We Love Donegal Blog

RECIPES FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY ~ IRISH FLAG JELLIES

2012-02-26T11:06:00.016-08:00

A perfect Irish Flag Jelly!

With St. Patrick's Day not far away now, I am trying to think up fun new recipes for the day. These are not going to be difficult recipes and more for fun on the day and the look of them than things that take longer and involve a little more skill.

Of course, I do have our Irish Recipes on WeLoveDonegal.com. Which recipes involve a bit of cooking and in some cases, like our traditional Irish Stew, a fair bit of preparation too.

I am adding to these now with my new, fun and not really traditional things to serve on St. Patrick's Day, the first of which is my Irish Flag Jellies ~ our own original recipe.

This is simple to prepare ~ the only thing you will actually have to make is the white jelly, something that took me a fair bit of experimenting to arrive at.

To get the recipe just click IRISH FLAG JELLIES to go to the page on WeLoveDonegal.com

ERRIGAL TWEET UP

2012-02-23T07:06:00.000-08:00

ERRIGAL tweetup

Errigal tweet up ~ 26th February 2012

On Sunday next, the 26th of February next there will be a Donegal tweetup ~ on the top of Errigal, which at 2,464 feet/751 meters is the highest mountain in Donegal. Luckily one doesn't need to be a mountaineer to scale it and the people on the tweetup will be using a more accessible path up the slightly easier side of the mountain.

Incidentally, for those who don't know, a "tweetup" is where a group of people who are on twitter (and therefore "tweet") arrange to meet up in a group of fellow twitter users, hence tweetup.

This tweetup in Donegal will be the highest ever "tweetup" in Ireland and will raise much needed funds for Breast Cancer Ireland. Another beneficiary of the Errigal tweet-up will be the Little Angels Special School, Letterkenny, who will benefit if all those taking part, or even just coming to watch, would bring any old mobile phones to donate to them.

One of the organisers of the Errigal tweetup, Carl Diver, told us how the Errigal tweetup came about:

"The tweet up came about after I climbed errigal the week before Christmas when it was covered in snow. @denis_finnmedia saw one of the photos that I tweeted and I think he said that I was mad to climb the mountain on such a day. I responded by saying that we should hold the next tweet-up at the top of Errigal and its grown from there. Denis was at one of the first tweet ups in the country that took place in Letterkenny back in September.

It'll be Irelands highest tweet up to date and it has gained a lot of support from other who have held tweet ups around the country and local people in Donegal who are on twitter have been very keen to come along. We decided that it would make sense to try and raise some money for charity if we are doing it and Breast Cancer Ireland approved us to collect in aid of them, we are asking people to donate directly on the Breast Cancer Ireland website, and The Little Angels school in Letterkenny will also collect any old mobile phones on the day.

It'll be a great day out and a bit of fun and a chance to meet people who are on-line, the SMEcommunity are very much behind tweet ups and promoting them.

So its on Sunday the 26th February, setting off from the car park at the foot of Errigal just outside Dunlewey on the road to Letterkenny, and we will set off from the car park at 12 noon. Its a peer climb so people take part at their own risk."

Those taking part are guaranteed a refreshing hike, a bit of craic with others taking part, enjoy some spectacular scenery including the beautiful Poisoned Glen, Dunlewey, and raise funds for worthy causes too.
The tweetup begins in the car park at the base of Errigal at 12 noon. The car park is on the main Letterkenny to Dunlewey (or even Dunlewey to Letterkenny) road about five minutes from Dunlewey.

If you would like more information, you can tweet any of the following:

@carldiver @denis_finnmedia @errigaltweetup or use the hashtag #SMEcommunity on twitter

or contact Carl by mobile: 0863540300 email: carldiver@cdamc.ie

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A LEPRECHAN?

2012-02-19T05:27:00.000-08:00

Would you like to see a leprechaun? Or even be one for a day? Would you like to be part of a record breaking attempt and be in the Guinness Book of Records?

Glenties, County Donegal, Ireland

If you have answered yes to any of the above, then Glenties in County Donegal on Saturday the 17th of March 2012, St. Patrick's Day, is the place to be.

Carmel Doherty and two of the smaller dragons

The village of Glenties County Donegal is making an attempt to break the world record for the most leprechauns in one place at one time. Carmel Doherty, Chairperson of the Glenties Community Action Group, told us that they have been accepted by the Guinness Book of Records and so if they beat the previous records, they will be entered into the Guinness Book of Records as the place where the most leprechauns gathered in one place at one time.

The record was first held by the American TV chat show host, Jay Leno on St. Patrick's Day 2011 in Los Angeles where 224 leprechauns turned up. However this record was then broken in November 2011 by Ireland's RTE's personality Derek Mooney when he had 250 leprechauns turn up at the Grand Central Theater in Dublin.

There are so far nearly 200 leprechauns registered for the St. Patrick's Day record breaking attempt in Glenties so they are aleardy near breaking the previous record. Leprechauns of all ages are welcome ~ even as young as babies and there are currently four little babies entered all of whom will wear his or her own tiny leprechaun outfit, especially sized for them by the people of Glenties. They will even have a "Dulux" (Old English Sheepdog) wearing a leprechaun outfit in the parade!

The Community Centre, Glenties

Working away in the Community Centre in Glenties is Carmel and a group of local helpers producing leprechaun outfits for all the participants. They are inviting anyone from anywhere to be part of the this record breaking attempt. The fee to enter is just €10 and this is to cover the cost of the outfit you will be supplied with which includes a waistcoat, hat, and beard.

All you need to do is registered your name on line as soon as possible (link below) and turn up on the day wearing a white long sleeved shirt or Tshirt, black trousers and black shoes (if you don't have black trousers green or red trousers are accepted by the Guinness Book of Records too).

It is very important that those taking part turn up wearing:

~ a long sleeved WHITE SHIRT or T.SHIRT

~ BLACK shoes

~ BLACK, RED OR GREEN TROUSERS

Any variation (say jeans or short sleeved shirts or runners) will exclude that person from being included in the number count under the Guinness Book of Record rules.

The leprechauns will gather for the count on the Patrick McGill bridge in the centre of Glenties at 2pm on St. Patrick's Day when the number will be adjudicated and confirmed, after which the St. Patrick's Day festivities begin in full.

The huge head of the 30 metre long dragon

Glenties, who have not held a St. Patrick's Day Festival in many years, are intending that their relaunching of the Glenties St. Patrick's Parade to be a colour full and busy one and a great family day out. They have been busy preparing costumes and props for local entrants in the parade including a huge and very colourful dragon which will measure some thirty metres and snake his way through the village during the parade. Smaller dragons will bring even more colour to the parade following in the footsteps of the monster dragon.

Some of the jewel coloured headdresses

There will be local girls wearing fabulous fanned and sequined head gear in bright jewelled colours dancing their way through the streets too.

On the streets there will be traditional Irish music musicians playing for the crowds and there will also be a range of traditional games played in Ireland many years ago, mostly all forgotten now but brought back for the St. Patrick's Day festival in Glenties. All the cafes, restaurants and bars will be open too and many of the bars will also be hosting traditional Irish music sessions.

Glenties' St. Patrick ~ in the making

Of course being St. Patrick's Day the parade would not be complete without St. Patrick himself and they have produced a very much larger than life St. Patrick to lead the parade. The photo above shows the beginnings of their St. Patrick and already it can be seen how huge it will be, possibly as high as 17 feet.

LISTEN to our interview with carmel HERE

If you would like to be a leprechaun for a day or even be part of the record breaking attempt by being there when, hopefully, the record is broken you can register (and Begora, go'wan, you know you want to) HERE

Carmel, getting the Guinness on in her bar, Keeney's, Glenties

There is ample parking in Glenties and on the outskirts of the town but it would be advisable to be there by 1pm. Further information can be had by contacting Carmel by email or phone:
Email: carmeldoherty10@gmail.com

Telephone 087-9307423 (within Ireland) and outside Ireland 00353-87-9307423

NOTE: We will be doing a new blog post following the 17th of March reporting on the Guinness Book of Record attempt by Glenties and adding lots of photographs of the day.

AND IF YOU CAN'T BE THERE ...

Obviously many people won't be able to travel to Glenties for the record breaking attempt but if you want to send a photo of you in leprechaun gear on St. Patrick's Day or even groups of leprechauns at your St. Patrick's Day parade, you can send your photo to welovedonegal @ gmail.com (join the spaces either side of the @) and we will create a page on WeLoveDonegal especially for you all.

RORY GALLAGHER FESTIVAL

2012-02-03T02:43:00.000-08:00

For the second year running The Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival has scooped a major award for the Best Festival in Ireland (in the Medium crowd size section with crowds of 10,000-30,000). (Electric Picnic took the award for the best large festival ~ crowds of over 30,000.)

Rory Gallagher statue, Ballyshannon

Rory Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal in 1948 and achieved world wide fame. From our WeLoveDonegal.com website:

"Musician and songwriter. Formed the band 'Taste' in the late '60s. In 1971 he was voted (ahead of Eric Clapton) Melody Maker's International Top Musician of the Year. His albums have sold over 30 millions copies worldwide. He died in London after developing complications following a liver transplant."

In 2010 a bronze statue, the work of sculptor David Annand was unveiled in Ballyshannon town centre (the photographs on this blog post are of that statue). In Dublin's Temple Bar there is a place named 'Rory Gallagher Corner' and under the sign hangs a bronze replica of his Stratocaster guitar.

Along with large crowds, the festival has attracted some great musicians over the years including Rory's band, Eric Bell (Thin Lizzy) and Bernie Mardsen (Whitesnake) to name a few. The festival is 10 years old this year so the Award is a great way for the Rory Gallagher Festival organisers to celebrate in style!

This year's festival will run between Thursday, 31 May and Sunday, 3 June. Details can be found on the festival's site HERE and the organisers have, for the first time, a large events tent planned which will hold around 1,000 thereby allowing them to bring even bigger acts this year.

Rory Gallagher 1948 ~ 1995

RARE FIND IN DONEGAL BOOKSHOP

2012-01-27T02:12:00.000-08:00

A bookstore in Letterkenny, County Donegal, had a pretty amazing find in one of their old books recently. The store, Universal Books, (owned by David Faughnan) is a great place to find books on practically everything and as most are second hand books, you can occasionally find books that are out of print and even signed copies of a variety of books. They have all sorts of books, fiction and non-fiction, and my own favourite, their section on Donegal and on Ireland where I have found many a book I just had to have!

The Irish Constitution

But a find in one of these old books recently by John, a member of staff there, was an extremely rare find. He had been checking through a box of old books and found a hardback copy of the Irish Constitution. On checking inside in the hope it might be a first edition, rare enough in itself, he found that not only does it seem to be a first edition but that it is signed by Eamon DeValera (Three time Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland) 1937-48; 1951-54; 1957-59 and the third President of Ireland 1959-73).

Eeamon DeValera (from president.ie):

"He was born in New York on 14 October, 1882, and was brought to Ireland at the age of two and a half years. In 1910 he married Sinéad Ní Fhlannagáin. A teacher and university lecturer, he joined the Irish Volunteers when they were founded in 1913. As a Commandant he took part in the 1916 Irish National Uprising. He was sentenced to death, the sentence being commuted to penal servitude for life. He was released on General Amnesty in 1917.

He was elected Sinn Féin M.P. for East Clare in 1917 and re-elected as parliamentary representative for Clare at subsequent General Elections until his election as President in 1959.

He founded the Fianna Fáil Party in 1926 and from 1932 - 37 he was President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State and Minister for External Affairs. He was President of Council of the League of Nations at its 68th and Special Sessions, September and October 1932 and President of the Assembly of the League of Nations, 1938.

Following enactment by the people of the Constitution, Eamon De Valera became Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and Minister for External Affairs from 1937 - 48. He was Taoiseach again from 1951 - 54, 1957 - 59.

On 25 June, 1959 he was inaugurated as President of Ireland.

He died on 29 August 1975."

Signed by Eamon DeValera

Naturally John and store owner, David, couldn't be sure the signature was authentic so it was sent to Dublin and I am told the report came back that it is indeed the authentic signature of Eamon DeValera. Of course this all makes the book quite valuable and needless to say the find has brought a lot of enquiries and callers to the store together with offers to purchase it.

Close up of Eamon DeValera's signature in the book

UNIVERSAL BOOKS CONTACT DETAILS

For those interested in calling to the store to view the book or those interested in enquiring about purchasing it, here are the contact details for Universal Books.

Universal Books, Letterkenny

Universal Books, Church Lane, Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland

Telephone: 00353-749161869

Email: universalr@yahoo.ie

Contact them via FACEBOOK

DONEGAL ~ IT'S NEARER THAN YOU THINK

2012-01-06T05:34:00.000-08:00

From Highland Radio news 5th January 2012:

"The head of Oideas Gael in Gleann Cholm Cille has hit out at the Chairman of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation questioning his logic as it relates to tourism in Donegal. John Healy, in reference to the lack of growth in tourism in Donegal, stated that unless visitors are staying in the country for at least ten days they are unlikely to visit the northwest.
Liam Ó Cuinneagáin says such a view from a tourism leader is unacceptable pointing out that areas further from Dublin than Donegal recorded an increase in overseas tourists last year. Mr Ó Cuinneagáin says a change of attitude is required."

Beautiful Donegal ~ it's nearer than you think!

