Donegal holdiays Ireland

The most northerly county in Ireland, this was one of the ’disputed counties’, along with Cavan and Monaghan, when the country was arbitrarily divided in 1920, and Northern Ireland was created. The speech and the traditional music of Donegal are very different to the rest of the country, much quicker and more staccato. The county town is Letterkenny, which lies at the southern end of Lough Swilly, has been in existence, in one form or another, since the early 17th century. Letterkenny is dominated by St Columba’s and St Eunan’s Cathedral, a late Victorian Gothic building made from white Mountcharles stone, which can be seen from miles around when floodlit, and has some lovely stained-glass windows. In the Market Square there is a memorial to the Rabble Day markets, when children between the ages of 11 and 16 were sold by their parents, for a 6 month period to wealth farmers from the Lagan Valley, this being the area between Belfast and Lisburn where much of the worlds’ linen was produced, and the demand for cheap labour was intense. Just outside the town is Sentry Hill, where a lookout was sited when Catholic services were being performed. As it was illegal to attend these between 1690 and 1760, local Government spies were often sent out to trap the unwary. If you want to rent a self-catering cottage in Letterkenny then there is plenty of choice of excellent holiday homes here.

North of Letterkenny is a town that is unusual in this part of the country, one that is known for its architecture rather than the scenery around it, Ramelton. Sir William Stewart, who also started Letterkenny, on the site of an old O’Donnell castle, originally established it in 1622. The town flourished on the back of the flax industry as the crop was grown locally, and the port developed a reciprocal trading relationship with New York and Kingston, Jamaica. The wealth from this trade manifested itself in some lovely Georgian buildings that give this town such a distinct feel. Further along the west coast of Lough Swilly, the small town of Rathmullen is famous as the site of the ’Flight of the Earls’. In 1607 the last three of the old Irish Earls, O’Neill, O’Donnell, and Maguire, unable to reconcile themselves with British Crown rule, sailed into exile in Spain, hoping to find support with Britain’s most prominent enemy. This brought to an end thousands of years of supremacy by the great families. The present town consists of barely more than one street, but due to its sheltered position it is not unusual to find large trawlers from as far afield as Russia or Nigeria taking shelter from the Atlantic storms. Rathmullen is a very popular place for a self-catering holiday and there is a wealth of luxury cottages to rent by the sea here.

On the opposite side of the Lough the town of Buncrana, with its 3-mile long beach is a good place to start exploring the peninsular of Inishowen and to rent a vacation home. This is quite a large town of over 4,000 people, with plenty of leisure activities including golf, water-sports, and other amenities. The name of the town Buncrana means ’shaded by trees’ and a walk along the bank of the river through the centre of town under the beech, maple, and lime trees is evidence of this tradition being continued. There was a castle here, now no more than a pile of stones, that gained notoriety for being the place that the British imprisoned the Irish freedom-fighter Theobald Wolfe Tone, after his abortive effort to land with a French force and raise Ireland against the occupying British. From here a trip up and over the Gap of Mamore is an experience, but only for those with a head for heights.

The area of Inishowen features barren uplands, deep fertile valleys, and miles of long sandy beaches. At its most northerly point is Malin Head where there is little to except an old signaling tower, and a fine view. Nothing to say that this is the most northerly point in Ireland. The stone fort of Grianan of Aileach is undoubtedly the greatest archeological treasure in the region. Constructed over 3000 years ago, and set on an 800ft hill overlooking Londonderry, this huge ring-fortress, rising in three tiers, commands the local area and was used by the O’Neill chiefs of Ulster when they were in their heyday. Dr Walter Bernard reconstructed the site in 1870 into what it must have looked like originally, and the views from the top are staggering.

At the opposite end of Donegal, and on the border with County Leitrim, is the resort town of Bundoran - there are lots of hotels, bed and breakfasts and self-catering cottages to stay in. Originally established by Lord Enniskillen to be a smaller replica of an English seaside town, and based around his Regency summerhouse, Bundoran expanded in the wake of the industrial revolution, and became a pleasurable place for the linen workers to be taken on their annual holiday. Having started out as two separate villages one mile apart, a landmark court case allowed building to take pace on the land in between, and you can see the difference in architecture from one end of the town to the other.

A few miles to the north along the coast is Ballyshannon, reputedly the oldest town in all Ireland. This is an ancient seat of the O’Donnell clan and in 1423 they completed the building of a castle here as protection from attack from the marauding Earls of Connacht. The 15th century tower house was subsequently re-developed into a Jacobean mansion, which has recently been renovated and furnished in period style. There has been a market here for nearly 400 years, and Ballyshannon became a prosperous trading port supplying not only Donegal, but also Cavan and Fermanagh. More recently, as shipping has increased in size and therefore cannot get over the harbour bar, this trade has declined, and the town has become a popular resort with holiday-makers in Ireland.

