Donegal & Inishowen To the north and west of Derry, across the border in the Republic of Ireland, is the county of Donegal which is famous worldwide for its natural beauty. NED'S POINT/FATHER HEGARTY'S ROCK
GLENVEAGH NATIONAL PARK Situated just north of Donegal’s most lively town, Letterkenny, is the Glenveagh National Park in which the visitor can enjoy some of Ireland’s finest scenery. Nature walks guide you through the 10,000 hectares of glens and mountains, and there is also Glenveagh Castle with its beautiful gardens to be explored. The park is open every day between St Patrick’s Day and the first Sunday in November, from 1000 to 1830 (last admissions at 1700). Hill walks are organised once a month. Admission: €2.75. Additional charge for Castle Tour lasting 45 minutes, last tour 1700. T: (0035374) 9137090 / 9137262; www.heritageireland.ie. INISHOWEN PENINSULA To the north of Derry is the Inishowen Peninsula. This rugged but beautiful part of Donegal derives its name from the 5th century when Niall, the High King of Ireland, gave this region to his son Eoghan (Owen). Hence Inishowen – ‘the island of Owen’. The ‘Inishowen 100’ is a well-signposted, 100-mile, scenic drive around the peninsula and is highly recommended. GRIANAN OF AILEACH 
Just 10 kilometres west of Derry is Grianan of Aileach, The Fortress of the Sun (from the Irish Grianan – ‘sunny place’ and Aileach – ‘fortress’). This ancient fort of the Northern High Kings is perched on the 240m height of Grianan Hill. It is a multi-period site dating from c.2000 bc, said to have been built for Dagda, king of the Tuatha De Dannan. In pagan days, it was used as a temple of the sun and later as a refuge for the womenfolk when the men went off to war. St Patrick is said to have preached at Grianan in ad 450 and baptised Eoghan, founder of the O’Neill clan, who later controlled most of the present counties of Derry, Tyrone and Armagh. The original fortress was largely destroyed in 1101, and the current structure dates from restoration work carried out between the years 1874 and 1879. Apart from the great historical interest of Grianan, the view from atop its 3.6m thick walls is breathtaking. Looking north: to the left is the charming Lough Swilly, to the centre lies the mountainous Inishowen Peninsula and to the right is Lough Foyle. Looking east: the windswept scenery of County Donegal joins with the sweeping hills of Derry’s Creggan district in Northern Ireland. BURT CASTLE The
O’Dohertys were the Gaelic rulers of Inishowen and the remains
of many of their fortifications are scattered throughout the peninsula.
Between Newtowncunningham and Bridgend can be seen the imposing ruins
of Burt Castle. This was a 16th-century fortress of the O’Doherty
clan, one of four guarding the south-west approaches to Inishowen,
and in its day was a place of great strategic importance. Further
on at Inch Island is Inch Castle, built in the early part of the
15th century and another stronghold of the once powerful O’Dohertys.