Sadly it seems the attitude of many involved in the tourist industry in Ireland, and indeed as it appears from the above news item here, even the Chairman of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation, John Healy inadvertently continue with the mistaken perception that Donegal is just too far away. In fairness to Mr. Healy I must point out that he would not have been trying to put people off coming to Donegal, but his words might infer that Donegal is too far away to make it your Irish destination and it most certainly is not. Just check these distances from Dublin to two of the most popular destinations by visitors to Ireland, Kerry and Cork:

Dublin to Kerry: 286km/178 miles ~ Dublin to Donegal ~ 231km/143 miles
Making Donegal A SHORTER DISTANCE by 55km/35 miles

Dublin to Cork: 253km/157 miles ~ Dublin to Donegal: 231km/143 miles
Making Donegal A SHORTER DISTANCE by 22km/14 miles

Our tourist industry must promote Donegal as a place to visit and let's please now drop this archaic belief that Donegal is just too far away for tourists to visit. As shown by the figures above we are nearer to Dublin than two of Ireland's most busy tourist regions. And Donegal can definitely stand proud with the best of what Ireland has to offer in terms of the scenery, the food, the friendliness of the people and of course, the craic.

To read more about why you should visit Donegal, read my post: Why Make Donegal Your Irish Destination.

SNOW IN DONEGAL

2011-11-11T02:06:00.001-08:00

Snow on Errigal, County Donegal

Driving through County Donegal on the 17th of October this year, we were surprised to see snow so early in the year but there it was in all it's beauty atop the highest mountain in Donegal, Errigal.

It looked so pretty we pulled over to let me get out with my camera to capture the moment. The photographs turned out very nicely but the one above is my favourite one. We were actually at least seven miles from Errigal but I enlarged and cropped the photograph which makes it seem as if we were much nearer all the better to see the snow and clouds around our highest peak.

I tweeted the photograph and it ended up having almost 3,000 views and was picked up by an internet weather news site slot who then put it on their facebook page where it was copied to lots of facebook users page and was 'liked' around 300 times. It was put on the Shaun Doherty Show's wall on facebook too.

It was featured on Martin King's weather spot on TV3 and later in the evening I received an email from someone from the internet weather news site to give me a link to it on YouTube which shows it getting 'pic of the day' on the Meteor weather slot on FYI.

Not bad for a simple photograph of snow and clouds on our highest mountain eh?

It's not just we who love Donegal eh?

OH DEAR, OH DEER!

2011-11-08T03:43:00.000-08:00

The last two days in Donegal have been fabulous ~ blue skies and sunshine so obviously I just had to get out and about with my camera.

However, driving between Glenties and Doochary yesterday, I came across a very sad sight. A magnificent deer lying dead at the side of the road. Pulling over to take photographs might seem an odd thing to do but it is what I did.

Dead Deer Donegal

It is only the second dead deer I have seen on my travels around the county which is pretty surprising as there are so many deer in certain parts of the county and although some areas are fenced, many more are not. Even those areas that are fenced still can't contain agile deer totally and so accidents do happen when they wander onto our roads.

They are a massive danger to people using the road as impact with one could cause very serious personal damage not to mention a lot of damage to a vehicle. Yes, there are signs warning drivers of the danger of deer running onto the road, but I travel around a lot and have only seen a handful of deer wandering around and so maybe we become complacent to the danger both to the deer and to ourselves as the driver of vehicles.

The dead deer yesterday however brought it all home just how dangerous it can be. This deer was a pretty large animal and I can't imagine the damage the vehicle that hit him suffered not to mention the pain the poor animal must have felt. I just hope he died quickly and at least someone moved him off the road where he could have cause further damage.

So sad ...

So remember, when driving around areas of Donegal where there are deer, take extra care ~ for your own sake and for the sake of these magnificent creatures.

YES, DUBLIN IS NOT IN DONEGAL

2011-10-13T03:36:00.000-07:00

O'Connell Bridge, Dublin, Ireland

Yes, Dublin is not in Donegal. Obviously.

So why on a site dedicated to County Donegal are we adding a section devoted to Dublin?

Well, firstly, Dublin is after all Ireland's capital city and in fact a great city too. Added to that, many people coming to Ireland, whether travelling to County Donegal or elsewhere in Ireland for their holiday, spend a while in Dublin so the new section for Dublin on our site will give visitors to Dublin somewhere to read a little history of various places in Dublin and view photographs of these places, perhaps helping them decide on places they want to see when they land in Dublin.

So, whilst we do love Donegal best of all, we love Dublin too and we hope visitors to our site will enjoy our new Dublin section.

LINED UP TO APPEAR in our DUBLIN section (so far) and to include a little history, information and photographs:

~ The Guinness Storehouse (one of Ireland's most visited attractions)
~ Kilmainham Gaol
~ St. Stephen's Green
~ Croppies Acre & The Croppies Memorial Garden
~ Glasnevin Cemetery (where the most famous men and women in Irish history are buried)
~ Phoenix Park (the largest city park in the world)
~ Dublin Literary Pub Tour
~ Statues and sculptures of Dublin (with their amusing nick-names)

... and that is just the start!

DONEGAL ATTRACTIONS ~ TROPICAL WORLD

2011-09-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took the two eldest grandsons for their promised trip to Tropical World in Letterkenny. Tropical World opened to great acclaim earlier this year and was the idea of Clive Alcorn, one of the sons of the late Tommy Alcorn of Alcorns' Garden Centre in Letterkenny.

Not only had our grandsons wanted to get there, I too had really wanted to get there attracted as I was by the thought of seeing lots of pretty butterflies flying around freely in their Butterfly Garden.

It was pouring down when we arrived and I was a bit concerned that much of Tropical World would be outdoors. What made me think the world "tropical" and "outdoors Donegal in the autumn" would be an idea anyone, much less a man operating an attraction here would have is a little beyond me. I was glad to hear that only one small part of Tropical World is outside. And later, as we went for a wander around there it was great to see they had provided lots of large umbrellas for those of us brave enough, or interested enough to wander into the rain.

So, Tropical World.

Inside we paid our very reasonable fee of €20 for two adults and two children and began our trip around Tropical World. I have to point out here that in such a hurry were we to get into Tropical World proper that we completely missed the rackoon compound just outside the front door! Leaving much later, we noticed it but Carlos and Minguel, the Coatimundi Rackoons were hiding inside their house.

One of the meercats at Tropical World

In the reception area you can see the every popular meercats which the boys just loved seeing and I defy anyone familar with the television adverts not to say, albeit to themselves, compare the meercat dot come, compare the market dot com.

Off the reception area is a visitors information centre with a seats and a film running giving the visitor information on the exhibits in Tropical World. But more eyecatching are the huge toy polar bears which offer a great photo spot for parents to take photos of their children beside them.

Passion flower thriving in the Butterfly Garden

The tour of Tropical World begins with the Butterfly Garden and it was amazing. Warm and humid for the butterflies to survive and the plants to grow it takes a moment for both people and cameras to adjust to the humidity ~ my lens being cold from outside was fogged up for the first few minutes. There is a path running through the garden with plants such as passion flower and lemon trees growing all along the sides of it. I pointed out the lemon trees to the youngest grandson, who at four is probably too young to realise lemons don't grow here usually. He took a look and said "I don't like lemons". Oh well.

Some of the beautiful butterflies in the butterfly garden of Tropical World

And, then like magic, through the warm air we started to notice beautiful butterflies gliding all around us, landing momentarily on plants and then moving on again. I was in heaven! They are so delicate and beautiful and to think that we can have this kind of magic on a cold, wet afternoon in Donegal is a credit to Clive. Luckily our oldest grandson, now all of eight years of age, has the photography bug too and so we got to spend lots of time taking photographs of these beautiful creatures. I would add here that those wishing to take photographs are asked to switch off their flash whilst inside tropical world so as not to upset or hurt the living creatures therein but it is not a problem as it is filled with light.

The delicate beauty of the Glasswing Butterfly

The stunning beauty of some of the wing markings on the butterflies there is entrancing but for me one butterfly type took my eye above all others. The fragile beauty of this little butterfly almost stole my heart. I have never seen such a creature with it's see-through wings, delicately trimmed with coloured patterns. Later, I learned that this is called a Glasswing Butterfly and truly the wings are like the most prettily painted glass. When I commented on how beautiful it was, Breda, Clive's wife said that many people don't even see the Glasswings and I am not at all surprised as their see through wings allow the colour of whatever they land on to show through thereby offering them great camouflage.

Take time to find some of the better camouflaged species in the Butterfly Garden

I would advise visitors to spend some time in the Butterfly Garden. Perhaps sit quietly on the bench there and just allow time to take in the vast variety of butterflies there that otherwise they would miss if they just rushed through. Some of the species you might see along with the Glasswing are: Tree Nymph, Clipper, Scarlet Swallowtail, Great Eggfly, Blue Morpho, Blue Grecian, India Leaf, Zebra Longwing, Ismenius Longwing and Postman.

At the end of the Butterfly Garden there is a little wooden bridge with water rippling below ~ an ideal place to stop to take a photo of the children and adults with you on your trip to Tropical World's Butterfly Garden.

And then out from there and into the Reptile Area. Of course this area was much more interesting to two little boys. Curious eyes peered into the various glass enclosures to try to find the lizard or snake enclosed there. I am not crazy about reptiles but that said, there were some fabulous small and slightly larger lizards to catch the eye and we ended up spending quite a while looking at and discussing them.

Some of the lizards which can be seen at Tropical World

The vibrant green of the gecko with his amazing little suckered feet was very eye catching. The tiny chameleon too was worth a while spent watching to see if he changed colour. Of course as tapping the glass is, rightly, not allowed, he never got scared of us so had no need to change colour, but he was still so cute you just had to stand a while.

In the Reptile Area too there are various breeds of tortoise together with a small pond of terrapins.

Just some of the fabulously coloured species of bird at Tropical World

The next area we spent time in was the exotic birds. Noisy and colourful they almost demanded attention, none more so that the beautiful Sun Conure parakeets (middle photograph, top row, in the montage above) who interact with visitors on a much higher level than any of the other birds. Well, they did with me anyway! Every time I put my lens up to the wire they immediately made their way rapidly across the wires to check out this large black glass so near them. Although their squawk was ear piercing, I noticed that one of the pair when spoken to in the lower tones from me, started to change his squawk to a much lower tone, almost mimicking my tone. These are very clever birds indeed but sadly now endangered.

Some of the other species include: Chinese Painted Quail, Rock Pebbler, Barraband Parakeet, Kakariki, Indian Ringneck Parakeet, Bourke's Parakeet, Red-Rumped Parakeet, and Crimson Rosella.

One of the cactus plants in the raised cacti garden

There are various small raised gardens throughout the Reptile and Bird area including a cacti garden showing lots of different cactus and probably more interesting to children, the garden of carnivorous plants. I know that when our children were younger we often had carnivorous plants at home as kids just love to see how they trap and eat insects.

The Exotic Bird area concluded the inside tour of Tropical World and we exited back into Reception and then across the Reception Area to the doors to the Pet Area. Taking three large umbrellas, the youngest child just choosing to skip for shelter between the three, we passed through the picnic area which has tables and benches where visitors, on a sunnier day, can enjoy a picnic and area allowed to take their own sandwiches if they wish or alternatively buy food and drinks from the cafe there.

One of the chipmunks in his house within a house

The boys loved watching the little chipmunks whizzing about their house and they loved too all the different coloured rabbits munching food and playing among the sawdust on the floors of their large wooden houses.

At the end of the pet area sat a very wet, stoic looking snowy owl, called, well ... Snowy of course. Despite having a covered area he had chosen to sit getting his feathers wet in the downpour. Who said owls were wise?

Back inside, the boys enjoyed having a look around the gift area which has shelves of all manner of small animal and reptile keepsake toys to look at and there is absolutely no pressure to buy.

We then wandered back out to make our way along the entirely covered path, through the many beautiful plants on display in Alcorns Garden Centre and back out to our car, all happy with a pleasant afternoon spent at Tropical World.

THE NITTY GRITTY

Location: Just outside Letterkenny on the Ramelton Road

Open April - end of September

Opening Times: Monday - Saturday 10 - 5.30 (last admission 4.30), Sunday 1 - 5.30 (last admission 4.30)

Entry fees (2011) Adult €12. Children under 14 €6.50. Family (2 adults/2 children) €20. Children under 3 years of age, free. School/youth groups €6 per child and teacher/leader free.

Disabled Access: All ramped but inside there is bark chippings on the floor which may make wheelchair progress slow (but still possible).

Parking: Ample parking and no charge

Lavatories: Yes, beside Reception Area

Cafe: Yes (closed Sundays). Also picnic area where visitors can bring their own food.

Contact Details: Tel: +353-74-21655

Website: Tropical World Letterkenny

A TASTE OF DONEGAL FOOD FESTIVAL 2011

2011-08-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

DONEGAL in chocolate (by Brenda Ryan) at the Taste of Donegal Food Festival

For the second year running we attended the "A Taste of Donegal Food Festival" in Donegal Town this weekend. It is run the last weekend of August each year and seems to go from strength to strength and as with last year the entrance fee was kept to a minimum of €2 per adult (children with adults enter free) or alternatively a €5 ticket which covers entrance in for the whole 3 days of the festival.

A Taste of Donegal Food Festival 2011 ~ live cookery display

The festival is mostly under cover and takes up much of the new pier at Donegal Town on the edge of Donegal Bay. On Sunday, when we attended, the cover was not needed as the sun was shining, the skies blue and cloud free and so during the course of our visit we were able to take a cappuccino break at one of the many tables outside the main tented area and at the same time enjoy one of the live shows going on, a lady speaking on wines. The festival runs many live shows during the weekend including not only wine appreciation but also cookery displays by various chefs both from Donegal and guest celebrity chefs such as the gently spoken and very talented, Neven Maguire.

