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9 July 2016

Today it was raining when we woke up.  The last three evenings though at about 7 PM the sky was sunny and dry.  It was a pity that the children were bound for bed by that time each night.  This morning we packed up the car for our new house in Gleann Cholm Cille and off we went toward Letterkenny in a driving rain.  Our plan for the day was a quick stop at Tesco (for groceries) and Eason’s (for the rest of the Irish schoolbooks) in Letterkenny on our way to the Beltany Stone Circle.

The weather was really awful though, making the stone circle seem like a bad idea, so after we stopped at the shops we made our way directly to Donegal Town (eating our picnic in the carpark of the Courtyard Shopping Centre).  As we worked our way from Letterkenny to Donegal, the rain stopped and the sun came out which allowed us to enjoy some nice scenery for a lot of our drive.  I was impressed by the number of picnic tables that we saw on the side of the road.

We arrived in town at 12:30 and the place was absolutely packed (it was Saturday).  We found parking on Castle Street along the river, but the pay and display fee was 50¢ and I only had 30¢.  So, we headed to the Tourist Office.  Upon reaching the carpark we realized that it was pay parking as well (I had forgotten).  No problem, I thought, because Sarah can go into the Tourist Office and get change for a €5 note.  Unfortunately, they had signs EVERYWHERE that said that they do not make change.  So, feeling defeated I watched as Sarah walked over to the Pay Station, bent over a picked up a €2 coin.

Sixteen years ago I was sitting on the bench next to were Sarah found the coin reading a book as I waited for the Waterbus tour to begin.  As I sat on the bench I purchased a card from a traveler boy that had a picture of St. Augustine on one side and a prayer on the back for one punt.  Today, when we really needed a coin there was one waiting on the same spot.  I thought it was pretty cool that it happened on the same spot.

With our little blessing in hand, we headed back over to the castle, where we parked along the river on Castle Street, paid for our parking and made the short walk to the castle.  By this time it was 22° and totally sunny.  Just as on our last trip, the castle only accepts cash for admission, and just as last time we were only charged for the adults (€8)  We spent about 40 minutes exploring the castle and both children had a good time.  Liam prefers castles that have the furnishings inside, so he particularly enjoys visiting here.  Inside the castle Liam and I heard two woman having a conversation in Irish which is always nice, but especially when you are outside of the Gaeltacht.

This castle is a nice example of a tower-house castle, doesn’t cost much to enter and lets you explore at your leisure without a guide.  While it has had a fair number of people both times we have visited it has not been crowded which enables you to have a nice look at the whole complex.  Though they don’t do guided tours, they do provide you with a very informative handout to read as you visit.  For the children there is a pretty nice scavenger hunt to help keep them engaged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we were ready to leave Donegal Town, we still had three hours of parking left, and we were able to pass on our parking to a couple who pulled into the space in front of us.  They were thrilled to receive it and could not believe their luck.

Since the weather was so nice, on our way down the coast we stopped off in Mountcharles to check out the beach.  We found it, but it is not the big sandy beach that is so common in Donegal so we didn’t stop.  On our way back to the main road though, we did get to see the village pump where Seumas MacManus used to entertain the local children with his stories.  MacManus was a famous poet and story teller, but I’ll admit that his Story of the Irish Race is how I am most familiar with him.  My grandmother picked it up for me at a used book sale.

In Killybegs, we made a brief stop at Supervalu on our way to Gleann Cholm Cille.  The weather was nice and bright as we entered Gleann.  We met our host and headed to the house and settled in.  Gazing down at Gleann from every window reminded me about what is so special about this place.

Gaeilge Experience:  TV, Radio, women speaking Irish next to us in the castle

 

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