County Donegal
Donegal, the most northerly county in Ireland, extends along much of the north-west coast. It is a region famous for its scenery - with a beautiful, much indented coast, great areas of mountains, deep glens and many lakes. All kinds of rock, form a cave-riddled limestone to complicated mixtures of igneous rocks, make up the foundations of the county; and it is this that gives it so much variety of form and colour to the scenery.
With a two-hundred mile coastline and some of the richest scenery in the country, County Donegal has carved a wonderful niche for itself as one of Ireland's most characteristic counties. Roughly one third of the county lies in the Gaeltacht, as various signs and shop fronts written in Irish will indicate. The supreme appeal of Donegal, however, lies in the natural beauty of its coast, with windswept peninsulas, precipitous cliffs and a host of golden beaches that rival any in Europe. Blanket bogs, now rare anywhere in the world, also cover much of the county.
Renowned for its history and archaeology, the town name 'Donegal' means 'Fort of the Foreigner' and refers to the Vikings, who occupied a fort here in the ninth century. The county's original name was Tir Chonaill, meaning 'Land of the Conal', one of the twelve sons of Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Lough Derg, a small lake to the east of Donegal is popular with a host of pilgrims who converge on the town from June to mid-August every year. The pilgrims stay for three days on the small station Island; the island where St Patrick was believed to have stayed and fasted. Some 30,000 people turn up every year to participate in these pilgrimages, which involve a twenty-four hour vigil and one meal a day of bread and black tea. Those participating are also required to complete the Stations of the Cross in bare feet on the first day! Pilgrims can reach the Island by boat during peak times, however outside this season there's no regular service.
Glencolumbcille (the Glen of St Columbcille) is a collection of tiny settlements. These settlements date back to the Stone Age, as the huge number of megalithic remains scattered around the countryside indicate. There's also evidence of the Celtic era here, in the form of earth and stone works. Traditionally, St Columba founded a monastery here in the sixth century and every Columba's Day, locals commence a bare foot circut of the fifteen Turas found there.
A somewhat more frivolous destination, Bundoran is one of Ireland's most popular seaside resorts in summer. Just North of the town centre here, Tullan Strand is a pleasant blue flag beach. The Bundoran Equestrian Centre organise riding sessions along the beach.
