Driving Route:Donegal - a special corner of Ireland!

Donegal 180 km

The greatest glory of Donegal is that it's a big county traversed by small roads with little traffic, being in its own special corner of Ireland on the road to nowhere else. Great lakes and sea loughs cut if off from the rest of the country to such an extent that people go to or from Donegal - but never through it.

Our trip sets off from the bustling town of Letterkenny and might be fitted into a long summer's day - but the highlights, such as Glenveagh National Park deserve a great deal more.

The road heads westwards, passing the tall, white buildings of Newmills Corn and Flax Mill, abandoned for years and then restored to make a wonderful theme park showing the workings of a long departed local industry - the growing of flax as a crop, harvesting it and then weaving it to make the far-famed Irish linen. The power to drive the mills came from two big waterwheels, set turning again by skilled craftsmen.

St Columba - or Colmcille - the guardian spirit of the region was born nearby and is commemorated in an excellent heritage centre on the shores of the beautiful Gartan Lough. Nearby is the Glebe Gallery, an old farmstead presented to the people of Ireland by its last owner, the painter Derek Hill. The gallery has a fine collection of his paintings. Nearby is a signpost to the birthplace of the saint. A large limestone cross, erected in 1911 - fourteen hundred years after his birth - marks the spot.

The magnificent Derryveagh Mountains form the most striking scenery, rising to their highest point on Errigal, with its gleaming peak of bare quartzite rock. The mountain range is cut in two by the valley of Glenveagh, now the centre of a wonderful National Park. You must leave your car amongst the rowan trees at its entrance because cars are not permitted in the inner parts of the valley. The Visitor Centre provides food, crafts and an excellent book about the park. It is the terminus for a bus to Glenveagh Castle.

The Castle looks like something out of a fairy tale and is a fantasy in every sense of the word, designed and built in the 19th century because the owner felt the spot called for a romantic rather than a strictly functional building. His widow, an American heiress, created the gardens with their brilliant azaleas and rhododendrons and a host of flowers sent from all parts of the world. The last private owner, an American of local ancestry, Henry McElhinny embellished the garden and presented it, with the house, to the people of Ireland in 1983.

Out on the west coast is the low-lying district known as The Rosses, a land of lakes some large with islands, others small and all beautiful. The principal centre there is Dungloe, once a remote village, now a bustling, partly modernised town with a fabulous new church with white walls, bright stained glass windows and a lovely wooden ceiling.

South of Dungloe is Ardara, one of the top places for buying sweaters and tweed and things. The church there has a lovely rose window with stained glass by Evie Hone, one of Ireland's most distinguished 20th century artists. The next village, Glenties, also has a church well worth visiting:

From Ardara an exciting road goes towards the southwest, through the fabulous valley of Glengesh and over the hills to the meet the sea at Carrick. Nearby a narrow and thrilling road leads out to a car park on the very edge of the stupendous cliffs of Slieve League, the highest sea cliffs in Europe.

The coast road to Donegal town goes through Killybegs. The safe anchorage on the edge of some of the richest fishing grounds on the coast of Ireland have made it one of the prime fishing ports of Ireland and a place worth travelling a long way just to sit and look at. The jetties are crowded with brightly coloured boats, many of them built of timber in the local boatyards. The traditional timber hulls are surmounted with state-of-the art gear and the wheelhouses crammed with a bewildering array of electronic equipment. In spite of it all, fishing stays close to nature and the cries of seagulls, to say nothing of the smell of the fish, impart an air of timelessness to the modern port and its high-tech craft.

Villages along the road are full of shops selling excellent woollens and tweeds - well worth stopping for a look. The route ends in Donegal town. Its name, which later was extended to take in the entire county, means 'Fort of the Foreigner'. The foreigners in question were Norsemen who were attracted by the natural harbour, a lovely cove sheltered by cliffs and woodland. Many important people followed them. The royal O'Donnell family replaced the Viking stronghold with the great castle which was restored recently. A little way down towards the sea are the ruins of the Franciscan Friary, renowned as a place of scholarship and the home of Michael O'Clery who, with three colleagues, compiled in the 17th century the Annals of the Four Masters, the greatest source work of Irish history. Modern Donegal town is a restful place, with a big, open square and lots of excellent shops.

FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information on any of the items featured above, or on the county in general, please contact:

Fáilte Ireland North West
Aras Reddan
Temple Street
Sligo
Tel: 00353 (0) 7191 61201
Fax: 00353 (0) 719160360

Email: northwestinfo@failteireland.ie
Web: www.irelandnorthwest.ie