NORTHWEST WINTER

1st December 2020

Table of Contents

Day 1 Murderhole

Welcome back everyone! We had a busy few weeks here, we have a lot of online study programs in development, and we are so pleased to be getting lots of emails asking what trips to Ireland we will be doing when travel becomes an option again, so we’ve been doing a lot of planning! We will keep you posted, but we want you to start your Ireland Trip Piggy Bank NOW because we cannot wait to get y’all over here and do this exploring and rambling WITH YOU RIGHT HERE.
Our Northwest Winter will take you around Donegal and surrounds in the months of November and December. I expect you will be surprised by the weather- we do get blue skies and sunshine on clear frosty days, but we also get a lot of low cloud, mist and rain, and a very pale sunlight that renders the bare trees as skeletal – poor things are naked as babes, but they can look very cool. The other thing we get lots of this time of year are rainbows, and I’m a sucker for the rainbow, it always seems so magical, especially around scenery like this.
Rain and mist applies a lacquer to everything, rocks and shells have a sheen, the rivers and beaches are fluffed up with foam, stones gleam in busy rivers, and mushrooms fling themselves skyward overnight… as I keep telling you, it’s always beautiful.
You’ll see that I’ve traded the hiking boots for the wellies – for sure, the ground is guaranteed to be wet, and the standard uniform is the waterproofs, the gloves, the hat, the four jackets- once we are wrapped up, we’re good to go.
So to celebrate the beginning of the Northwest Winter series-n somewhere very special. This is a tiny little cove in Donegal known as ‘Murder Hole Beach’. It has the most amazing caves, only accessible at low tide, and the greenest waves and perfect sand. I could tell you why it’s called Murder Hole Beach, but then, -well, you can guess!
Stay with us right up until Christmas Eve, we’ll do a ramble every day! Enjoy, like, share, comment, have fun! x, 

Day 2

of Northwest Winter – and all we can tell you today is that it rained, and rained, and rained! So what you are going to see today are high and fast-flowing rivers, and the glistening of water on the winter woodland. Enjoy!

Day 3 

Day 3 of Northwest Winter, and we’re out and about on the backroads again, and along the way, we were faced with that deeply philosophical question – why did that chicken cross the road? I asked its owner, and he shrugged his shoulders and said ‘it’s a free range feckin’ chicken, she can go wherever she likes’!
Exactly.
Some old cottages, doorways & wintery scenery here. Weather’s supposed to clear up tomorrow, so hopefully we can check out the beach. We are very limited right now to 5k radius of travel unless we have essential reasons to be elsewhere, but we all have our fingers crossed that at next week, we can move around a bit more. We’ll keep you posted!
Enjoy.

Day 4 Thanksgiving

Good evening, and a very happy Thanksgiving to all our friends in the USA. As it’s a special day, we are bringing you to an extraordinarily beautiful place in Donegal. We’re off to Cruit (pronounced ‘Critch’) Island, which is a small and beautiful outcrop close to Kincasslagh. It is connected to the mainland by a small bridge, but other then a smattering of homes and a golf club (that, incidentally, is the most beautiful course that you have ever seen), it’s all wild grasses, hidden coves, strand, bog and big mad sky.
As we took in the staggering beauty of the island, we could smell both the peat fires burning, and the salty smell of the busy sea. We were thinking of our many friends in other homes all over the world, and hoping that you are equally surrounded by lovely people, lovely sounds, and lovely smells and sights.
There is a song, called ‘The Homes of Donegal’, and it was written by Séan Mac Bride, a musician from Cruit Island. It’s a truly lovely song about being far away from Donegal, – here’s a link if you want to hear a bit of it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeeJIWMC8qQ
Enjoy, and have a lovely day x

Day 5

Hello, I hope all our USA friends had a great day yesterday, and as I expect you are full of turkey and pie, we are dragging you outside for a very brisk walk on Cruit Island. I introduced you to the island yesterday, and today, we continued our exploration, up around the north of the Island. It was wild! You’ll see the foam flying here as the green sea churns and rises and collapses, and we could have stayed all day, but the sun began setting and the feet began to get very soggy. Then the rain came, but after the rain, a magnificent rainbow. Always always worth it. Off you go, and enjoy!