One of the outdoor stands at the Taste of Donegal Food Festival

There are many stands both inside and outside the marquee and include a range of products such as cakes, sweets, olives, cheeses, smoked produce, soups, chowders, wines, beers, ice creams, fudge selections, homemade sausages, breads, rganic vegetables and fruits and much more.

Huge selection of olives at the Taste of Donegal Food Festival 2011

You can taste free samples of the foods available and purchase those you like. You can also buy tubs of delcious homemade chowders ~ we bought one from one stand and one from another to compare. Both were delicious and packed with a variety of seafoods, so both were winners in our view and well worth the €2 in one case and €1.50 charge for them.

Cupcake Heaven at the A Taste of Donegal Food Festival 2011

Inside again, as was the case last year, it was cupcake heaven with many cupcake stalls with a colourful and tempting display of colourful cupcakes. The ones that made me smile were the many cupcakes with the Donegal flag and colours on them in support of the Donegal team who sadly didn't make it to the all Ireland final as it turned out.

Old fashioned sweets at the A Taste of Donegal Food Festival 2011

The sweet theme continued with stalls selling old fashioned sweets from jars and a huge stand with every variety of jelly sweets, marshmallows and strings of liquorice.

Lots of sweeties at the Taste of Donegal Food Festival!

I watched, as did many others, the deft knife skills of a chef carving pretty flowers from raw carrots. Her skill with a knife was great to watch as she rapidly produced delicate petals to form a large chrysanthemum type flower.

Carrot carving at the Taste of Donegal Food Festival

Further on, at one of the stalls we were amazed by the skill of a chef there. Brenda Ryan of "Dream Cakes By Brenda") was helping out at the stand of the Smugglers Creek Inn, a restaurant based in nearby Rossnowlagh which enjoys an enviable location with views over the 4 mile long sandy beach there.

The hugely talented cake maker, Brenda Ryan with her chocolate display

Brenda had created a huge display of flowers, little animals, waves and dolphins all fashioned out of chocolate. I could scarcely believe it was all chocolate and had at first thought some of it was carved out of wood or in some cases maybe metal sculptures. But I was wrong and every part of it, save the grass in the little gardens, was made of chocolate but even the grass was edible as it was made using wheat grass. Brenda is one highly skilled and talented lady. You can contact Brenda for "wedding and celebration cakes made to order" at info@dreamcakesbybrenda.com

Seafood sausages by the Smugglers Creek Inn

The Smugglers Creek Inn stand rightly won the Best Stand Award and I was intrigued to see "Seafood Sausages" there. I asked the ingredients and found they are made of various seafood together with seaweeds. The taste was sensational.

Award winners Niamh and Peter Curry of Carraig na Breac and Mark Rush of the Smugglers Creek Inn

Beside the Smugglers Creek Inn was the stand of Carraig na Breac who had a full range of their own home smoked foods including their hugely flavoursome smoked bacon. Carraig na Breac is owned and run by Niamh and Peter Curry from Drumshambo, County Leitrim and they won an award at the festival for their tasty produce.

Wandering along further we watched three men from the excellent four star hotel, Harvey's Point which sits on the shores of Lough Eske just outside Donegal Town, as an aside here I have to add that Harvey's Point must offer some of the largest hotel bedrooms in Ireland! At the fair they won a number of awards including the deserved "A Passion to Inspire 2011" Award.

Gino "The Singing Chef" at the Taste of Donegal Food Festival 2011

What attracted us was not the fresh pancakes being made and topped with either chocolate of fruit for the crowd (which in fairness were an attraction in themselves), but rather the wonderful music emanating from the stand. After watching for a moment I realised that the man in chef's whites with the name tag "Gino" was actually singing live and not miming as I had assumed.

It was magical and he had the crowd firmly in his hands, entranced as they were with his wonderful voice. Luckily my husband's camera can also video so I managed to get Gino in full voice captured for others to enjoy as we did.

To watch the video of Gino singing "Time to Say Goodbye" click the link to my YouTube video HERE.

For those interested in taking a stand at the Taste of Donegal Food Festival 2012 year, you can email them at development@donegaltown.ie And judging by the success of this years event and the number of stands, it might be as well to get in touch with them as soon as possible to guarantee a place next year.

Click here to read my 2010 write up of the Taste of Donegal Food Festival.

Inside the marquee at the A Taste of Donegal Food Festival 2011

WHY MAKE DONEGAL YOUR IRISH DESTINATION?

2011-08-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

I decided to compare Donegal with the other tourist destinations in Ireland and I found I agreed with myself, Donegal is the best place in Ireland!

Why? Well the object is not to put down other areas of Ireland but rather to offer an option and show that just this one area of Ireland, County Donegal, can at the very least match the famous tourist destinations of Ireland both in beauty and magnificence.

Beautiful Donegal

Read on and take a trip with me from Dublin to Donegal and on to the Giant's Causeway and Belfast and back to Dublin to find out why and see too how your trip to Ireland could be made more compact whilst still seeing a lot of what Ireland, and Donegal, has to offer.

So, let's begin our tour starting off in Dublin. Spend a day in Dublin and take in The Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol and afterwards, Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum (do the tour and see the graves of some of Ireland’s most famous men and women), the National Museum of Ireland where amongst many, many things to see you can see the uniform worn by Michael Collins, and while there don't forget to pay a visit to Croppys Acre in front of it, and of course the Book of Kells in Trinity College. Two days in Dublin will give you ample time to see all those plus some extras such as perhaps the Viking Splash Tour, or a walking tour of Dublin, or the excellent Literary Tour in the evening or for the braver and fun, the Ghost Bus Tour.

Two and a half hours will take you to Donegal and on the way you could stop off at the ancient site of Newgrange and the Hill of Tara and maybe even visit the birthplace and grave of Patrick Kavanagh.

So, let’s compare Donegal with other popular tourist destinations and things to do in Ireland.

THE BOOK OF KELLS AND DONEGAL

Birthplace of St. Colmcille

The birth place of St. Colmcille (who was involved in the worlds first every copyright case from whence the saying "to every cow it's calf" came), the famous saint whose monks later produced The Book of Kells. In Donegal you can visit the place of his birth at Gartan and then the place he was first educated (Kilmacrennan), together with any of the many places associated with this saint in Donegal. On the way to Donegal from Dublin you could also visit Kells where St. Colmcille founded a monastery.

THE CLIFFS OF MOHER ... OR IN DONEGAL

A section of the cliffs on Tory Island

In Donegal we have many cliffs to visit, the most famous of which are probably the cliffs at Sliabh Liag (Slieve League) which at 1,972 feet, are the highest sea cliffs in Europe and offer sensational views (and it’s FREE to visit). You could even take a boat trip from nearby Teelin and view the majesty of these cliffs from the sea below. And speaking of boat trips you could take the ferry to the beautiful island, Tory Island, which has cliffs that are second to none in Ireland.

View from Banaba's Crown, Ireland's most northerly point

And speaking of cliffs ... there can be no better place to stand and take in the bracing Atlantic air than at Ireland's most northerly point, Banba's Head at Malin Head.

THE BURREN ... OR IN DONEGAL

Donegal has many thousand acres of spectacular countryside unspoiled by human habitation

Donegal has many thousands of acres of unspoiled scenic landscapes, free of houses and all signs of human habitation and with stunning rock faces, mountains and valleys together with miles and miles of walking footpaths, many rare plants and a lot of species of birds.

THE LAKES OF KILARNEY ... OR IN DONEGAL

Lough Meela and Errigal and Muckish Mountains

Donegal has some of the most stunning lake views in Ireland. One part of Donegal (The Rosses) is dotted with hundreds of lakes. At Lough Salt you can stand at the viewing point and see Lough Salt, after passing Lough Dubh a few hundred yards before, and then turn and see not only three lakes behind you but also the majestic outline of Errigal, the highest mountain in Donegal and Muckish Mountain too. With the added view to your right of Ards and Downings Bay.

THE BLASKET OR THE ARAN ISLANDS ... OR IN DONEGAL

Leaving Tory Island

There are many islands off the coast of Donegal, some of which are inhabited and others from which the last inhabitants have long gone. A regular ferry service will take you to the two main inhabited islands ~ Aranmore Island or Tory Island. Tory Island is thought to be the first place inhabited in Ireland and has a rich and interesting history, lots of Irish musicicans and traditional artists the home of the Tory School of Art. The late world famous artist, Sir Derek Hill loved Tory dearly, spending months there over a few decades and it is he who put the Tory artists on the map. On the mainland Donegal you can visit the house Sir Derek gave to Ireland, Glebe House, his Irish home near Gartan.

THE VARIOUS FAMOUS CASTLES OF IRELAND ... OR IN DONEGAL

Donegal (or O'Donnells) Castle

Whilst Donegal does not have any huge tourist attraction castles to visit it does have many castle ruins dotted throughout our landscape. The main attraction in Donegal is O’Donnell’s Castle (better known as Donegal Castle) and whilst not as grand as others it has the unique benefit that those interested can also visit the place where the O’Donnell chieftains had their inaugurations from circa. 1200 AD. Or perhaps the ruins of the Franciscan monastery (Donegal Town) founded by two of the wives of these high kings. Or maybe visit the ruins of Rathmullan Friary from where the O’Donnell’s fled to Europe in 1607. Maybe you could take the time to visit Glenveagh Castle, not only rich in history but the place where the likes of Grace Kelly stayed when visiting Ireland. Donegal is steeped in history and as a result historical sites, all worth visiting for those with an interest in such places.

THE VARIOUS HISTORICAL SITES OF IRELAND ... OR IN DONEGAL

Kilclooney Dolmen

Donegal has the only Tau Cross still in situ (Tory Island); has one of the oldest early Crosses, the Killaghtee Cross which pre-dates the early High Crosses; or the Kilclooney Dolmen which is an intact Dolmen and one of the finest examples left in Ireland. There are many such sites to visit in Donegal and more can be read about HERE.

TOURISTY, ORGANISED TRADITIONAL MUSIC NIGHTS ... OR IN DONEGAL

Traditional music in County Donegal

Traditional music forms an integral part of the Donegal experience and rather than have organised, paid for nights, here in Donegal it is possible to find groups of traditional musicians gathering in many of the small bars around the county. Most villages and towns have at least one pub where traditional music is played at least once a week. Rather than being too organised and touristy, these are gatherings of men and women who love their music and show up at appointed venues to enjoy their music and entertain those gathered there.

AND SOME MORE REASONS TO VISIT DONEGAL

Donegal Bay

Donegal not only offers all the above but we also have the largest bay in Ireland, Donegal Bay, which you have the option to enjoy by taking a short (45 minutes) boat trip on the Donegal Bay Waterbus to view in all its splendour or view from many places around south Donegal; the clearest diving waters in Europe (at St. John’s Point, the longest peninsula in Ireland); some of the best surfing beaches in Ireland and comparable with the best in Europe (Rossnowlagh, Bundoran, and more).

Ballymastocker Bay, named as one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world

There are miles and miles of sandy beaches sprinkled along our almost 800 miles of coastline, one of which was named one of the 10 most beautiful in the world making it the most beautiful beach in Ireland; some of the best golf courses in Ireland; horse riding; bird watching; fishing of all sorts; and maybe even catch a glimpse of the100 + pod of bottle nose dolphins around our coast ~ there are numerous boat trips to take you out into our waters to try and catch a glimpse not only the dolphins but maybe even some of the whales there.

"Surf's Up!" Donegal

We have friendly, owner run taverns and restaurants, including the Donegal Good Food Taverns, serving the best of local produce including lamb and beef reared here in Donegal together with a huge range of seafood caught along our Donegal shores. And speaking of Donegal Shores, in Donegal you are also in the birthplace of the world famous Daniel O’Donnell where you can visit the wee village of his birth, Kincasslagh.

Enjoy a bowl of Seafood Chowder in Donegal

And if music is your bag, a visit to Leo’s Tavern is a must. The “Leo” in Leo’s Tavern is the father of Moya Brennan who together with two of her brothers and two of their uncles formed Clannad and also Enya, the world renowned singer and musician. Not only is Leo’s Tavern full of memorabilia of his famous family but is a place where the visitor can enjoy a good, home cooked meal and perhaps even enjoy a bit of great traditional Irish music too.

There is of course much more to see in Donegal but this gives a tiny taste of it. At the end of your stay in Donegal you might want to finish off your visit to Ireland with a trip the Giant’s Causeway, which whilst of course not in Donegal, remains one of the most popular tourist destination in Ireland and you are nearer to the Giant’s Causeway from Donegal than any of the other popular tourist destinations here with the added benefit that on the way you can visit the only city in Europe with its city walls still intact (and walk along them), in Derry and spend a little time in the city seeing all it has to offer. You can even take a sea trip to from Donegal to Derry by taking the ferry which leaves Greencastle in Inishowen over to Magilligan in County Derry and on from there to Derry city.

Or maybe enjoy a visit to the Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, a living museum which deals with the mass emigration experience in Ireland during the famine, and where the visitor can walk through an Irish village of that time, board a famine ship and disembark in the America of that time, visiting shops and houses on both sides with actors playing the parts of the people of the time.

