COUNTY DONEGAL Been Tamedbythisuncompromisingland
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© Lonely Planet 462 County Donegal ‘Up here it’s different’, the saying goes, and it’s true. County Donegal is the wild child of the Irish family. In part, this is due to its rugged landscape, where tortuous country roads skirt stark moun- tains, craggy peninsulas, towering cliffs, thrashing seas, sweeping beaches, sheep-spattered pastures, icy streams and heather-strewn horizons. In part, too, it’s due to its isolation. Ireland’s second-largest county (after Cork) feels like its own country. Until the Plantation of Ulster, Donegal was divided between the O’Donnell and O’Neill clans. It was severed from its traditional province when most of Ulster became Northern Ireland, with the extended finger of County Fermanagh cutting it off from the rest of the Republic. Although political turmoil has died down, Donegal remains stubbornly independent and largely ignored by those in Dublin’s distant driving seat. Around one-third of the county lies in the Gaeltacht, where Irish is the lingua franca. Above all, Donegal’s character is forged by its impetuous weather. You don’t need to set sail to brave the sea – it charges ashore with mists riding stiff winds over fields and into towns. Defying its northerly location, it often tops 25°C (77°F) due to the Atlantic Gulf Stream nudging its coastline. And while the barometer rarely drops below zero, Donegal’s howling winds and sheeting rain can feel arctic. Storms arrive unannounced and just as abruptly break into brilliant sunshine that transforms brooding blues and greys into sparkling greenery. Once you’ve surrendered expectations for a come-what-may attitude, you’ll know you’ve been tamed by this uncompromising land. HIGHLIGHTS Malin Head Getting High Take in dizzying views from Eu- rope’s highest sea cliffs, Slieve League ( p473 ) Getting Higher Scale scree-scarred Mt Errigal (p488 ), Donegal’s loftiest peak Mt Errigal Glenveagh Hunting for Treasures Collect semiprecious National stones from the raised beaches at ends-of- Park the-earth Malin Head (p495 ) Doin’ the Time Warp Tour flamboyant Ardara Glenveagh Castle ( p489 ) within beautiful Slieve Glenveagh National Park League Unravelling History Watch weavers in action in the heritage town of Ardara ( p476 ) COUNTY DONEGAL POPULATION: 146,956 AREA : 3001 SQ KM lonelyplanet.com COUNTY DONEGAL •• Getting There & Away 463 Getting There & Away In addition to Bus Éireann (www.buseireann Donegal Airport (%074-954 8284; www.donegalairport.ie; .ie), private bus company Lough Swilly (%in Carrick Finn) has flights to/from Dublin (50 min- Letterkenny 074-912 2863, in Derry 028-7126 2017; http:// utes, two daily) and flights to Glasgow Prestwick home.clara.net/sjp/nibus/lswilly.htm) traverses the (three per week). It’s in the townland of Carrick county. Coaches operated by Feda O’Donnell Finn (Charraig Fhion) about 3km northwest of (%074-954 8114; www.fedaodonnell.com) serve the Annagry along the northwestern coast. There’s western half of the county from Bundoran no public transport to the airport, but there are to Crolly. car-rental desks in the terminal. This is superb walking and cycling country. The City of Derry Airport (%028-7181 0784; www Recommended walking guides include New .cityofderryairport.com) is just beyond the