Day 6 

Day 6 Northwest Winter Hello everyone. I have a rather sad story to tell you about Donegal, I may have mentioned this before, but once upon a time, the county had a train service, which connected many of the towns (including Bundoran) to the rest of the country. They were important connections for the movement of goods from the small ports and townlands, and also for the movement of visitors into the beach resorts. It seems unbelievable that anyone thought it was a good idea to close down the stations and remove the tracks, but that, unfortunately, is what happened, and all that remains of the train routes are grassy banks and collapsed bridges. However, some of the routes have been redeveloped as hiking and cycling trails, and we are walking one of these today. It begins down at the sea pier at Burtonport, and wanders up to what was once Dungloe Road Station.
The line initially hugs the coast, and then turns up into the boggy hinterland. The colours are really astonishing for wintertime- there’s the faded yellows and browns of the bare trees and hedges, but there are also bursts of rambling roses, bright green ivies and hollies, lime-coloured lichens and mosses, and yellowey spruces. We had a nice fresh day, with clouds billowing across a blue sky, and the sun sinking quickly, lasering the landscape through the gaps.
It is very likely that these trains would have taken many people on a journey away from home, to cities far away, for work, and for an income to support the folks at home. Poignant to reflect that some of these views would have been the last glimpses of home for the emigrant.
Enjoy!

Day 7

Hello everyone, welcome back to the wintery northwest. It’s a grey old day today, so we went prowling around the hills, and I fell for one of my favourite subjects- gates and doors. I am fascinated by them, and all of the ideas that are carried within. Gates and doors are both entrances and barriers- for someone, they bring them into their own space, for others, they keep you outside. I mentioned before how doors and gates are used as metaphors by Irish poets, particularly Heaney and Kavanagh, our great rural poets. When I see old doors on derelict cottages, I’m reminded that they once were homes, and lives were lived behind them, and for so many rural Irish, we know little about them, or where they ended up. So welcome to a little stretch of road in the middle of nowhere, on a wintery Sunday morning. Enjoy!

Day 8

Northwest Winter

Happy Monday everyone. We are fast approaching December 21, the shortest day of the year, and for us up here in the North, we are almost permanently in a bit of a sunrise or a bit of a sunset. This evening is calm and still, and we were lured by the lakelands to try to capture some of that lovely twilight peace.
Enjoy

Day 9 ‘Rotten Killybegs’

Northwest Winter

Before the wrath of my Killybeggian friends explodes, let me quickly explain that the beautiful port town is anything but rotten- Rotten is the name of the tiny island in the bay, and was most likely named after Saint Rotáin, who, like many other early Irish Christians, sought the most Godforsaken and inhospitable place to build a church. Ireland has a huge number of early Christian ‘Saints’ – I put this in inverted commas, because most of them were not formally canonized by Rome, but were named as Saints by virtue of the fact that they established churches or monasteries, in carefully recorded annals specifically designed to show how many holy people Ireland had. Interestingly, parishes often kept their local Saint name, and named their (Irish) sports clubs and schools after them, which is why, as you travel around Ireland, you will find quite archaic Gaelic names – some examples for you (and bonus points if you can pronounce them correctly) – Saint Molaise, Saint Ninnidh, Sait Assicus, Saint Damhnait… the Irish word for ‘Saint’ is Naomh, pronounced ‘Nave’ and nothing to do with my name (Niamh) although it is one of the many creative ways people can spell it.
Back to Rotten Island. It’s not rotten, and it guards ‘Na Cealla Beaga’, or ‘The small cells’, which is how the name Killybegs evolved. The cells in question are again connected to ascetic monastic living- small stone huts where a holy person could make their way to heaven by living as uncomfortably as possible.
I love Killybegs, not least because of the wonderful hospitality there- you won’t meet nicer folk than Bernie and Michael in the Harbour Bar, and Mairead and Garry’s Boathouse Restaurant is just fantastic (and their Seafood Shack needs no plug from us because it’s always got a line of people salivating by the pier) – but I usually travel through the town on my way to Sliabh Liag, and I’ve never actually explored the other side, from the Rotten Island perspective.
So, this particular walk began out by Carntullagh, and as you’ll see, provided some gorgeous views of Killybegs across the bay. The route then went along a small country road, across the bridge and into the town itself.
Killybegs is the largest deep-water fishing port in Ireland, – Irish fishing, in general, has been adversely affected by supertrawlers and Brexit isn’t going to help, but Killybegs is still is still a leading fishing and fish processing hub, and its reputation for seafood shops and restaurants is going from strength to strength. As the sun began to set, and I looked over at the harbour, it had more than the look of a Greek Island about it, and I immediately thought about the Donegal version of Mama Mia – (Mo Mhamaí!). It should be done!
Enjoy 