Afterwards, travel along the scenic countryside and visit Dunluce Castle then perhaps stopping off at the famous Bushmills Whiskey Distillery on the way before arriving at the Giant’s Causeway. You can then drive along the beautiful Antrim coast to Belfast and take in the sights of Belfast. At the end of this journey you are travelling home out of Dublin? Belfast to Dublin is just a short two hour drive now. Alternatively you could travel from Donegal, visiting these places and back to Donegal in the one (long) day.

Statue of Liberty near Gweebara Bay

And sure, where else in Ireland can you see the Statue of Liberty!

I hope I have opened your eyes to perhaps moving off the worthy, but now very well beaten tourist trails usually taken by visitors to Ireland and venture to County Donegal up here on the north west coast of Ireland, Ireland’s crown, albeit worn at a jaunty angle!

Visit our website to see more about Donegal at WeLoveDonegal

22 MAIN STREET, KILLYBEGS ~ DGFT LAUNCH

2011-08-25T03:12:00.000-07:00

Hugh O'Donnell, one of the founder members of the Donegal Good Food Taverns initiative hosted his launch in his recently refurbished Seafood Bar in Killybegs (also known as 22 Main Street) last Tuesday evening, the 23rd of August 2011.

Guests enjoying the launch at 22 Main Street, Killybegs

Hugh very kindly invited me to give the keynote speech and here is the speech I gave.

"The Donegal Good Food Taverns group consists of a number of bar owners who came together earlier this year to provide a high standard of locally sourced foods and great service to their customers.

There are now 10 in the group and their aim is to promote the concept of social dining in a bar atmosphere where the food is sourced as locally as possible, the price is affordable and the group of bars form a trail of Irish music either in their own bars or neighbouring bars in their area. The group are working with Failte Ireland, and with your local Tourism College in Killybegs and are active in identifying new niches and products all the time.

I see the Donegal Good Food Taverns initiative playing an important role for us in Donegal in that the initiative is getting a lot of attention thereby bringing attention to our county. It also gives us a dining experience we can proud to both direct our guests to and enjoy ourselves.

The initiative exemplifies how people can come together, work together and profit from working together and utilise the assets of County Donegal. Before I continue I hope you will all join with me now to congratulate them on their initiative.

As someone involved in the tourism industry myself with my holiday rental home in Dunkineely and as a blogger, twitter user, and as owner of WeLoveDonegal.com, a site I set up solely to promote Donegal and which has had nearly 300,000 people visiting it many of whom email me, I am very conscious of what tourists need and want.

But just out of interest I conducted an on line poll to pinpoint clearly the top priorities of prospective visitors. The result of that poll, especially the first I mention here which is something we can all do and doesn't cost a cent, shows that we can all here meet the needs of our prospective guests and visitors to Donegal.

FRIENDLY, HELPFUL SERVICE

This is so simple to do and we can all do it. Treat your customers as you would like to be treated. Make things as good as possible to enable them to enjoy a visit to your premises. Go the extra mile at all times. A lot comes down to training staff, something I will speak about further on here.

The other important priorities of tourist according to my poll were:

VALUE FOR MONEY

This was probably always an important priority but now it is even more so. How do we in Donegal ensure we offer value for money? Well firstly we need to be aware of charges of services and providers to the tourist industry in other parts of Ireland and remain competitive. And secondly we can add something for free ~ offer the best service you can to each and every customers. Get Donegal the name for being not only good value but with the added attraction that the care and attention we give here is the very best, give us the edge over similar pricing elsewhere in Ireland by offering this free but oh so valuable extra.

BEING ABLE TO HEAR TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC DURING THEIR STAY

I was glad to see that this was up there in the priorities of prospective tourists, as I’m sure are the DGFT group. But it isn’t just about the music, it is the ambience of the pub where the musicians play, an image many have of Ireland ~ so meet that need whether in your own premises or by being aware where music is locally so that you can tell visitors about it. And for those hosting traditional music nights you are on to such a winner ~ all those inevitable photographs taken, most of which will end up on the internet somewhere and that is FREE promotion for your business.

FRESHLY PREPARED LOCALLY SOURCED FOODS

For me this is one of the major priorities and it seems from my poll that it is very high up in the priority list of others too. Nowadays more people than ever are into cooking and cookery programmes ~ think of the likes of Come Dine With Me and how successful that show is. As a result of that interest many now are unwilling to pay out good money for food out of a freezer or worse, a packet. Not only is the food going to be so much better when freshly prepared but it can be cheaper to prepare too.

Sourcing locally not only promotes Donegal but it lessens our carbon footprint, which whilst it may not be top of your list right now, is certainly something many are becoming much more aware of. Added to all that, we in Donegal have the best seafood and meats available which if we use to their full further promotes what Donegal has to offer.

GOOD SIGNPOSTING

This came in fifth in the needs of tourists. Bad signposting is a bugbear of mine and clearly of others who completed my poll. Yes, we all drive around knowing the roads and how to get from place to place but visitors to our county are dependent on maps ~ sat.nav. is not always the best here. Even living here I sometimes find it almost impossible to get to where I want to go following the signposting along our roads so imagine what it is like for a tourist? We need to drive around our roads seeing things through the eyes of a tourist and identify those places badly signposted and TELL the council. Enough voices reporting bad signage might just improve things.

Some suggestions I have to help us improve ourselves and the Donegal experience for our visitors.

1. TRAIN STAFF

The buck stops with you so it is an almost complete waste of time and money if you are breaking your back to serve the best food or offer the best accommodation you can if the much needed and valued customer is put off by a distinct lack of care or service when they are actually in your premises. Everyone needs to spend time enforcing their customer care standards to their staff.

2. MAKE THE MAXIMUM USE OF THE INTERNET FOR YOUR BUSINESS AND DONEGAL

Blog, use Twitter, use Facebook, use Flickr ~ anything to get the word out about Donegal and your business out but do it with care. Having just a website nowadays is not enough. There are millions of websites out there and the secret of good use of the internet is HOW to drive traffic to your site and how to utilise the many places out there where you can get attention. Join travel advice forums such as IGOGO and Trip Advisor to answer questions from people thinking of travelling to Ireland. The internet is the best way to promote your business and area. For instance, I have now had bookings for my holiday home both via Twitter and also through my blog and if I can do it, so can you.

3. ENGAGE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

This applies to all of us. For instance If as a holiday home owner, I receive an enquiry then I do my best to answer that email immediately. I know that on average an enquirer will email at least four other holiday homes at the one time and so I know if I respond quickly and in a friendly fashion, I am in with a chance of getting that booking. Think about it, all things being equal which accommodation provider would YOU chose? Someone who responds quickly to your enquiry or someone who takes a day or two (or even longer!) to get around to it? The interaction you have with prospective customers or guests is a great platform for you to sell yourself and the fact that you care.

4. PROMOTE DONEGAL AND WORK TOGETHER

Yes, of course we all want to promote our individual business but it is vital we at the same time do our utmost to promote Donegal to its full extent. Through the internet get the people out there to see and read about Donegal, entice them here. If we project across the net the stunning beauty and warm welcome of Donegal we all benefit. Remember, once the visitor is here, they may use any number of our businesses and then hopefully tell others and so encourage them too to come to come here.

5. KNOW YOUR AREA

Guests and visitors want to know about our area and the attractions there. We need to look at it through the visitors eyes, we know where things are but they might not. Tell them about places of interest, find out their interests so that you can hone your information to their requirements, gather leaflets which are freely available in your local tourist office to have in your premises, be aware of festivals and special happenings in your area and try to visit the attractions of your area so that you can speak first-hand about them and even blog or tweet about them. Promote, promote, promote.

6. FOR RESTAURANTS

As a holiday home owner I have a suggestion for restaurants and cafes. At the start of each season POST or HAND DELIVER your menus to local Bed and Breakfast houses and holiday home owners. This is the ONE instance where I would advocate not using email. You want the guests to see your menu in the format or layout you decided which in itself projects your business as you saw fit to show it. A printed email of the menu is just not good enough. You might also consider offering some sort of incentive for guests of the holiday home of Bed and Breakfast to visit your restaurant. Something small like a percentage discount for over a certain spend or alternatively a discount if they dine in your place more than once during their stay, or maybe even a bottle of house wine.

Finally, I would just like to thank The Donegal Good Food Taverns initiative which has lead the way and shown us how working together is the way forward. We must work together to market Donegal as THE place to visit in Ireland. We have possibly, and in my opinion definitely, the best and most scenic county in Ireland. So get out there and promote it. And be aware too that we can’t just concentrate on the American or foreign market. Yes, we want and welcome those tourists but we should bear in mind that marketing ourselves to the rest of Ireland is vitally important. If our fellow country men and women visit Donegal and like it, it is much easier for them to visit Donegal on more than one occasion during the year, something that the majority of foreign tourists will not be able to do.

So, following the excellent lead of the Donegal Good Food taverns initiative, let’s all join together, keep in touch, work hard to promote Donegal and get it the title it rightly deserves ~ the best county in Ireland!

Thank you."
23rd August 2011

IDENTIFYING THE NEEDS & PRIORITIES OF OUR VISITORS

2011-08-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

This week I am to give a speech on tourism in Donegal and one of the elements will be identifying the needs of visitors and prospective visitors to both County Donegal and Ireland generally, so I have added a poll here (above) to try and see the top needs. You may select more than one option so if, for instance, your top priorities are "Freshly prepared and locally produced food" and "Value for money" you can select both.

Don't forget to click "VOTE" when you have selected your top priorities.

If there is something you think is a must have for you were you visiting Donegal and it is not listed in my poll, please add it as a comment so that I can take that suggestion into account.

Thanks for taking part!

JAUNTS AROUND DONEGAL ~ MOUNTCHARLES

2011-07-26T03:05:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening we enjoyed a delicious meal in the Village Tavern, Mountcharles. Sitting on their decking outside, eating freshly caught fish in the warmth of a summer's evening was pretty special and as the weather was so perfect, we decided to drive down through the village after our meal and spend a while on Mountcharles pier.

There are of course many scenic areas in Donegal but the views from Mountcharles pier are some of the best and on a summer's evening it is a lovely place to go and relax for a while.

View to Barnesmore Gap mountains from Mountcharles

Parking on the pier, we got out of the car to take in the salty sea air to enjoy these views, and of course take a few photographs!

The shore road, Mountcharles

The views are fabulous, looking all around there is nothing but perfect scenery from the little shore road with it's houses reflected in the water lapping the shore in front of them, to the views across the bay to the distinctive shape of Benbulben mountain in County Sligo, to the views to the twin mountains of Croaghconnelagh and Croaghonagh which flank the road through Barnesmore Gap and almost straight across from Mountcharles pier you can see the sandy beach at Murvagh.

Waves lapping the sandy shore at Mountcharles

There is very little noise down there other than the sound of gulls and the lapping of the waves on the sandy shore to the right of the pier. It is a peaceful and tranquil place to spend a while.

Kayaking at Mountcharles

Further up the pier a small group were getting their kayaks ready to take to the waters, and later watching them bobbing about in the water below the pier end.

Hungry gulls follow a small fishing boat

Out at sea anchored boats relaxed in the water, empty of people but offering a resting place for seagulls. Two boats with fishermen on them moved around the waters, in their wake dozens of seagulls hungry for a free meal. Even from the pier we could see the flashes of silver reflected by the sunshine behind us on the fish being line caught by the men on the boats.

Benbulben mountain in County Sligo from Mountcharles

Mountcharles sits on the shores of Donegal Bay, the largest bay in Ireland. The Bay washes the shores of not only county Donegal but also counties Sligo and Leitrim.

TURF TOURISM

2011-07-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

Driving over Meenaroy, a beautiful area of Donegal between the towns of Letterkenny and Glenties, a couple of weeks ago I saw a most unusual sight.

Meenaroy, County Donegal

Amid the fabulous scenery of Meenaroy, with so much to see and photograph, I saw a large tourist coach pulled over to the side of the narrow road with all the passengers disembarked and wandering about, not as you might imagine taking photographs of the beautiful scenery but rather wandering around the little turf ricks taking photographs of ... turf!

Turf for those who aren’t familiar with it is the deep compressed ground in certain areas of Donegal (and Ireland) which is cut into during the summer and rectangles of the stuff dug up and laid up on the ground to dry, later stacked into little “ricks” to allow air to get to all sides of the turf sod and so allowing it to dry out thoroughly for use as fuel later.

Turf banks (or binks), County Donegal

It made me smile and indeed, laugh a little indeed, at the idea of a whole coach load of tourists, travelling as they were through some of Ireland’s most scenic countryside, being so taken with a stack of turf that they would go to the bother of having their driver pull over and all disembark and walk among the damp ground for a photo opportunity.

But it got me thinking. Is this the start of a whole new tourist initiative? Turf Tourism. Is this the way forward? Should the tourist board in Ireland consider running with this idea?

We could have “Turf Cutting Holidays”. Tourists could come here during the summer and take lodgings with local and in return go with them to “the bog” (the areas where turf is cut), spend a long day digging and throwing the cut sods, arranging them in neat lines and later arranging them into ricks. This branch, or sod as it were, of Turf Tourism would extend all the way through to bagging the turf and bringing the turf home. They could even take a commemorative piece of turf home (Customs allowing!). And as the whole process from clearing the sods covering the bog to be cut to taking the turf home extends for months, it would bring tourists for the entire course of the summer.

The Turf Tourism, “Turf Cutting Holidays” would have many benefits to offer the tourist. They’d get to know the real Ireland, they’d get to spend days in the fresh clean air and hopefully sunshine. Many here say that the best tan you can get is from days spent cutting turf.

