via the N15 from Sligo (which now largely bypasses the most scenic spots), South Donegal might lack the wildness characteristic of much of Donegal’s coastline, but the area still has some marvellous beaches, especially at Bundoran and Rossnowlagh, both popular surfing spots, while Ballyshannon is an attractive hillside town situated at the mouth of the River Erne. Further north, Donegal town has a pleasant bayside setting and remains of a notable castle, while to its north and southeast respectively lie graceful Lough Eske and Lough Derg, a major site for Catholic pilgrimage.
The Annals of the Four Masters
In Donegal town’s Diamond stands an obelisk commemorating the compilers of the famed Annals of the Four Masters. The Annals were begun in the town’s Franciscan friary, whose ruined remains stand on the left bank of the River Eske, and were a systematic attempt to collect all known Irish documents into a history of the land beginning in 2958 BC, including mythical invasions by Firbolgs and Milesians, and ending in 1616 AD. The friary itself was built in 1474 by the first Red Hugh and his wife Nuala O’Brien of Munster. It was occupied by the English in 1601 and seriously damaged by the besieging O’Donnell army, being finally abandoned after the Flight of the Earls. The Annals were completed by friars who had moved to a site by the River Drowse, near Kinlough, Country Leitrim. Manuscript copies of the Annals are occasionally on display at Trinity College library in Dublin.
Getting to South Donegal
Buses stop outside the Abbey Hotel on The Diamond, with timetables available from the tourist office in its new waterside building in The Quay car park (Sept–May Mon–Fri 9.30am–5.30pm; June–Aug Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 10am–6pm; also July & Aug Sun 11am–3pm; t 074/972 1148). Internet access is available at the Cyber Café, above The Blueberry Tearooms, Bridge Street. Bikes can be rented from The Bike Shop, Waterloo Place (t 074/972 2515).
Accommodation in South Donegal
Donegal town has plenty of accommodation, including a staggering number of B&Bs, in all price ranges, so you should have no difficulty finding somewhere to stay; nearby Lough Eske has other options.
Eating in South Donegal
Eating places are plentiful in Donegal town, though for something special it’s best to head out to Harvey’s Point.
South Donegal drinking and nightlife
Donegal holds a summer festival in early July with plenty of music and street entertainment. Many of the town’s pubs offer entertainment year-round, and Thursday’s Donegal Democrat newspaper provides local listings.
Opposite the castle, The Reel Inn has traditional music every night. At the top of Main Street The Schooner, just past the cathedral, has a nautical interior, an original nineteenth-century bar and music at weekends. For a quiet pint, try Tírconaill, an old-time bar on The Diamond.
Southwest Donegal
The most appealing route out of Donegal town heads west along the shore of Donegal Bay all the way to Glencolmcille, some 50km away. Highlights along this coast include the tapering peninsula leading to St John’s Point and extraordinarily dramatic coastal scenery, which reaches an apogee in the mammoth sea-cliffs of Slieve League. The Glencolmcille Peninsula is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) and its attractive villages are rich in traditional folklore and music.
Glencolmcille and around
As the road from Carrick approaches GLENCOLMCILLE, it traverses desolate moorland that’s dominated by oily-black turf banks amidst patches of heather and grass. After this, the rich beauty of the Glen, as it’s known, comes as a welcome surprise. Settlement in the area dates back to the Stone Age, as testified by the enormous number of megalithic remains scattered around the countryside, especially court cairns and standing stones. There’s evidence, too, of the Celtic era, in the form of earthworks and stone works. According to tradition, St Columba founded a monastery here in the sixth century and some of the standing stones, known as the Turas Cholmcille, were adapted for Christian usage by the inscription of a cross. Every Columba’s Day (June 9) at midnight, the locals commence a barefoot circuit of the fifteen Turas, including Columba’s Chapel, chair, bed, wishing stone and Holy Well, finishing up with Mass at 3am in the village church. (Columba and Columbcille/Colmcille are the same person – the latter is the name by which he was known after his conversion, and means “the dove of the church”.)
Heading northeast from Glencolmcille, the minor road to Ardara runs through the heart of the peninsula, travelling via the dramatic Glengesh Pass before spiralling down into wild but fertile valley land. Just before reaching Ardara, a road to the left runs along the southern edge of Loughros Beg Bay for 9km to MAGHERA, passing the transfixing Assarancagh Waterfall, from where you can embark on a hardy ten-kilometre waymarked walk uphill to the Glengesh Pass.
Maghera itself is an enchantingly remote place, dwarfed by the backdrop of hills and glens and fronted by an expansive and deserted strand that extends westwards to a rocky promontory riddled with caves. One of the largest is said to have concealed a hundred people fleeing Cromwell’s troops; their light was spotted from across the strand and all were massacred except a lucky individual who hid on a high shelf. Most of the caves are accessible only at low tide and a torch is essential. Beware of the tides, however, as even experienced divers have been swept away by the powerful currents. Behind the village, a tiny road, unsuitable for large vehicles, runs up to the Granny Pass, an alternative and very scenic route to Glencolmcille.