Day 10  ‘Witches’ Butter’

During today’s walk, I spied a flash of bright orange, so luminous that I was sure it must be some sort of decaying litter, but to my delight it was a fungus, known locally as ‘witches butter’. Nature really knows how to sprinkle winter with a blast of disco when she wants. These little chewed-gum-like fellows were dotted all about, the more colourful of the many fungi that are popping up everywhere. I wish I could name all of the different types of winter shrooms, but I’m never 100% sure, other than some are funneled, some are brackets, and some, if you eat them, will be your last meal ever. However, there’s a few photos here of some monster-size lads that were growing underneath a fence- they seemed to want to push the fence out of their way, they were really big! I popped my hand into the photo just so you can get some idea of the size (and yes, my gloves help me count to ten.) Fungi are such wonderful and mysterious things, very present in folklore, mythology, superstition and traditional healing. They deserved this little set. Enjoy!

Day 11

Hello and welcome. We were very excited today, as we woke to snow-covered mountains, and couldn’t wait to get the boots on and up there to check it out. It’s our first snow of winter 2020, and we wanted to share it with you. Please enjoy!
#lovedonegal #snowday #studyabroadireland

Day 12 The Frosty Dartry Mountains 

Northwest Winter

 

We were up with the sunrise this morning (which isn’t as early as it sounds) but lovely light across the Dartry Mountains, – it was a short sprint as today’s a busy day, but really pretty! Enjoy.

Day 13

Northwest Winter

This is when Winter in the Northwest is at its best – Absolute bling! Early morning frost is turned into diamonds by the low, translucent sunshine, and the blue sky and blue waters of Lough Melvin (at Rossinver, County Leitrim), are the perfect backdrop for the dressed-up trees, grasses and wildflowers. Sparkling! Enjoy.

Day 14

 
Northwest Winter
Still raving on about beautiful frosty days, friends! It’s nippy, but glorious. This is Garrison, a tiny wee town in County Fermanagh, on the shore of Lough Melvin. I was on a journey to somewhere else, but was so arrested by the serenity and calm that I had to hop out and bring this to you. December 2020. Things will only get better. The lake knows!
Enjoy.

Day 15

Northwest Winter
Welcome, friends to ‘Sliabh An Iarainn’, which translates as The Iron Mountain – which is very ‘Game of Thrones’, right? Irish mythology tells us that the tribe, or Tuatha De Danann arrived in Ireland to this very place, and found the iron to make the weapons necessary for battle victories. However, the Iron Mountains are much more likely to be so called because Iron Ore was mined there since the 1600s. The deposits were enthusiastically exploited during the 18 and 19 centuries, but the industry collapsed after about the 1860s.
The mountain is almost 2000 ft above sea level and is located on the eastern shore of Lough Allen,on the River Shannon. Which means unbelievable views across the midlands of Ireland, which I’ve done my best to show you here. Enjoy!
Northwest Winter
 

Day 16 The River Eske.

 
The River Eske, (which literally means ‘Fish River’, flows from the Bluestack Mountains in the heart of Donegal, past Donegal Castle and out to the Atlantic. It is, as you would expect, well known for fishing, and the scenery at any given spot along the banks is beautiful. So let’s explore! Enjoy.

Day 17

Northwest Winter

Hello everyone. You’ll remember us sadly relating to you in other posts that the once thriving Donegal railway lines were all discontinued, and the tracks were removed. Today, while looking for something else, we spotted an old railway bridge, and realized we had found the old line that ran between Donegal Town and Killybegs Harbour. Absolutely magnificent views of Donegal Bay, the coastlines of Sligo & Mayo to the left, and Sliabh Liag to the right. It must have been a fabulous journey on a clear day. At the end of the photos I’ve posted the announcement of withdrawal of trains, and also a photo of the train at Killybegs (thanks to Hyde Park Now/ Donegal Railways). You have to walk it now, but still incredibly lovely. Enjoy!