Open turf fire

They’d get to spend time in the evenings with the local host and maybe later at a village bar enjoying the craic whilst downing a Guinness or two and maybe even a bit of traditional Irish music thrown in and hopefully all in front of a welcoming turf fire.

The Turf Cutting tourists would also gain a memory that will never leave them. The smell of the turf as it burns on an open fire. A smell that cannot be replicated but so special that once smelled is forever with you, bringing you back instantly to the time you smelled it.

Turf Cutting tourists would benefit from weight loss too, so arduous is cutting and sorting the turf. The cutter is down a few feet below the top ground cutting the black sod for the best turf. The spa dhu, as the especially fashioned spade is called is a long instrument and difficult to manoeuvre to those who aren’t trained in the ways of turf cutting. There would also be the element of fear too for those seeking a thrill. Managing to cut sods of turf without cutting a finger off on the sharp edges of the spa dhu is quite an art and one a person would need to learn really quickly to avoid losing a finger or two. And it is cold lifting turf. Even on the hottest day, the turf down deep is freezing cold on the fingers. So you have the heat of the sun on your back but freezing hands and fingers. Freezing fingers mind you, are probably good if you don’t learn the use of the spa dhu!

For those on the top ground they will spend the day bending over sorting the turf. It is back breaking but probably great for developing strong back, stomach, and arm muscles.

Homemade Irish soda bread & Irish butter

Then during a break, the tourists would get to sit with the local host to enjoy a picnic made for them probably made up of soda bread, good Irish butter, cheese, jam and a flask of Irish tea. Enjoying a well earned break, some real Irish food, listening to Irish banter amid stunning scenery would be a totally unique experience.

Hand cut turf

Turf Tourism would also greatly benefit us too. Going back to hand cut turf would get rid of these monster turf cutting machines that spout out huge strings of turf all over the place. It would bring turf cutting back to the social thing it was in years gone by where everyone helped one another.

For those less fit and not able or willing for an actual Turf Cutting Holiday, we could run "Turf Spotting for Photographers Holidays". A coach could wander the highways and byways of Donegal stopping off at appointed stops to allow the tourists to disembark and take photographs of just cut turf, turf ricks, or even people cutting turf.

Or we could even run “Hunting for Bog Oak on Turf Banks”. The pieces of old oak, long fallen from trees now long gone and making up the essence of the black soil or turf deep in the ground, are much sought after as pieces of interest in homes and galleries. The tourist could be taken by their local host to wander the Turf land searching for their very own piece of bog oak and then take in back to their lodgings and spend days smoothing it off and polishing it until it is a thing of beauty.

Turf Tourism could be a winner for sure!

DONEGAL GOOD FOOD TAVERNS

2011-05-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

Donegal Good Food Taverns logo

Last night we went to the launch of the Donegal Good Food Taverns initiative. What is the Donegal Good Food Taverns initiative? I asked one of the founding members, Enda O'Rourke of The Village Tavern in Mountcharles:

"Donegal Good Food Taverns came about as a conversation over a coffee with Hugh O’Donnell, Killybegs and myself in the Village Tavern over a year ago. I felt we needed to stand up against this recession, and the only way I know how is on a plate! Hugh has a brilliant creative mind and I enjoy conversations with him about food and during one such discussions, this brand arose.

We believe from September this year this brand will grow and grow and we are 100% behind delivering everything it’s about to the locals and visitors alike. The next step is to bring growers and producers into this brand to showcase what they are about to our plates and already we are making huge steps in delivering this."

Enda's partner in this initiative is Hugh O'Donnell who owns and runs Hughie's Bar and Seafood Bar in Killybegs (22 Main Street). Hugh, like Enda, runs a great restaurant and we have eaten in both these places many times. The food is always fresh (no packets here!) and always very reasonably priced too. And like the good food and good atmosphere both have created, they both attract the best of staff too: always friendly, always helpful and always welcoming. Reasons we enjoy eating in Enda and Hugh's restaurants.

Enda, Danny McElaney (Donegal Enterprise Board) and Hugh

Given their great interest and love of food I have no doubt the Donegal Good Food Taverns initiative will as Enda said "grow and grow". Altogether there are ten Donegal taverns in the initiative including Enda's The Village Tavern, Mountcharles ("The Village Tavern stands proud in the tranquil village of Mountcharles, in the heart of some of the most spectacular scenery in the county of Donegal. Just 3 miles from Donegal town on the Killybegs road. it is an ideal base from which to tour this beautiful and unspoilt area.") and Hugh's Hughies Seafood Bar, Killybegs ("Hughies Seafood Bar, Killybegs unique and only seafood bar, opens from 3.00pm to 9.30pm, May to September. The Seafood Bar has undergone a major refurbishment for the 2011 season and now incorporates a welcoming log fire stove and an Island bar where you can casually dine over a pint of Guinness and six fresh Oysters. Our dinner menu kicks off at 5.00pm and offers a rich array of local Lobster, Scallops, Whelks, Prawn, Crab, Prime Monk tail, Black Sole and Red Gunard. Chowders served in rustic breads, fresh soups and local fayre from our master butchers offers both visitor and tourist alike a great taste of Donegal.").

The other eight are:
The Lobster Pot, Burtonport "The Lobster Pot, known locally as Kelly’s, is a family run pub and restaurant in the heart of the small village of Burtonport (Ailt an Chorrain) on Donegal’s West Coast. The spectacular coastal setting is the perfect backdrop for our cosy pub." Dawros Bay House, Rosbeg "Dawros Bay House & Joe’s Seafood Bar., Situated at the top of the Rosbeg Peninsula in Co. Donegal, this Bar and Restaurant enjoys unrivalled scenic beauty. Nearest Beach is just one minute walk away." Leo's Tavern, Crolly, Gweedore "Leo’s Tavern is renowned for its music being the birth place of world famous musical talents Enya, Clannad and Moya Brennan.The proprietor Bartley Brennan is Leo Brennan’s youngest son and Leo himself continues to entertain the locals and tourists regularly." Nancy's Bar, Ardara "Nancy’s is an old family owned pub in the heritage town of Ardara – which is also the home of Donegal Tweed. The bar is in the McHugh family ownership for 7 generations, it’s called after our great great great grandmother who ran the pub during the famine years and Victorian era." The Beachcomber, Rathmullan "The Beachcomber Bar is a long established pub located in the popular seaside resort of Rathmullan in North Donegal. The bar has a fabulous setting on the sea front and enjoys panoramic views over Lough Swilly towards Inch Island and the Inishowen Peninsula. These superb views can also be enjoyed from the large beer garden." The Bayview, Dungloe "The Bayview Bar Dungloe is a family run business in the heart of the Gaeltacht Rosses.Totally refurbished and reopened in June 2007, the Bayview has been growing from strength to strength and is very much the hub of Dungloe’s social scene." The Traveller's Inn, Milford "The Traveller’s Inn is a family run bar and restaurant by Michael and Louise McBride, located in the small town of Milford, northwest Donegal. Milford (Baile na nGallóglach – Town of the Gallowglasses) is a gateway to some of Donegal’s top tourist attractions Established in 1867 is the oldest public house in Milford and has become a popular bar, lounge and eatery with visitors and locals alike." The Tavern, Kilclooney, Portnoo "The Tavern – We are a small local pub that serves food in a family friendly atmosphere. Our hospitality & good food is renowned by locals visitors alike.One of our great features is the fabulous open fire that dominates the main bar. We have also added a large Decking area to the front of the premises where live bands perform during the summer period."

Fresh oysters in Nancy's Bar

The launch last night was a roaring success and Nancy's Bar was packed to the rafters. Fresh oysters were served along with tiny squares of brown scone topped with various fish including smoked haddock, mackerel pate, smoked salmon, and smoked trout. All were delicious but the star of the food show for me were the oysters which were bursting with the taste of ozone ("clean bracing air, as found at the seaside".).

Part of the initiative is that traditional Irish music will be available seven nights a week between the participating taverns which means that visitors to our county can not only enjoy a full week of fine Donegal sourced foods but great traditional Irish music too. In Nancy's last night local traditional Irish musicians entertained us giving a taster of the great nights to come in Donegal.

Traditional Irish music ~ an integral part of the DGFT initiative

To keep standards high in the taverns in the Donegal Good Food Taverns initiative, all participating taverns will be externally audited by independent auditors at any time and without prior warning. All taverns in the initiative will display the logo outside their premises.

I asked Enda to explain to me the elements of the logo and he explained it thus:

1. The outer rim is the base of an old beer barrel to depict a tavern.

2. The bird (not yet named but more information on this below) represents the idea "as far as a bird can fly in Donegal".

3. The knife, fork and chef's hat is to depict good food.

4. And the Fáilte, being the Gaelic (Irish) for "welcome" represents the welcome you will get in any of the taverns in the initiative and the 100,000 welcomes or in Gaelic, the "céad míle fáilte" you can expect in Donegal.

The beady eyed among us will also notice the little green map of Donegal behind the bird!

"The Bird!"

The bird. Yes, during the course of the launch this massive bird was wandering about. That's the good thing about Donegal bars, no-one turned a blind eye to a six foot plus furry toucan wandering about.

But he does have a use more than just his image on the DGFT's logo, or indeed wandering about bars. And a very beneficial use for the public, locals and visitors alike. He will be appearing at every major tourist event in Donegal for the summer and most if not all of the Donegal festivals. And here's the good bit: spot him and be first to telephone in to the number given on the DGFTs site and you win a prize such as a meal for two in any of the taverns listed. So take a good long look at the picture to the left here!

I keep calling him "The Bird" because as yet he has no name. This is another chance to win a prize ~ name the bird. Yes, you think up the winning name and you are in for a prize. Keep checking the DGFT's site to check to see what the prize is and how to enter.

Enda and the as yet unnamed bird

The website for the Donegal Good Food Taverns can be accessed HERE and you can follow them on twitter HERE or check out their facebook page HERE.

We wish Enda, Hugh and all the participating taverns the very best of luck on this fabulous initiative and a big well done for all getting together and working together to make beautiful Donegal an even better place to visit.

To read more about Donegal and view photographs of our county visit our site at WeLoveDonegal.

DONEGAL'S SAINT, COLMCILLE

2011-04-26T03:44:00.000-07:00

Donegal's saint, Colmcille (or Columba) has left his mark on many places around the county. He was born at Gartan in 521 AD, christened at nearby Temple Douglas and had his first education at Kilmacrennan. (As an aside to this blog post, it makes me wonder why then the film being made about his life is not to have even one scene filmed here? Norman Stone and Jeremy Irons please take note!).

Painting of St. Colmcille from St. Eunan's Cathedral, Letterkenny

I have a fascination with Colmcille. His life was so interesting and he was so talented and clever that it is hard not to be fascinated by him. I have visited all the sites in Donegal connected in any way with St. Colmcille, from all of the obvious ones (Gartan and Temple Douglas) and the more obscure, for instance a large Colmcille cross in a derelict church near Falcaragh, and of course, the beautiful and rugged Tory Island to where Colmcille brought Christianity.

I went back yesterday evening to the place Colmcille had his early education at Kilmacrennan. Just a couple of minutes outside the little village of Kilmacrennan there is a path that takes you to a place steeped in history. Colmcille was educated in the area around 528 AD by his teacher, Cruthnechan, and he later founded a monastery there (6th c-1129), a Franciscan friary was built there (1537-1610) and one of the walls remain to this day, the O'Donnell chieftans had their religious rites of inauguration here (1200-1603), and the ruins of the old Church of Ireland of Kilmacrennan (1622-1845) are still there.

The path between the Franciscan friary ruins and Church of Ireland ruins

My mission was mostly in connection with St. Colmcille and wandering along the little path between the ruins of the Franciscan friary and the old Church of Ireland ruins it felt strange to think that Comcille as a child and later as an adult probably walked along this very ground.

The river Lennon where it rises at Gartan Lake

The river Lennon, which runs through Kilmacrennan, rises at Gartan Lake and for the first time it struck me that perhaps Cruthneachan (Colmcille's first teacher) and the young Colmcille had travelled between Gartan and Kilmacrennan in a currach rather than on foot?

Franciscan friary ruins, Kilmacrennan

In the grounds of the friary ruins there are many graves, some ancient and some marking the final resting place of more recently deceased locals. The graveyard meananders along for a little distance and then seems to disappear. Walking to the end of the graveyard I saw that it didn't actually disappear, or end where I thought it did but rather it dropped down a steep slope with even more graves. It is so steep that I wonder how on earth they manage to get coffins down the slope at all. But they do and have as there are quite a few graves, again both ancient and modern, there.

The steeply sloped graveyard at the Franciscan friary, Kilmacrennan

I (very) carefully walked down the steep slope, between the graves to the old stone wall at the bottom of it. Looking out over the wall with nothing but countryside and sheep to be seen, I thought that the landscape was probably more or less (other than for a few fences) what Colmcille would have looked at nearly fifteen hundred years before.

The view which St. Colmcille probably saw nearly 1,500 years ago

It was quite awe inspiring to think this. And also how perfect that there are still places uncluttered by modernity? I paused here for a while, thinking of the boy that was St. Colmcille and how happy he was at this place. He wrote of it later:

'Half of my name from the church,

This I cannot deny.

Kilmacrennan my holy rest,

Leave it willingly not I.'

(The reference to his name ~ "Half of my name from the church" is the "cill" in Colmcille, the gaelic (Irish) for Kilmacrennan being Cill Mhic nÉanáin).