Climbing Slieve League
There are two routes up to the ridge of Slieve League. The less-used back one, known as Old Man’s Track, follows the signpost pointing to the mountain just before Teelin and looks up continually to the ridge, while the frontal approach follows the signs out of Teelin to BUNGLASS, swinging you spectacularly round sharp bends and up incredibly steep inclines to one of the most thrilling cliff scenes in the world, the Amharc Mór. The sea moves so far below their peak that the waves appear silent, and the 600m face glows with mineral deposits in tones of amber, white and red. They say that on a clear day it is possible to see one-third of the whole of Ireland from the summit. Sightseeing tours of the cliffs from the waters below are organized from Teelin, weather permitting.
If you want to make a full day of it, you can climb up to the cliffs from the Bunglass car park and follow the path along the top of the ridge, which eventually meets Old Man’s Track. From here One Man’s Pass, a narrow path with steep slopes on each side, leads up to the summit of Slieve League. Bear in mind that the route can often be muddy and very windy – it is certainly not advisable in misty weather or if you suffer from vertigo. From the top of Slieve League, you can either retrace your steps back to Teelin or continue west over the crest of the mountain and down the heather-tufted western slope towards the verdant headland village of MALINBEG, where there’s a sublime, crescent-shaped golden strand enclosed by a tight rocky inlet. Malinbeg itself is a village of white bungalows, with the land around ordered into long narrow strips. The Malinbeg hostel is comfortable and well-equipped and offers exhilarating views from most of its rooms. On the cliff edge a ruined Martello tower faces Rathlin O’Beirne Island, 5km offshore, a place with many folklore associations. There are occasional boats across (enquire in Teelin), but nothing to see aside from some early Christian stone relics and a ruined coastguard station.
Beyond Malinbeg, it’s relatively easy to extend your walk through MALINMORE and on to Glencolmcille. The whole distance from Teelin to Malinmore can be comfortably completed in six hours.
Central Donegal
The area around the bustling town of Ardara contains some of the most contrasting landscapes in Donegal. Rugged mountains lie to the southwest, traversed by the steeply sinuous Glengesh Pass and fringed by the unspoiled expanse of Maghera strand. Inland to the northeast sits the stately village of Glenties, while to the north the coastline forms peninsulas punctuated by the Gweebarra River, which, in turn, leads inland to the tranquil villages of Doocharry and Fintown, virtually surrounded by mountain scenery of an almost lunar quality.
Ardara
Lively ARDARA, traditionally a weaving and knitwear centre, is an excellent place to buy cheap Aran sweaters. Molloy’s, a kilometre south of town, is the biggest outlet, but Kennedy’s, uphill from The Diamond, is handier (its owner is also a mine of local tourist information); both stores are well stocked with hand-loomed knitwear and tweeds. The Catholic church west of Ardara’s Diamond has a striking stained-glass window, Christ among the Doctors, by the Modernist-inspired Evie Hone, one of the most influential Irish artists of the twentieth century. The authors of the Gospels are depicted symbolically with the infant Christ at the centre and David and Moses above and below.
Glenties
Set at the foot of two glens 10km east of Ardara, GLENTIES is a tidy village, with a beautiful modern church, at the Ardara end of town, designed by the Derry architect Liam McCormack; its vast sloping roof reaches down to 2m from the ground, and rainwater drips off the thousand or so tiles into picturesque pools of water. Opposite the church, St Conall’s Museum and Heritage Centre is one of the best small-town museums in the country and displays much material of local interest, focusing on wildlife, Donegal’s railways, antiquities, and the effects of the Great Famine. There’s a special display on local music, featuring the travelling Doherty family and an old 1885 Edison phonograph. Upstairs is devoted to the playwright Brian Friel, whose mother hailed from here – his Dancing at Lughnasa bears a dedication to “The Glenties Ladies” and was partly filmed in the neighbourhood – and the town’s most famous son, author Patrick MacGill, whose semi-autobiographical Children of the Dead End brilliantly recounts the wayward lives of migrant navvies: a summer school is held in his honour in late July, attracting hundreds of people to its exhibitions, seminars and literary debates.
The Rosses
The Rosses, a vast expanse of rock-strewn land and stony soil, is a strong Gaeltacht area. Dotted with over 120 tiny lakes, the crumpled terrain stretches from Dungloe in the south to Crolly in the north, but the forbidding nature of much of the landscape meant most settlements could only survive near the sea, so following the shoreline route around the Rosses is far more rewarding than the more direct road north.