Day 18

Northwest Winter

Beautiful blue sky Saturday December 12, we are in County Sligo, exploring the very Yeatsian woodland paths around Ballygawley Lake. Gorgeous shiny green hollies and ivies are everywhere, and still lots of autumnal colored ferns and leaves. Enjoy!

Day 19 Keshcorran Caves

 
I hope you’re feeling fit and keen today, because we are going on a hike that is both strenuous and absolutely fascinating. We are taking the road from the village of Keash, County Sligo, to walk up to a series of limestone caves in the west side of Keshcorran Hill.
The weather today was quite damp, although we did manage to dodge the serious downpowers- nevertheless it was quite muddy and slippy – we had the wellies and the waterproofs on. You can see the caves from a good distance, but as you ascend up the little path, the views over the Northwest are really gorgeous- even with grey skies.
As you can imagine, these caves are OLD- with evidence of human use going back to neolithic times, and animal remains dating back as far as 10,000 BC.
Some of them are connected, with weird and wonderful passages spooking off to the darkness. These caves (naturally) feature in many myths and stories, including those of our friends in the Tuatha De Danann, Finn McCool and the ubiquitous Diarmuid and Gráinne, (more of this pair later in the week, we’ll be visiting their bed.)
It was so worth the climb, and a bonus that we had them all to ourselves! Also note the lovely views over Feenagh Lough, which we decided was distinctly Ireland-shaped. Enjoy!

Day 20

Northwest Winter
Today, you’re not walking too far, but you are going to put your Irish history brain to work. We are visiting a wonderful and ancient monument, which, like so many other sacred spaces filled with secrets, is out in the open, and thanks to the kind permission of the landowner, quite accessible. This is the Carrickglass Dolmen, a portal tomb of really astonishing proportion. The enormous capstone of limestone weighs about 70 tonnes and sits perilously on top of a chamber formed by two parallel portal-stones at the front, two sidestones and a backstone. Even the doorstone between the two portals which closes the entrance, is still in place.
With its very own summer garden on top, this portal tomb is often called the ‘Labby’ dolmen, after the Irish word ‘leaba’ which means bed. I have mentioned the legend of Diarmuid and Gráinne before- two young lovers who were chased around Ireland by a jilted king – many of the large megalithic structures around the country feature in the story, as beds or refuges where the couple spent their time in hiding. I’m not sure how good a night’s sleep you’d get on top of this thing, but as Diarmuid and Gráinne were on their mythical honeymoon, maybe it didn’t matter!
You might not buy the mythology, but portal tombs date from about 4000 to 3000 BC, and were certainly important centers of burial rituals. Very often, their alignment was significant. This dolmen is orientated southeast, possibly aligned with dawn during the Winter Solstice, which is fast approaching us. To provide you with the best virtual example of how the alignments work in these sacred spaces, I climbed into the chamber, and you can see how the low sun was lighting it up. Thankfully today was not the day that 70 tonnes decided to fall 🙂 these stone age lads built things to last!
There are more than 100 Dolmens scattered throughout Ireland, in various states of repair. You also have cairns, court tombs, castles, abbeys and friaries, – Ireland’s landscapes really are living, open museums, and every townland has something worth exploring.
Enjoy!

Day 21 The Brent Geese

 
Today’s adventure is more of a story than anything else- with a busy day ahead, I was up at sunrise to see what I could find for your pleasure, before going to work. As it looked like it was going to be a lovely sunrise, I went to the beach, just here right outside the office. The surf and sky were really beautiful, but then, to my extreme joy, I saw that our winter visitors, the Brent Geese, had returned to Bundoran for their December vacation. Brent geese are very pretty, sturdy little fellows, and they come from much colder climates to soak up the balmy Bundoran winter each year- kinda like our Wisconsin visitors in January 🙂 Most of the birds that come to us have left Arctic Canada and Greenland, and they hang out in the estuaries and pools, surfing and swimming – what most people do in Bundoran on their holidays.
Now, the geese were on one side of the beach, and on the other side of the beach were a stumpy looking crew of seagulls, who, as locals, did not seem happy with this better looking influx of birds. The gulls made a few tentative incursions, but those canny geese took no notice, and when they were done pecking around the center of the beach, glided off with remarkable style to the dimpled rock pools.
Observing this drama almost distracted me from the waves, surfers and the dawn breaking, walkers appearing out along the walkway and the beach night lights going off, but eventually I dragged myself away from the geese to add a little bit of variety to today’s shoot. Please note, all you winter birds, if Bundoran is good enough for the Brent Geese in December, it’s good enough for you 🙂 Enjoy!