The warm spring evening and my thoughts of the early life of St. Comcille caused such a peace to descend around me. I happened to glance down and there at the base of the old stone wall, at my feet, were a little crop forget-me-nots. If I were a more fanciful person, it would have felt almost like St. Colmcille had somehow read my thoughts and placed them there just to let me know ... okay, I admit, I am a more fanciful person and I did think exactly that!

Forget-me-nots at Kilmacrennan

FOOTNOTE: For those interested in reading more about the life of this fascinating saint, I am working on adding a lot more about his life on our WeLoveDonegal website.

WHO EWE LOOKIN' AT?

2011-04-20T03:13:00.000-07:00

Driving around Donegal at the moment you can't fail to see all the lambs ~ well it is spring in Donegal after all. The fields are full of ewes with their single, twin, triple and in one case I saw down by Lough Finn in Fintown, quadruple lambs! The photograph below shows the ewe with her lambs although the fourth one is hidden from view here, it was definitely there.

Ewe with four lambs at Lough Finn

The lambs seem to interact with the other lambs in their field so well, a sort of ovine kindergarten if you will. You see little heaps of them on mounds leaping over each other, butting each other and generally having all the carefree fun of the very young. But in all cases there is mummy ewe nearby, munching away on grass but keeping a careful ear out for the calls of her off-spring.

Lambs at play in Donegal

Driving out to Fintown to take photographs at the weekend we had slowed down to view such a scene. Lambs in abundance, dancing and leaping through their field. The sheep saw us slowing down and immediately we caught their attention and they headed over to us in a great hurry. Of course this was a photo opportunity not to be missed and we pulled over and out I leaped with my camera.

Sheep and lambs rushed to the gate, bleating very loudly indeed. I know that all animals are more protective when they have young but I had the gate between me and them to save me from any possible "attacks". Any noise, like banging against the gate, made them take a step back but on lady (sheep) was not for turning and came right up to the gate, almost daring me to enter.

"Who ewe lookin' at?!"

She glared at me with her malevolent eyes and of course, delighted at all the sheep and lambs being up beside me, not to mention her cheeky face, I stared back and got lots of photographs of the "gang".

The lambs, being young, soon lost interest in the human at the gate and recommenced their play but the mother sheep continued to stare, taking their lead from the chief honcho out-front. The noise at this stage was almost deafening by the way. Ovine yelling of "GO AWAY OR ELSE!" I imagine they were bleating.

As I stood enjoying the aggression, that I know for a fact would have dissolved in all but the head honcho had I braved entry to the field and made a lot of noise.

A van drove up beside us and I knew he had to be the owner checking his flock. He was. He said he had to more or less continually, day and night, check his flock until all the lambs were born. He had lost a couple of lambs during the birthing process in the past couple of days. I never realised before that they needed so much human support to ensure a safe delivery of their young.

I pointed out the leader of the pack (flock) and we were laughing about her as she continued to hold her defensive stance. I said she was so aggressive and bold compared to the rest and he confirmed that she was indeed the one who would "attack" interlopers and was very protective of her flock.

So next time you see a field of sheep and lambs and think you would be safe to approach because you can't see a ram, remember this ...

... the female is more deadly than the male!

To view the photographs of Fintown and Lough Finn CLICK HERE

TOURING DONEGAL IN STYLE

2011-04-19T01:02:00.000-07:00

MGB Roadster

I met with a Donegal man last week who has recently turned his passion for classic cars into a business which allows the public a new and very stylish way to see County Donegal.

Joseph McCloskey from Killybegs has been buying and restoring classic cars for over a decade and knows his stuff when it comes to these beautiful cars. He is also passionate about photography and spends a lot of time out and about the county taking photographs to bring the beauty of Donegal to the world via his flickr photo site.

These two passions have now combined to bring us "Classic Car Hire", a car hire company with a difference: "Get away from it all in a stylish classic car. Chose one of our Golden Oldies and treat yourself to a day, a weekend or even longer, touring the fabulously scenic northwest coast of Ireland.".

Tour beautiful Donegal in style

Currently Joseph has for hire an MGB Roadster (This iconic sports car of the seventies is still as eye catching and classy as ever. Dressed in old English white with a contrasting red mohair hood and a dash of leather and chrome, it's the epitome of style. With the top down and the wind in your hair the throaty snarl of the 1800cc engine will urge you along country lanes.), a Mercedes 350 SL (The more prestigious Mercedes 350SL is a delight to drive, the power is smoothly delivered to all eight cylinders from the comfort of a leather clad cockpit. Images of eighties soap stars and pop icons jump to mind when you look at this car and its very elegant lines.) and a TR6 (This fiery British thoroughbred is a throwback to the days when driving really was fun. Nestled in a cockpit of walnut and leather you can savour the growl of the straight six as you buzz along country lanes.).

All three are convertibles thereby allowing the occupants to not only see and enjoy our beautiful scenery but also to enjoy the fresh Donegal air on their skin as they drive along our roads.

Hood down and ready to go!

Joseph can deliver your choice of car to your hotel, home, or even local airports if required and after a brief introduction to familiarise you with the car and make sure you are comfortable with the controls you can be on your way.

He even goes the extra mile and supplies a carefully prepared choice of routes that you might like to take, or just go your own way. Packed lunches can also be arranged if required. He also offers a 24 hour back up service should it be needed.

What a great way to see our county and what a great idea for both visitors to the county and also as a gift for a wedding, anniversary, retirement or birthday ~ or even a romantic day out travelling in style. Gift vouchers are available too.
CONTACT DETAILS
Joseph McCloskey
EMAIL: info @ classiccarhire.ie (close the space between info @ and classiccarhire.ie)
MOBILE/CELL PHONE: 00353-87-2052853

IRISH RECIPES

2011-04-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

I have been working hard on a new section to our WeLoveDonegal website ~ Irish Recipes. And it has indeed been quite hard work, and continues to be, as I research, make and sometimes re-make each dish before I am happy. The dish then has to be photographed and the recipe written up together with a bit of history where appropriate. Many people around me have enjoyed the results of my labours as they were pulled in as testers and so got taste, eat and approve each dish before it was added to our site.

My aim in adding the dishes was to try to give our readers the most authentic version of the dishes possible. I thought a lot about each dish and consulted with older people who remembered for me their mothers and even grandmothers making the dishes for them as children, in order that the recipes added are as near the original as is possible.

Another thing I wanted to achieve was to write up the recipes in as straight forward a way as possible. I do this under three headings: What You Will Need (ie the pans and utensils needed); Ingredients (I have tried to avoid too much fuss here, for example instead of saying you will need so many grams/kilos/pounds of say carrots I instead put is as, for instance, 2 medium carrots); and finally the Method where I have listed in what to do in numerical order. As I am writing the recipes I have my notepad and pen beside me (usually covered in flour, butter, or other food stuff!) and list what I am doing as I do it and then write it up properly later.

During my research as I said above, I find out from others what they think their own mother and grandmother would have used. I also consider further what would be available to the people of the time. To consider this for a while is actually a good rule of thumb when deciding which ingredients to use in any traditional Irish recipe.

Bacon and Cabbage

The recipe that kicked off our Irish Recipe section on our website was Bacon and Cabbage. I made it for St. Patrick's Day this year and thought it was the ideal dish to put on first. It is so popular (not to mention delicious) but there are so many untruths and misconceptions about this simple dish.

People confuse the meat. Some think we in Ireland eat Corned Beef and Cabbage. We don't. Or at least, most of us don't. Corned beef here may be used from time to time but it is usually of the sliced variety and put between two slices of bread to make a corned beef sandwich. Corned beef is probably an Irish dish but it only came to popularity after the Famine when many Irish went to America and found that beef, which had been almost impossible to get in Ireland as it was far too expensive for the majority, was much easier to get in America. But these people were thrifty from having to stretch out whatever was available to eat and so they cured the beef they got in the same way the pork had been cured in Ireland. To preserve it and so make it last longer. And that is where the idea for Corned Beef and Cabbage more than likely comes from.

The meat used in traditional Bacon and Cabbage is cured pork taken from the shoulder or the back of the pig whereas bacon in America is usually taken from the belly of the pig.

Some say the cabbage, which should ALWAYS be of the dark green variety, was cooked for hours on end with the bacon joint. That may or may not have been so, but in my recipe I only cooked it for a very short time to retain some crunch. I, and no-one else alive today, could possibly know how our ancestors cooked it so it is each persons option to cook it as they see fit. But in my opinion retaining the colour, and more importantly the vitamins, is paramount.

Speaking of Bacon and Cabbage I considered the idea of a sauce. Some say a mustard sauce (highly unlikely this was used by our ancestors), others say a parsley sauce, which I still doubt very much would have been used many years ago but at least the ingredients are things that would have been available.

"Shamrock" Sauce!

A lady from Donegal told me that as a child her father had always referred to the parsley sauce as shamrock sauce. At the dinner table he would say to her "pass the shamrock sauce", resulting in her spending her childhood thinking they ate shamrocks. I loved this story so much that I decided to rename the parsley sauce as used in my recipe "Shamrock Sauce". It has such a happy, Irish ring to it and I don't think I will ever be able to think of parsley sauce again without automatically thinking Sharmock Sauce!

Traditional Irish Stew

In the case of research for my Irish Stew recipe I found many, many recipes on the net purporting to be "traditional" Irish Stew. Some I knew instantly could not be traditional or indeed authentic because of some of the ingredients listed. So I sat down and actually thought about what people would have used.

My conclusion was that there were only two ingredients I could be certain of: mutton and potatoes. A third, pearl barley, was almost certainly used too. Just these three together and without anything else would have made a good filling meal. In relation to the meat, it would have been mutton as opposed to lamb. One, in days of extreme poverty and want no-one would kill a lamb to eat. If they were lucky enough to have a lamb it would have been kept because it would later produce more lambs, wool, and even milk. Mutton on the other hand is the meat of an older sheep, probably past her productive age and therefore a viable ingredient for a meal.

Cheap ends of mutton would have been used too. Why? Because many would not even have had a sheep to kill and so would only have been able to take the rough bits of the animal that those better off discarded. This is course is the history of many peasant dishes across the world, one of the best known would be beef stroganov, a Russian peasant dish which originated at a time in history when the fillet of beef, now one of the most prized cuts, was considered offal and therefore thrown away by the better off and only used by those too poor to obtain the more prized cuts of the time.

The secret to Irish Stew is in the length of cooking. The cheaper cuts of mutton, although tough if cooked for a short time, come into their own producing lots of flavour when cooked slowly for a long time.

One problem I came up against though is the problem in finding mutton nowadays ~ it is not really available which seems ridiculous but there it is. I spoke with my best friend who is a chef and he says that (here in Donegal) some of the Asian shops sometimes sell mutton so next time I make my Irish Stew I will visit them first. So I had to use lamb and the best cut for Irish Stew after mutton is neck of lamb (I used neck of lamb chops). As with mutton these are too tough to quick cook but after a long slow cook they produce the most delicious meat which almost falls apart when your fork touches it.

After the meat, potatoes and barley I thought that, despite what many recipes say, there would have been no hard and fast rule about any other ingredients ~ people would have used whatever they had to hand so it may have been carrots, onions, or any other root vegetables which grow in Ireland and maybe even the likes of wild garlic which grows freely in Ireland. So my advice with Irish Stew is to go back to what would have been available and not fuss too much about different recipes.

One person commented on my Irish Stew recipe "this is just exactly as my grandmother used to make it" and to me that was the greatest accolade for authenticity of my recipe.

Irish Apple Cake

The Irish Apple Cake recipe I used for our site is a sweet dish my own grandmother used to make for my mother and her brothers as sisters when they were children. It is quite a simple dish in that it's components are simply Irish soda bread topped with apples, sugar and cinnamon. It would have been served to adults with a big mug of tea. In earlier days it would have been made on a griddle pan but I used a bit of modernity and used a ring bound baking tin. This worked out well in that it kept the apples in place with no bother of them slipping off during cooking. Sometimes it is okay to update the old, providing of course that the new it is for the better.

And speaking of updating and new ... with all this cooking and reading of what people ate over the centuries in Ireland, I came up with my own original (and brand new) dish ~ Irish Cottage Pie. My eight year old grandson was one of the first to taste this dish as I served it up for dinner last night. He declared, totally unprompted, "This is the best dinner I have ever eaten!". I will tell all and discuss my Irish Cottage Pie (topped with another of my own inventions, Irish Mash) in my next blog post.

SPRING IN DONEGAL

2011-03-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

... AND THE WELSH CONNECTION

On Saturday we got out and about with our cameras for the start of spring in Ireland. I just love spring. Everything is so new and fresh and new life is budding and popping up everywhere.

Daffodils glowing in the spring sunshine

The day was glorious with blue skies and sunshine and all around were signs of spring: fields filled with new born lambs bouncing around, watched over by their plump mothers not yet divested of their heavy winter coats; the sunshine yellow of daffodils dotting roadsides and hillsides glowing against the budding greenery; the sun lighting up the beautiful scenery like some celestial spotlight; and the fresh, warm breeze blowing gently.

Sheep protecting their lambs

Most of the sheep we saw seemed to have twin lambs but in one field we saw three sheep surrounded by three lambs a piece. Twin lambs are cute but triplet lambs are even cuter. Two of the sheep were a different breed to what we normally see around Donegal and when we got home later I looked them up and it seems they are Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep.

Balwen sheep and lambs

In the picture above you can see the Balwen sheep and her triplet lambs. It looks like the mother sheep has six legs but I can assure you she had the standard four ~ the extra legs are her third triplet hiding behind mummy.