county’s Irish Walks: West and North by Tony Whilde eastern border, in Northern Ireland. and Patrick Simms, Hill Walkers’ Donegal by David Herman, and Lonely Planet’s Hiking Getting Around in Ireland. Donegal is not served by train. The bus is When driving, road signs in the Gaeltacht your main transport option if you don’t have communities are in Irish only – although we your own car. use English transliterations, their Irish names 020km COUNTY DONEGAL 010miles Inishtrahull Inishtrahull Sound See Inishowen Peninsula Map (p493) Malin Head ATLANTIC #\ Ballyhillin !0 OCEAN Fanad Culdaff Ballyliffin #\ Rosguill #\ Head #\ Peninsula Dunaff #\ Tory Mulroy Carndonagh Clonmany #\ Island Bay #\ Shrove#\ Sheep Gleneely Horn Head ‚ Portsalon Glentogher #\ Greencastle Tory Sound Haven #\ #\ Downings #\ Dunree Bay #\ $ #\ Magheraroarty Dunfanaghy Carrigart #\ Knockalla Fort Moville #\ #\ # Slieve Snaght #\ Rosnakill Lough Bloody Foreland Port-na-Blagh (615m) Quigley's $ "U Ards Carrowkeel Swilly Brinlack #\ ‚ #\ #\ Fanad #] Point #\ Forest Park Buncrana #\ Falcarragh Lough A2 Tievealehid #\ Peninsula 4¼ #\Gortahork Creeslough Foyle $ Rathmullan #\ #\ (431m)$ #\ Fahan Derrybeg #\ Muckish Mtn Milford Muff Inch Inch Burnfoot #\ Limavady Mt Errigal (670m) #\ #\ #\ Bunbeg #\ Gweedore Island #\ (752m) Rathmelton #\ #\ "1 City of Derry Donegal Airport $ Glenveagh #\ Bridge End "1 #\ A2 Airport #\ National Burt 4¼ Arranmore Rosses #\Annagry "U Kilmacrennan Lough #^ Derry (Londonderry) Island Bay Kincasslagh #\ Dunlewy Park N56 #\ Nacung 4¼ Crolly Lough Leabgarrow #\ #\ Lough $ 4¼N13 Burtonport Gartan #\ R DERRY Green Slieve Snaght Churchill #\ iv Anure Letterkenny e #\ r Island Dungloe (683m) e Dungiven #\ The Rosses l #\ F 4¼E16-6 y a Newmills u #\ Maghery Bay Derryveagh o g Claudy 4¼N56 DONEGAL F 4¼A5 ha Crohy Head Mountains N13 r n Gweebarra 4¼ e R Raphoe v #\ Mt Sawel #\ i #\ i Dunnamanagh Iniskeel Bay #\ Doochary ver Fintown De R (678m) Island Lough Finn Finn ele $ Portnoo #\ #\ Sperrin #\Narin $ Valley Lifford #] Dawros Head Lough Aghla Mountain Stranorlar Castlefin Strabane Mountains 3" Loughrea #\ #\ Doon #\ #\ Tramore Beach #\ (598m) Ballybofey R Cranagh #\ Sperrin Peninsula iv nn Glenties er Fi Plumbridge #\ $ Maghery Blue Stack R Slievetooey #\#\ #\ Ardara N15 iv #C 4¼ er Glen Head Slievetooey Assarancagh Mountains M o Glen Waterfall Newtownstewart #\ u #\ #\Doonalt W Lough r Bay #\ n Gortin #\ Glencolumbcille Glen Gesh Pass Eske Castlederg e #\Malinmore $ #\Malinbeg Inver Donegal #\ $ #\Carrick #\ #] 4¼A5 Creggan Kilcar Killybegs Bruckless #\ Slieve League #\ #\ #\ #\ Mountcharles Lough TYRONE #\ Omagh #\ Dunkineely # Pomeroy Teelin Muckross Derg Station #] #\ ‚ ‚ Inver Muckross Head Doorin 4¼N32 Island COUNTY DONEGAL FintraghBay Bay Point 4¼A505 4¼N15 Pettigo McSwynes Bay St John's Point #\ #\ Rossnowlagh #\ A5 Donegal Bay Kesh #\ Dromore 4¼ Tullan Ballyshannon 4¼N47 3" #\ R Lower #\ Fintona Strand iver E Bundoran #\ rn Lough Erne Lisnarick Belleek e #\ #\ #\ Mullaghmore Head #] #\ Irvinestown Ballygawley Mullaghmore #\ N15 4¼ Rosscor A2 Blaney #\ Killadeas Augher #\ 4¼ Inishmurray #\ Cliffoney #\ Lough Derrygonnelly 4¼N32 #\ #\ B81 #\ A4 Melvin 4¼ 4¼N46 4¼ Aughnacloy Garrison #\ Grange #\ #\ Trory #\ Tempo #\ SLIGO Fivemiletown Emyvale LEITRIM #\ Ballyconnell #\ Carney FERMANAGH #] #\ Enniskillen MONAGHAN Sli.