Day 21 9/11 

There are times when you find the most unexpected things on the ramble, and even though we’ve been doing this a long time, this was a first for us. We were in Ballymote in County Sligo, planning to visit the castle on your behalf, when we happened upon this monument. The pillar is dedicated to Brigadier General Michael Corcoran, who was born in Ballymote, Ireland, and was one of the commanders of the 69th Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. Corcoran was an interesting chap. Before the Civil War, he became famous for refusing to have his men parade for the Prince of Wales. Anyhow, the 69th mostly consisted of Irishmen, and was nicknamed ‘the Fighting Irish’ by Robert E. Lee.

While that explains an American Civil War memorial in a small Sligo village, the second memorial is really more important. It is a piece of the World Trade Centre, and was presented by the Michael F. Lynch foundation, in memory of firefighter Michael Lynch, who was killed in the collapse of Tower 2 while trying to save people. I was very moved by this memorial, – the fragments of the tower are a really powerful installation, but there is also something important in noting that Michael Lynch was not a fighter, he was a helper, a humanitarian. No disrespect to Corcoran, of course, but the bravery is of a different kind, I thought. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anam dílis.

Day 23 Ballymote Castle

 

Today’s walk was to Ballymote Castle, in County Sligo, built about 1300 by a formidable chap named Richard de Burgh. He was known as ‘The Red Earl’, due to a ruddy complexion, as far as I can gather, which isn’t surprising, because he was a busy man, fighting off Irish, Scots and occasionally, his fellow Norman-Irish, the Fitzgeralds. You can see, even from the ruins, that this was a very impressive fortress, and it changed hands a number of times during the frequent conflicts between the powerful families of Ulster and Connacht. Another red earl, our own Aodh Rua O’Donnell bought the castle in 1598, (for £400 and 300 cows- a good price!) and it was from here he gathered the troops for the march to Kinsale. Unfiortunately, this did not go well, hence hundreds of years of – well, you know….
This castle is in the centre of Ballymote, and the grounds include some interesting religious statues and sculptures. There’s also a very cool tunnel joining the castle grounds to the town. We were lucky with another beautiful, if early, winter sunset. Enjoy!

Day 24  Ballinafad Castle

Yesterday, we looked at Ballymote Castle, which was built around 1300. Ballinafad, also in County Sligo, is about ten miles away, and was built almost three hundred years later, but along the same ‘Red Earl’s Road’, which remained a strategic route through the Curlew Mountains. It was built by Captain John St. Barbe during Elizabeth I’s campaign agains the Irish Lordships. Our old pal Aodh Ruadh attacked it in 1595, but Barbe returned and occupied it until his death in 1625. Like so many of the great castles, it was abandoned in the late 1600s, and fell into disrepair. However, it makes for a very pretty ruin, and where would ‘Game of Thrones’ be if not for real histories of Red Earls and warring tribes? Enjoy!

Day 25 Outdoor Office

Today, we were back in Sligo, and distracted by an old country road, overlooking Lough Arrow. I found a chair 🙂 and later, a desk, so decided to call these photos the office set. This has been our office for the last few months, and while the dress code is not glamorous, the perks are well worth it 🙂 We had another beautiful winter’s day, and made the most of it. Enjoy!

Day 26  Ancient Abbey of Tarmon

One of the loveliest places in the Northwest is the much underrated County Leitrim, which is composed of lakes, valleys, mountains, castles and caves. There are some people here, but less than any other county. I can’t explain why, and if I didn’t live right beside Leitrim, I’d live in it…. anyway, during a walk around Lough Allen, I spotted a sign for the ‘Ancient Abbey of Tarmon’. Obvs had to check it out, and it was a rewarding visit. I couldn’t find out much about it, but I did enjoy one reference to its being occupied by nuns in the sixteenth century. They chose a beautiful place. Unfortunately it seems that they were ‘removed’ by Cromwell, so that probably did not go well for them. A little further on is a trail over the Corry Mountain, where you’ll find amazing views over Lough Allen. Enjoy!