After a lovely morning and early afternoon taking photographs we returned home where I finished making the Irish Stew I had started earlier. One of the ingredients I added toward the end of cooking was leeks.

And as I added the leeks to the Irish Stew, it occured to me that the day had had a sort of Welsh slant to it: daffodils, Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep and leeks. Sometimes you'd just never guess where the events and sights of the day will take you!

MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACH IN IRELAND

2010-09-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

Donegal is home to the most beautiful beaches in Ireland and certainly home to the highest number of long stretches of sandy beaches in Ireland.

Ballymastocker Bay, Fanad, County Donegal

Indeed some years ago writers of the Observer Magazine voted the fabulous beach on Ballymastocker Bay on the Fanad peninsula of County Donegal the second most beautiful beach in the world, (pipped at the post by a beach in the Seyshells).

Ballymastocker Bay, Fanad County Donegal

The beach is huge, stretching all the way from Portsalon to the steep Knockalla coast road. A drive, or a walk up the hairpin bends of the Knockalla coast road brings you to two viewing points from which to view this spectacular beach, the first half to two thirds of the way up and the second at the very top of the road. From the top the views are not only spectacular but also a bit dizzying for those who have a fear of heights.

Inishowen from Knockalla coast road

And at the top of the Knockalla coast road along with viewing Ballymastocker Bay you can see all the way to another Donegal peninsual, Inishowen.

JAUNTS AROUND DONEGAL ~ DONEGAL BAY WATERBUS

2010-09-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

On Monday we took the opportunity to take a trip on the Donegal Bay Waterbus, something we had long intended to do but had just never before got around to. And am I glad we did ~ it is excellent!

The Donegal Bay Waterbus

What is the Waterbus? Basically it is an 80' long, flat bottomed, "sea safari" vessel which takes passengers from the pier in Donegal Town out into Donegal Bay on a trip lasting approximately an hour and a half. Boarding is a doddle ~ no climbing down pier steps or any of that scary stuff, instead there is a (carpeted if you don't mind!) gangway from the pier straight onto the bottom deck of the Waterbus.

Carpeted gangway makes for easy boarding and disembarking

We paid for our trip at the Donegal Bay Waterbus office which is located at the head of the pier on your right as you come down to the pier from the Diamond (the centre of Donegal Town). There is ample parking all along the pier but it can be busy at times and so take a while to find a space. Once a space is found you must pay for a parking ticket at one of the ticket display units around the car park (€2.70 for the day, .30 cents per hour).

Leaving Donegal Town aboard the Donegal Bay Waterbus

The Waterbus can only go out at high tide so punctuality is vital. You must be at the Waterbus 15 minutes prior to departure time WITH your tickets ~ you cannot pay on board. Therefore you should leave at least half an hour prior to the 15 minute boarding time to allow for parking, paying for parking and purchasing your Waterbus tickets.

The open upper deck of the Donegal Bay Waterbus

There are two decks on the Waterbus, the lower one is covered in and has rows of seats, a bar, a seating area around the bar and wait for it ... a little dance floor too! The upper deck consists of rows of open air seating. There are ladies and gents lavatories located on the lower deck.

The lower deck on the Donegal Bay Waterbus

The Bar aboard the Waterbus

The bar on the boat is full stocked with the usual choice of spirits, beers (bottled and canned), soft drinks, tea and coffee. The prices are on par with pub prices and maybe even a few cents less for certain things. I noticed that the mixers for spirits were 10 cents less than we had paid in a pub the previous night. I was pleased to see there was no rip off prices, which can be the case anywhere where there is a 'captive' audience.

We chose to sit on the upper deck so that we could maximise our photo opportunities and knowing that we would be taking many photos were happy to find two little secluded seating areas away from the main one. These are located at the back of the main seating area and to the right and left at the top of the back stairs.

View from the "best" seats on the Donegal Bay Waterbus

Once everyone was aboard, we set sail. The trip starts off with the usual safety talk, brought to us via the loud speakers dotted around the Waterbus and it covers such things as the location of life boats, safety jackets and so on. After this is over and the Waterbus is heading out into the bay there is a running commentary over the loud speakers of what to look for on the trip, interjected here and there with the odd joke. We were told to look to the right to see this, the left to see the other and so on for the whole trip out. This was excellent as there were probably many things we might otherwise have missed.

Donegal Franciscan Abbey

The first thing you see on the trip out is the ruins of the Donegal Franciscan Friar, which on dry land you can walk up to just past the pier to the left. The Waterbus however offers a superb view of it from the water. To read more about the history of the Abbey and view photographs of it click HERE

Emigrant victims' memorial on the shores of Donegal Bay

Along the shore we were shown the point from which local emigrants to America would have boarded ships to leave Ireland during famine times. I noticed a memorial near this point and after the trip asked one of the crew what it was and he told me it was a monument placed there by the people of Donegal Town to commemorate those who had died aboard the famine ships (coffin ships) which left these shores over 150 years ago. I got directions to it and we did try to get there but the road ends and it is all walking from that point, not something I would have necessarily minded but it was the warning the man gave about cattle there who might not be so pleasant that put me off venturing further! However, I did manage to photograph it from the boat so that will have to suffice.

The old coastguard station, Donegal Town

Before the emigrant departure point we were shown the now nearly derelict building which was once the coast guards station and later a hostel. It is now planned to turn it into a luxury hotel with it's own marina. What a fabulous location that will be.

Seals and their pups in Donegal Bay

The highlight, after the stunning scenery, for me was passing by, twice ~ once going out and once coming back, a colony of seals with their pups. It was wonderful to see them in their natural habitat and at such close quarters. Some of them almost seemed to be posing for the bank of cameras pointing at them from all the passengers!

St. Ernan's Island and boathouse, Donegal Bay

The trip passes by the seven islands in Donegal Bay, the Green Isles as they are called. Most are uninhabited but at least one of them is accessible by a causeway road from the mainland, that being St. Ernan's, on which there is an hotel.

Bell's Island, Donegal Bay

The views for the whole trip are spectacular and especially on a perfect sunny day like Monday was and, like us, many of the passengers spent their time taking photographs all along the way.

View to Barnesmore Gap from the Waterbus

On the return trip music was playing on the loud speakers and I assumed they were playing a cd until my husband went down to the lower deck to return our glass (we'd shared a Lucozade as carrying two glasses up the narrow stairs might have proven rather difficult!). He arrived back up to tell me that there was actually a man playing an organ and singing. Of course I had to see this and as we were nearly back in Donegal Town, we made our way down to the bar. It was surreal to see people, aboard a "sea safari" singing along with and even dancing to the music!

Our entertainer on the Donegal Bay Waterbus

I'd wholly recommend a trip on the Waterbus whether just to take the fresh sea air, enjoy the fabulous views or for people like us who love taking photographs. The atmosphere on the boat is great and the staff are friendly, welcoming and helpful. All I could hear from the passengers disembarking was "brilliant" and "fabulous" and other positive comments. Walking back along the pier to Donegal Town I spoke with some of the other passengers and every one of them agreed it was a great trip.

THE NITTY GRITTY

NOTE: The Waterbus is dependent on tide times so it is absolutely vital you ring the Waterbus office to check the times the Waterbus will be going out. Booking a few days in advance is probably best but even on the day you can check with the booking office for availability.

You can't pay on board so you must purchase tickets from the ticket office located at the start of the pier just down the street on the right from the centre of town.

You must have paid and parked FIFTEEN minutes prior to departure time.

PRICES (2010)
Adults ~ €15
Children (4-17 years of age) ~ €5
Student fare (must have student ID card) ~ €10
Group discounts available ~ telephone to arrange these discounts, where applicable, in advance.

To contact Donegal Bay Waterbus:

email: info@donegalbaywaterbus.com
Tel: +353 74 97 24010

To go to their website, click HERE

To view more photographs click HERE

To view a slide show of our trip click HERE

WeLoveDonegal BACK ON LINE

2010-05-29T03:54:00.000-07:00

29th May 2010

Our website WeLoveDonegal is now back on line so please feel free to visit us and browse the site. Call back often as the site will be updated with new photographs and more information on a daily basis.

MY PHOTOS OF DONEGAL

2010-05-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Those who read my blogs will know I'm an avid taker of photographs of Donegal. One, I love photography with a passion, and two, I love showing people how absolutely stunning Donegal is and I can do that through showing my photographs on various sites and blogs.

So imagine my delight when I heard that the Irish Daily Mirror today had used some of my photographs of Donegal in a centre page spread they did showing photos of Ireland. I got the paper and was even more delighted to see that out of the ten photos they printed seven, yes, seven were mine! (To view the pics they used click on the link at the end of this post).

How's that for getting our fabulous county some coverage?

Added to that the Democrat on Sunday this week will feature my photograph of MacSwynes Castle and bay (shown below) in a massive centre page spread. And conincidentally, the photograph the Democrat chose is the one I chose as the header for both this blog and the all new WeLoveDonegal.com site!

MacSwynes Castle, St. John's Point, County Donegal

If the photos help bring more people here to see the county for themselves I will be delighted. It is certainly paradise for photographers and artists and these people should beat a path up here to take advantage of our stunning scenery which in my totally unbiased opinion, is the best in Ireland.

PHOTOS USED BY IRISH DAILY MIRROR

JAUNTS AROUND DONEGAL ~ DUNLEWY CENTRE

2010-05-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday 23rd May 2010

Dunlewy

Today we took a trip to the Dunlewy and the Visitors Centre there ~ Ionad Cois Locha with the intention of taking their boat trip out onto Dunlewy Lake in order to get some photographs of Errigal and the surrounding countryside from the water. I also wanted to take their 'cottage tour' to see what was inside the cottage. I love going into these old places, seeing how life was lived many years ago.

Other than those two things I hadn't really expected to see much else but boy, was I in for a surprise. The place was buzzing with lots of people enjoying an afternoon there. As well as the historical interest for adults, there is lots for the children too including a mini farm with donkeys, pigs, a lamb, various birds including geese, hens, rabbits, peacock and peahen. There's a small pond with pedallos, a climbing wall, a rodeo bull, a play area, and an indoor bouncy castle. The farm is free to enter and there is a charge for the other attractions. Our tour of the cottage and the boat trip came to €10 each.

The cottage and our guide, Francie Diver

The cottage tour, taken by guide Francie Diver, is of an old cottage owned in the middle of the last century by a weaver called Manus Ferry. He lived there with his brother who took care of the sheep who provided the wool for the tweed and their sister who ran the little shop beside the cottage. Manus' tweed weaving skills were excellent and he sold tweed to many famous people of the time including the late Tabasco Sauce millionaire, Henry McIllhiney who at the time owned the nearby Glenveigh Castle and the Glenveigh Estate. (Mr. McIllhiney later gifted ownership of the castle and the estate to the Irish state). The coat woven by Manus Ferry and owned by Henry McIllhiney is on display in the cottage together with a photograph showing Mr. McIllhiney wearing the coat.

The tour starts off with a short slide show lasting about five minutes which gives a history of the area and later of the cottage and the Ferry family. Next Francie gave a display of how raw wool was worked with and then spun on one of the two old looms there to eventually end up as bales of wool for knitting such items of clothing such as socks and jumpers.

After this display we moved on the the hand loom and the display of how the tweed was made was given, again by the multi-talented Francie. I have to say you would need real concentration and co-ordination to work this beast of a loom but Francie made it look deceptively easy. As he was displaying to us how the loom worked, he managed to produce about an 8" length of tweed, speaking all the way through!

Cottage interior ~ note the bed to the left of the hearth

Moving on from there we entered the cottage itself and what we would call today the living room. Walking in the old cottage door the first thing that hits you is the heavenly smell of a turf fire. I love that smell, evocative as it is of years gone by. The room was typical of these old cottages in that it had an open fire with lots of crocks and pans sitting by the hearth, a bed recess, an old dresser packed with all manner of dishes including bowls from which people would drink their tea at one time. There was the Sacred Heart picture with the little red light in front of it and even the china dogs on the mantelpiece. An old table beside the window where the family would have eaten completed the room.

Something very special there is an original pair of a childs hobnailed boots in almost perfect condition. These little boots, also called tackety boots, were handmade from leather and then had a sole of a metal plate and hobnails (flat headed nails) added in order that the boots would last longer. If you look closely at the photograph (click to enlarge it) you can see a series of little cuts around the top of the boot. These were done to make them more comfortable around the ankle as the leather is very stiff on them and would otherwise have cut in to the wearers flesh. Apparently these were found by someone in an attic in nearby Gortahork and donated to the Center.

After this room we went to what would have been called 'the upper room' in days gone by, a good name as it is a room up from the main room and through a latched door to the side of the fireplace. This room contained a bed, a small handmade wooded crib on rockers and various other bedroom paraphernalia. The coat woven by Manus hangs on the edge of the wardrobe in this room. If you look at the photograph to the left here, you can see the photo of Henry McIllhiney wearing the coat.

Moving back down through the living room and through a door on the opposite wall, we entered the 'lower room' or scullery/pantry and this is full of all sorts of kitchen items such as an old hand worked washing machine, pandys which were cans for holding milk and hand made by travelling tinkers of the time. Indeed this is where the word 'tinker' came from, these travelling men fashioned all sorts of domestic items from tin and then sold them to the people whose villages they travelled through. There is also a selection of old dishes and jugs and even an old wooden butter churn.