Both Burt and Inch castles fell into the hands of the English after
the failure of Sir Cahir O’Doherty’s short-lived rebellion
in 1608. ST MURA'S CROSS, FAHAN In the 6th century, St Columb founded a monastery at Fahan, of which St Mura became the first abbot. He was later revered as the patron saint of this monastic settlement which developed into a centre of piety and learning. The settlement lasted for seven centuries until its final abandonment in 1266. St Mura’s Cross, a magnificent example of early Irish art, is supposed to mark the last resting place of the saint himself, whose death is recorded as ad 645. It stands over 2m in height and is shaped like a headstone with a pointed top. St Mura was also the patron saint of the O’Neill clan, and their close links led to the destruction of the abbey at Fahan in ad 1101, the same time as the destruction of the O'Neills' fortress at Grianan. The ruins standing in the graveyard now are those of a Protestant church built during the Plantation at the beginning of the 17th century and in use up until 1820, when the new church of St Mura was built across the road. In the new graveyard, behind the new church of St Mura, is a carved cross and memorial to mark the grave of 68 victims of the sinking of the Laurentic, which struck a mine off Malin Head in January 1917. Over 350 out of a crew of 475 lost their lives. The Laurentic was carrying gold bars worth an estimated £5million, most of which was eventually salvaged. RATHMULLAN Looking across Lough Swilly from Fahan we can see the expansive strand at Rathmullan. It was from here in 1607 that one of Ireland’s most historic events took place when Hugh O’Neill, the Earl of Tyrone, was forced to flee the country with other Irish leaders to escape further English retribution after the Battle of Kinsale in 1603. This event, ‘The Flight of the Earls’, marked the end of autonomous Gaelic power in Ireland. BUNCRANA Six kilometres from Fahan is Buncrana, the chief town in the peninsula. The name of the town comes from the Irish Bun Cranncha – the mouth of the Crana, the river that enters Lough Swilly in the town. There is a strong local tradition that it was to Buncrana Castle that Wolfe Tone, the ‘father of Irish nationalism’, was taken after he was captured on board the French warship Hoche in 1798 at Lough Swilly. The ship was later repaired and renamed HMS Donegal and subsequently fought under Nelson’s colours at the Battle of Trafalgar. No visit to Buncrana would be complete without a walk through Swan Park, a beautiful woodland pathway along the lower reaches of the Crana River. Also in Swan Park is O’Doherty’s Keep, a medieval tower house originally owned by Sir Cahir O’Doherty.
NED'S POINT/FATHER HEGARTY'S ROCK From Swan Park, a path leads onto a walk along the beach north of Buncrana. About half a mile along the path, beside Buncrana Lifeboat Station, is Ned’s Point Fort, a military structure designed to counter the threat of French invasion. The fort has been restored and is now open to the public. Further along, about 3km north of the town, is Father Hegarty’s Rock, named after a priest said to have been martyred there in penal times. His grave lies on the inland side of the path; a plaque marks the year of his death, 1711. DUNREE HEAD Arriving at Dunree Head, there is a magnificent view of the beach, mountains and sea. The 18th-century fort at Dunree now houses a Military Museum. This helps capture and recreate both the importance of the Swilly as a safe anchorage and the role played by the fort in coastal defence over a 200-year period from the Napoleonic era to the Second World War. The Fort Dunree Military Museum is open June to September, 1030-1800 (Mon-Sat) and 1230-1800 (Sun). Admission: €4.00. T: (0035374) 9361817; www.dunree.pro.ie. CLONMANY & BALLYLIFFIN The
view from the top of Mamore Gap in the Urris Hills is very rewarding.
From here the road winds its way to Clonmany. This village is well
worth a visit, as is the waterfall on the Clonmany river at Glenview. MALIN HEAD Ireland’s most northerly point, with its breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean, is Malin Head at the tip of Inishowen. About 32 km southeast is Kinnagoe Bay where, in 1588, La Trinidad Valencera, a vessel of the Spanish Armada, foundered while fleeing the English fleet. The wreck was discovered by local divers in February 1971 and its artefacts are currently housed in the Ulster Museum in Belfast. They will be moved to the Tower Museum in Derry when facilities are ready. GREENCASTLE, THE INISHOWEN MARITIME MUSEUM AND PLANETARIUM On
the road back to Derry we pass through Greencastle. The castle which
gives this quaint fishing village its name was built here in 1305
by Sir Richard De Burgo because of its strategic position at the
mouth of Lough Foyle. Sir Richard’s grandson, William, imprisoned
his cousin Walter De Burgo in the castle where he starved to death,
an event commemorated on the coat of arms of the City of Derry.
MOVILLE
LOUGH FOYLE The
journey from Moville to Quigley’s Point provides a closer view
of Lough Foyle. The Foyle has a course of 19km before reaching Derry
City. According to tradition, Eoghan, after whom the peninsula is
named, was buried in this area around ad 465. His youngest son was
drowned in the lough and his body buried in this area which commands
extensive views of the lough. The son’s name was Febal; thus
the name Lough Foyle. The final journey back along the western shore
of the Foyle takes us through Muff, a small village on the border
between Donegal and Derry.
|
Copyright GUILDHALL PRESS. All Rights Reserved. Click here for Terms and Conditions.