Our goal for Sunday was the Inishowen Peninsula, and specifically Malin Head. Northeast of Letterkenny, Malin Head is the most northerly point of Ireland. This area of Ireland has more sheep than people. The roads, still called roads, are mostly very windy paths overlooking water, fields, and cliffs. Fortunately we did not meet too many other people on our journey to Malin Head as the roads are mainly narrow enough for one car to pass at a time.
We began our day with a stop at Moville, in order to gas up and stock up on scones for our anticipated picnic at Malin Head. We all enjoyed an ice cream at a local store. It was my first 99 since being in Ireland.
We then travelled to Stroove, which boosted a beautiful beach from which we could see Giants Causeway to the east and Scotland to the north-ish. Locals were wading and swimming. We were all wearing winter gear. The sandy beach quickly turned into a rocky shoreline where we climbed and explored. We were visited by two horse that were grazing rather close to the shoreline.
Our GPS didn’t seem to recognize roads where they existed and imagined roads where they did not exist so our journey to Malin Head was more or less following instinct and the minimal amount of road signs that existed. The journey was completely worth the views that we saw when we reached Malin Head. The ocean view was all around us. It was windy, sunny and cloudy at different points during our visit. We walked up to the concrete huts at the top of the hill. They were built during World War II by the Irish Army as lookout posts. We picked a less windy spot and enjoyed our picnic lunch.
We wandered along the paths at Malin Head enjoying the views and attempting to spot a basking shark. The shark spotting was unsuccessful but Kim managed to see a seal. We follow the path along to Hell’s Hole, the place where the fenced path ended. Hell’s Hole is a chasm where the waters crash and was the location of Kim’s seal spotting. We did continue to walk out past the fenced area as there was still a lot of land to explore. Malin Head is a truly beautiful part of Ireland.
This was a Bank Holiday Weekend for Ireland. We attempted to find a restaurant for dinner on our way home but were denied a number of times as they were all rather busy. We made it close to home and ate at a hotel/restaurant close to Letterkenny.
The days certainly are passing very quickly and before we knew it, our day was over and we were heading home for a rest.
Monday we headed out to the town of Dunfanaghy as we had heard there was a workhouse and we wanted to visit. The workhouse had a wee museum with an audio guide. The guide told the story of the life of wee Hannah. Hannah had a difficult childhood, her mother dying when she was but a wee thing, leading to her father's remarriage. The new wife was very cruel to Hannah. She got a job, at the age of 12, at a local farmers. She was also treated rather poorly there. Hannah ended up, like so many other people, at the workhouse. The workhouse was a strictly run operation. Men, women, boys, girls, and even babies were all separated. Families who were in the workhouse together would rarely see each other. Meals were scheduled. Work was scheduled. In a workhouse, men were not permitted to complete working tasks that would take work away from men who were not in the workhouses. Therefore, jobs like unraveling rope and collecting rocks were allocated to workhouse men. Women were mainly involved with sewing and laundry. Children were taught daily. Hannah had entered the workhouse in her early twenties. As an adult, she spent time homeless. In her later years, community members got together and build her a wee one room home and provided her with the meager necessities of life. She lived until she was in her early 90s.
The museum boasted a really delicious tea house and cafe where we all ordered tea and scones.
Our next journey was through Glenveagh National Park. Once again, we found ourselves driving through beautiful countryside, along winding roads. We also managed to drive by a number of mountains, including Mount Errigal. Mount Errigal is one of Ireland’s highest peaks. It has a roughly pyramid shape to it. We around a large part of the base of the mountain and headed down toward The Poisoned Glen. An English cartographer misunderstood the Gaelic form of the name for the glen which should have been The Heavenly Glen. The Poisoned Glen stuck as its name. We parked in front of the shell of an old church made of white marble. Missing its roof now, the church still provides for some picturesque scenery.
After another big day of driving, we returned to Letterkenny to shop and eat our very late meal at home.
Tuesday was our last full day in Letterkenny and the first things we did is leave and return to Northern Ireland! Our goal was to visit Derry/Londonderry. I had visited Derry when I was in Ireland in 2014 and enjoyed the city quite a bit. We found a walking tour that we wanted to join. Our guide led a very large group of people around the city and on the walls of the city. The walls of Derry are still complete. This city has a very interesting history and our guide detailed the distant and more recent history for us. He pointed out for us the religious divides and the social divides that Derry has experienced. He talked to us about The Troubles. But the overwhelming feeling I got from him was the love he had for his city, Derry, and the optimism he felt for Northern Ireland.
Having done some research, and wanting a bit more detailed information about workshouses, we discovered a workhouse on line that was on the waterside of Derry. Easily found, when we arrived, we discovered that this particular site had closed in 2014 and was not available to explore. So that became the workhouse that wasn’t.
Our last stop of the day was Grianan of Aileach. Grianan is an ancient fort that was erected around the grave of an ancient chieftain. Although at the top of a hill, with spectacular scenery, we were treated to the traditional Irish weather, that is to say, it poured rain. We were standing in the middle of a cloud at some points. Our views were obsured and then the cloud moved on and we were able to see more of the beautiful countryside. The rain was rather cold so it was a quick visit to Grianan.
Soaked and hungry, we decided to head into Letterkenny for our dinner. We ate at a cafe and then heading home to watch a movie, pack and prepare for our next move to Killybegs.
Malin Head
Grianan of Aileach
view from Letterkenny Cottage
Doe Castle
sheep
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