The old shop ~ note the plough in front of the shop

That completed our tour of the cottage and we exited out through the half door into a yard where we could see the old tin shop that the family ran. Inside the wood lined shop there are many items still there from the days when the shop was open and the shop is more or less as it was. On the counter there are a few old books which list what various customers bought. I know from being in my grandparents shop here in Donegal as a child that such books were kept so the customers could collect groceries throughout the week and then pay for them at the end of the week. The value of such books today is that they show us clearly what people bought at the time and what they paid for these items.

Shop shelves

In the shop too there are various old 'bone-shakers', the name put on the black bikes of old. On the counter there is a set of scales which would have been used to measure meal and flour and the like and all along the shelves behind the counter there are boxes which would have contained such things as sweets, snuff, biscuits, which were sold loose in those days.

After leaving the shop we wandered around the little farmyard for a while and then made our way down to the wooden jetty to take the boat trip. Once on the jetty we waited with the other passengers for our 'captain' who turned out to be none other than ... yes, yet again, Francie! Once on the boat, which is very easy to get onto as it sits right up at the jetty so you literally just step on to it, you have the choice of a couple of covered areas with lots of benches to sit in and enjoy the views from inside or alternatively, as we did, you can stand in the uncovered area. Francie gives a running comentary on the surroundings and history of the area which is very informative. The trip in total takes about 30 minutes and travels from the jetty at the Centre right up to just in front of the old church.

Errigal from the boat

Back on dry land, we walked back to the main building. In here there are loos, a large gift shopping selling all manner of local crafts and gifts. There is a cafe/diner which serves snacks and meals. As it was nearly closing time (6pm) we didn't have time to sample the food so maybe next time.

I think the centre is well worth a day out for both families to take their children to and also adults without children in tow. It is rich in the history of the area but it is also a fun place for the children and we will certainly be back soon with our two older grandchildren who I know will have a ball there.

MAY IN DONEGAL

2010-05-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Mayflowers

Every month and season offers something special but for me, May in Donegal is extra special. Placed as it is on the tail end of spring and on the cusp of summer, the month of May seems to capture the best of those two seasons.

The hedgerows are bursting with flowers, the vibrant yellow of gorse in full bloom can be seen all over the hills, and the blackthorn is in full bud just waiting blossom. Fields and bankings are covered with primroses, daisies, buttercups, mayflowers, and many other tiny flowers. Bees are buzzing, gathering pollen from these flowers. Indeed they are so busy, they scarcely notice a camera getting up close to them.

In the fields too new life is all around. Sheep, cows, horses and goats are nuturing their young in the warmth of the May sunshine. And as we drove around last Sunday, I spotted a duck with just one little duckling following her along a little stream in the Bluestack Mountains. It was frustrating that I didn't get to photograph them but just seeing them was special. I am currently waiting to see cygnets and given the amount of swans we have in Donegal, I am hopeful of being able to photograph them at sometime this month.

A juvenile herring gull in Killybegs harbour

Perched up on a banking the other day, taking shots of buttercups and daisies, a scent hit me that I had not smelled for years. Wild garlic. I followed my nose until I found the source of the scent and there under some overgrowth I spotted the delicate little flowers of the garlic plant. I'd love to have pulled some but I am against taking things from their place, maybe another reason I love photography: I can 'take' what I see without ever doing any damage ... take only memories (and photos!), leave only footprints.

In May a couple of years ago, driving towards Donegal Town from Rossnowlagh I saw a field full of Shetland ponies, so of course had to pull over and climb up the path to their field to photograph them. Once there I was delighted to see a tiny foal. It really was the cutest thing, almost like a toy rather than an actual animal. They were a very curious bunch of ponies and came dashing over to the fence to me to pet.

One of the prettiest young animals I have ever seen is a little Spanish donkey. Not, I know, something one would expect to see in Donegal but a couple in Letterkenny owned it and were happy to allow me to photograph it. He was all long legs and huge, gentle dark eyes. And the fur on his long ears was the softest imaginable. I would happily have taken him home with me!

I was lucky enough to see a pair of goat kids and even more lucky to get this shot of them where they almost posed for the shot. They were in a field at the foot of Sliabh Liag (Slieve League), the highest seacliffs in Europe. They weren't a bit bashful and happily ambled about in front of me giving me lots of time to photograph them.

Of course it's not all sunshine and blue skies in May but the rainfall is softer than earlier in the year so it never seems so bad. I took this photo of apple blossom which is currently in bloom and I rather like the effect of the tiny drops of rain on the petals.

So, there we are, a glimpse of the month of May in Donegal.

For more photos of May in Donegal CLICK HERE.

BEHIND THE HEADLINES ~ THE BOG HOTEL

2010-05-17T02:39:00.000-07:00

Before I begin, a little about the Bog Hotel for those not familiar with the story behind it. Donegal man, Patsy Brogan, has for over four years been entertaining friends and members of the public in the comfort of his shed, welcoming them to his home and provding them with refreshments both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. His generosity and hospitality has become widespreadly known and as a result he has attracted many visitors, both local and from further afield.

His noteriety eventually lead to his prosecution by Donegal County Council for breach of planning laws and the case came before the District Court in Donegal Town on the 3rd of March 2010 when the Council argued that Mr. Brogan required planning permission for change of use of his shed to a 'bar or lounge'. However, on hearing the evidence, or lack of evidence, the Judge found that there was no case to answer and added that the situation was "most unusual" but that in recent times it was not uncommon for people to have a bar or lounge in their homes.

So, our trip to the Bog Hotel.

After wanting to visit the Bog Hotel for some years, we finally got to visit it yesterday (Sunday, 16th May 2010) after an extensive search for it through the hills of Donegal. We knew only that it was located somewhere near the village of Frosses in south Donegal. So we drove into Frosses and took a side road there which led us on a wild goose chase in what turned out to be the totally wrong direction. Back into Frosses village and out the Glenties road.

Driving along the main road looking for the Bog Hotel

I had seen photos of the place in newspapers and so I thought I might spot it as my husband drove along. After about 5 or so minutes driving, we stopped a lady out walking and asked for directions. She said to drive for another 10 or 15 minutes and we'd see the lane on our left and we'd find it there. Well we saw lots of lanes and even drove up a few of them but still couldn't find the Bog Hotel. Eventually, after an hour or so of driving back and forth and up and down dead end lanes, we decided to head to Glenties to see if anyone could give directions.

Of course I took the opportunity to get a few photos of this pretty village and it was lucky I did because during taking these photos my camera battery died which would have been extremely frustrating had it happened when we eventually found the Bog Hotel. Yes, I do carry other cameras but that one is my favourite and I wanted it for the big occasion.

We were getting a tad exasperated, tired and hungry at this stage so, noticing a sign on the wall of the Highlands Hotel advertising fresh chowder, in we went to enjoy some food and a rest and our friendly waitress allowed me to plug in my camera battery charger.

Chowder eaten, camera battery and our batteries recharged, off we set again. Ouside the hotel I spotted a man smoking and asked him for directions. He knew the place he said and gave us directions (you can see the directions from Glenties at the end of this post). His directions were good but probably best if you were familiar with the area. For us, they worked in that they lead us very close to the Bog Hotel, a nearby farm where the man there told us it was at the end of the the next lane to the right along the road. I'm nearly sure I heard choirs of Angels singing Alleluija at that point.

We drove up the lane and eventually found the Bog Hotel. Or what we assumed to be the Bog Hotel. A shack standing alone at the end of a track. It has to be said that the surrounds could certainly do with a bit of a tidy up and maybe even a lick of paint. That said, the whole jumble of the exterior probably adds to the whole attraction of the Bog Hotel.

There were a few cars parked in a totally random fashion around the shed and we figured we at last might really be at the Bog Hotel. But there were no signs so we couldn't be 100% sure. We got out of the car and could hear voices coming from within the shed and so approached the door. I didn't know whether to knock or just enter so I went with the latter.

You know when you step into a fairly dark building from bright sunshine outside? You can't really see what's there for a few moments? Well it was like that for a second and in suspended animation too as all conversation immediately ceased and lots of faces, barely seen in the relative darkness within, turned around to see who was coming in. I watch a lot of horror films and have a rather fertile imagination and for a second that fertile imagination ran away with me, screaming into my brain 'hills, miles from anywhere, strange people, trapped, RUN!'. But I got a grip of myself, not to mention a shove from my husband behind me to move on, and we entered the Bog Hotel. To be greated by a large German Shepherd dog. But he just had a little investigation and moved back into the room leaving us free to enter.

Inside the Bog Hotel

Time started up again, conversations resumed and as our eyes adjusted to the dim light within and I could see the place was fairly packed with all manner of people ~ women with babies, kids running around, groups of men, groups of women, couples, you name it. And everywhere flashes going off as people took photos on cameras and mobile phones, wanting a keepsake of their time in the Bog Hotel.

I recognised Patsy Brogan, the owner, from photographs I'd seen in newspapers and he greeted us in a friendly fashion before resuming his conversation with the people around one of the two large tables where he was holding court, surrounded by guests who were learning all about the history of the Bog Hotel.

At the far end of the room, around an 'L' shaped bar, another crowd of people were gathered, some sitting on high stools, others standing. We made our way there and as with Patsy, I recognised Daria from the newspapers. We were offered refreshments and asked for two glasses of Guinness. I didn't really think it was a gin/tonic/ice with a slice sort of place and so ordered Guinness. Unfortunately there was no Guinness either so after perusing the random selection on offer, we settled for two bottles of Carlsberg.

We managed to get a corner for ourselves near the bar and over the din of conversation and laughter I could hear an annoying tweeting going on and assumed it was one of those electronic things that make noises when people pass them. Then it dawned on me the tweeting was real ~ there was actually a nest of baby birds up in the roof beside me. You couldn't make it up!

The place is sensory overload, packed as it is with a totally eclectic collection of memorabilia, photographs, old tapes, dishes, glasses, furniture and so on. On one table there was cigarettes, ashtrays, a tub of spread, salt, glasses, and books. On a series of shelves packed with dishes, there was even a plate with an image of Pope John Paul II. And a huge photo of Elvis dominated the wall behind me.

The Stage

On a far wall, behind the stage, yes stage (with a piano and electric organ) was a huge poster of Manchester United. The furnishing consisted of a random selection of chairs, armchairs, tables, sideboards and cupboards. The randomness of the contents goes on: I spotted an old till (firmly set at nil), a karaoke machine, tvs, old coats, even a safety helmet (for what I have no idea). Something else made me smile ~ a batch of aftershaves in a glass fronted cupboard with the famous Old Spice taking pride of place. Yes, the Bog Hotel really is that random.

The atmosphere was better than many a public bar although it is not a public bar even though Patsy calls it 'the best bar in Ireland' and you're certainly made more than welcome. The guests all chatting freely with total strangers, in a bar that isn't really a bar, a hotel that isn't really a hotel, in the middle of nowhere, and far from reality all bound together by our adventure into the unknown. Even smoking, long banned in bars in Ireland, was allowed. All around the place there were ashtrays and even, in the way of Donegal wakes of old, loose cigarettes in little piles on one of the tables I assumed for guests to smoke if they so wish. The 'no smoking ban' doesn't apply here in the Bog Hotel where such rules go out the door passing as they do the hoards of people flooding through it.

A word of warning: though the German Shepherd, Benji, is friendly there is another dog in the Bog Hotel, Coby. Coby is rather elderly and sleeps on an armchair at the side of the bar. He is cross. Very cross. Do not disturb him under any circumstances. I nearly learned this the hard way when I leaned in too close to photograph him!

In the Bog Hotel even the opening hours defy the norm. Patsy says guests are welcome there any time, day or night. Now that said, I can't imagine having the nerve to roll up at 3am but I believe people do. This man is 72 years of age and when I was speaking to him yesterday he told me that he and Daria had been in Sligo Friday night, Longford Saturday night and had arrived home at 7.30 that morning and hadn't been to bed and still he managed to look as fresh as a daisy and full of life! He tells people he works 25 hours a day and when asked how he can do 25 hours a day replies 'I work my lunch break'. I don't know what he's on but I think a lot of us could use some of it.

One thing that comes over across strongly is the huge support for what Patsy did in and the success of his case. His back must be red raw with all the claps his back receives not to mention his hearing which really must be affected by the shouts of his guest saying 'well done!' 'great place you have here', 'we love it!' and other such positive acolades. Patsy is now standing for local election, fully convinced he will sweep the poll I might add. And judging by the support he was receiving from his guests yesterday, he might just do it.

Patsy and Daria

But before the election comes a much more important date for Patsy and Daria, the 1st of August next, Patsy's 73rd birthday, when they marry. They met when she visited the Bog Hotel with a group of friends on a day off from her job as a waitress in the Mill Park Hotel in nearby Donegal Town. Daria is Polish but their wedding will take place here in Donegal Town where not one but two hotels have been booked to accommodate the 2,000 guests expected to attend.

Well, 2000 and two, we now having been invited.

MORE PHOTOS OF THE BOG HOTEL

HOW TO FIND THE BOG HOTEL

As you have read, this can prove difficult so here's our guide for those of you wishing to visit.

From Glenties: Leave Glenties on the Ardara road and just outside the village take the left hand turn off signposted Donegal Town. Drive along that road for about 10 minutes and you will see a Jehovah Witness hall on your left, a very short distance after that there is a power station (pylons) on the left. The next turn to the right is the lane up to the Bog Hotel. Be warned, the turn off is on a bend in the road and care should be taken leaving the road.

From Frosses: Drive to Glenties and follow route given above!