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7 July, 2008

Breakfast with Simon was wonderful, he has a great chef!  I had a cooked breakfast and Sarah had a fruit plate that was large and delicious.  Simon was very friendly and we ended up talking for a while before we left.  We left Coopershill House about 10:30 AM and headed for Donegal.  County Donegal is often overlooked by tourists due to its location, but I can’t imagine skipping it.  Donegal is gorgeous, rugged and unique.  I would recommend skipping the Southeastern part of the island and going to Donegal instead.

We arrived in Donegal Town at 11:50 to a 15° sunny day.  We had hoped to take the Waterbus tour of the Harbor, but it had left at 11:30.  We spent a little bit of time wandering around the old Abbey.  Donegal Abbey overlooks the harbor and was built in 1474.  The Abbey is famous for producing the “Annals of the Four Masters“, considered to be the first history of Ireland.  Today though, it gives a you chance to wander around the old buildings for free in a beautiful setting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we finished looking around, we went into the new (large) Tourist Office (next to the pier) and then ate lunch at the Blueberry Cafe (my favorite place in town).  When we finished eating we headed west to Teileann (Teelin), home of Slieve League.

SIDENOTE: Just before you reach Teileann, you will have entered the Gaeltacht.  Once again, signs have only Irish language names so make sure you have a map with the official names (not the English language names).

We drove up to Slieve League (the highest sea cliff in Europe) and walked around the cliffs.  The cliffs here at the edge of Donegal are almost three times as high as the Cliffs of Moher!  This is one my favorite places in the world.  I have used this as a place to relax and just soak in the scenery ever since my first visit.  I have probably been between 30-40 times and hope to be a frequent visitor again.

The EU invested some money here about 5 years ago and has built a walkway up to the top and put some fencing in.  When I first visited this place in 2000, there were no fences between you and the edge of the cliffs.  They have done a nice job of allowing you to get close enough to have the full experience of the cliffs while making your visit safe at the same time.  I wish they had done something similar at the Cliffs of Moher!

If you continue to walk toward the peak from the carpark you will eventually reach what is known as “One Man’s Pass”.  Legendary among hikers, this is a four foot wide path along the top of the mountain.  Not to be confronted on a windy day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we finished looking at the cliffs we checked into our B&B (Teelin Bay House B&B) and went to see my friend, Éilís and her family who own the house three door away.  We talked for a while and then headed down to the pier for our 4 o’clock boat trip on the Nuala Star.  If the opportunity presents itself, this trip is highly recommended.  The view from the ocean is really sublime.  We turned out to be the only two people booked for the tour, how perfect!  Paddy took us under the cliffs and even though it was overcast, it was as stunning as ever.  On some past trips there were dolphins that accompanied the boat.  Today we got to see a basking shark!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we returned to the pier, Éilís and Peter were there waiting to invite us to dinner!  We went back to the B&B for about an hour to get settled, picked up some wine from the shop in Carrick and then spent the rest of the night enjoying each other’s company.  We ended up leaving about 11:30, it was really great seeing them!  Their son, David, was about six when I first met him and now he is fourteen!  It was a really lovely day and night.  The last few days have been as good as I could have hoped for!

Day 9 Ireland Itinerary

Donegal Town (1:20 drive from Riverstown, Co. Sligo)
Slieve League, Teelin, Co. Donegal (about 1 hour from Donegal Town) 

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