On the north coast of Donegal Bay you come to Killybegs, Ireland’s leading fishing port. Formally another O’Donnell stronghold, its reputation for providing fresh fish was enhanced when Phillip of Spain negotiated the rights to trawl the waters off-shore with Queen Elizabeth, and agreed a fee of 1,000 pounds a year. Killybegs gained notoriety in 1488 when the stragglers from the Spanish Armada hove into view and promptly wrecked themselves just outside the harbour, leaving over 3,500 Spaniards on the shore. They managed to rebuild one of their ships and set sail leaving 2,400 sailors behind in Killybegs, something that may explain the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the town. This is another great Donegal town to stay in if you are looking for holiday accommodation to rent in the area.

West of Killybegs are the cliffs of Slieve League, reputedly the highest in Europe at over 2000ft, towering out of the sea in a wall of black, orange, and yellow rock. If you are feeling brave, then a walk along the One Man’s Path is a must. This is a path only 2ft wide in places, which squeezes between the sheer drop of the cliff on one side, and the sloping rock up to the summit on the other. This should not be undertaken in wet or windy weather, nor by the faint hearted.

Inland, and over the wild bogland, with the ramparted workings of many generations of turf-cutters, you come to the beautiful green valley of Glencollumbkille. This is one of Ireland’s special places, and the magical atmosphere transcends physical beauty, and runs due west along a sheltered valley until it reaches the sea. The real allure of this place has to do with its association with St Columba, the Donegal saint, who was drawn to the valley for its spirituality and loneliness, and from whom its name is derived. There is a 3-mile circuit of sacred sites, Columba’s Journey, which pilgrims follow each year, barefoot, at midnight on Columba’s Saint’s day. You can follow this in your own time and visit his chapel, well, and bed, a highly uncomfortable stone slab.

In the village of Glencollumbkille there is a Folk Museum with some reconstructed thatched cottages and heritage displays. This is not your usual twee exhibit, but something set up by the local community as a self-help scheme, rather than with a lump of money from the European Community. They sell some interesting products, including seaweed or fuchsia wine, in the local off-licence.

Donegal is known throughout the world for its tweed and knitwear, and the small coastal town of Ardara is the place to go. Spinning and weaving have been a way of life in the southwest of the county as long as people have lived here, and when the industry was in decline over the rest of Ireland, the people of this area put it back on its feet by inward investment from the 1870s onward. The main movers and shakers were Neil McNelis, spinning, Mrs Ernest Hart, dying, and the Gillespie brothers, who made the looms. The colours of the traditional tweeds all come from the local countryside using flowers such as fuchsia, gorse, and heather to give the cloth its natural hue, and the local sheep supply the hardiness for which it is renowned. Ardara remains a traditional Donegal town and has held on to its small shops and bars, whilst others, in the name of progress, now rue the passing of these institutions that are such a feature of community life. Naturally there is a visitor centre, which explains all you will ever need to know about the industry, and there is no end of shops willing to part you from your money. If you need an injection of local music it is never far away, and in one of the bars in town you can also get some of the best clam chowder in the world.

Donegal is one of the most popular parts of Eire for a self-catering holiday - there is so much to see and do in the area and the quality of houses and cottages to rent are wonderful. Many people want to stay in a traditional thatched Donegal cottage and others look for an Irish castle for their vacation - there is a great selection of quality accommodation in Donegal, Ireland.

To the north and west you enter an area of wild emptiness, a mountainous interior and lake-strewn peninsulas, leading to sand dunes and sheltered beaches. These peninsulas are a haven for bird life who over-winter here on the mudflats of the tidal creeks. Villages are scarce and the few that are here are very isolated, Irish speaking, and fairly self-sufficient. The little fishing village of Burtonport is a classic example, surviving on products dragged from the sea like kelp, which the locals harvest for all those expensive facials. This is also the jumping off point for the ferry to Aran Island.

Locally called Arranmore, to avoid confusion with the Aran Islands to the south, the island has a healthy population of about 1,000 people and is popular with day-trippers, especially in August when they have their annual festival. It is a good place for bird-watchers, walkers, and anyone looking to let their hair down in one of the half-dozen bars in the island’s only village, Leagbarrow.

The other island off the coast is Tory Island, which has gained notoriety recently for its naïve art, and some of the artists have exhibited all round the world. The present King of Tory Island is a man called Patsy-Dan Rogers, and he was one of the first painters discovered by an Englishman, Derek Hill, who set up the painting school on the island, and this has flourished in recent years. The island is awkward to get to at certain times of the year, especially during the winter months, and can become cut off, but the trip is well worth it. Tory is low lying and when the wind gets up the sea spray can whip across the island, and so anything that grows on Tory is protected from the elements within small, stonewalled fields.

In the southeast of the county is the Pilgrimage site of Lough Derg, or St Patrick’s Purgatory. It is said that when the Saint was busy converting the locals to Christianity in 445AD, he took a break on Station Island, living in a cave, and people have been coming here ever since. The first written account was that of Knight Owain in 1153, and the first women at the turn of the 16th century. A map of Europe in 1492 only lists one place in Ireland, Lough Derg. Donegal is a wonderful place for a self-catering holiday as there is so much to see and do in the county - the wealth of holiday accommodation to rent in Donegal will mean you are spoilt for choice - idyllic cottages to rent with log fires, pretty thatched cottages, honeymoon cottages, luxury homes, cottages to rent by the sea - Donegal has whatever kind of self-catering property you are looking for.

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