Ashwood Apartments Donegal

... time, and we were so glad that we went in spite of the weather.

We took the 3:30 ferry back to the mainland and drove about 20 miles up the road to our next stop. We’re finding that many places are closing down for the winter, and we felt our chances of finding somewhere to stay would be better in Bunbeg. Bunbeg has the smallest sheltered harbor in Ireland, and was the entry and exit point for the British during their occupation.

We found a ...

... was in the pubs or home in front of the TV. All week we saw pennants flying and flags waving as we drove through the various towns and counties. Each county has their colors, their flag, and their pride. This is a very big deal, and many towns had signs wishing their boys luck with the county team. It came down to Cork and Kerry in the final, and Kerry was heavily favored. It was reported on the news that some women from Cork crossed the border into ...

Our first road trip this summer took us to the outskirts of Fermanagh to a little village called Kesh. We met up with my dear old friend Philip who took us to the pier to see the lough close up. Then it was onto the view point to see out across the lough and after that we went to a little forest park with some castle ruins. A very picturesque day indeed.

... Now there is a huge basilica where people come in wheelchairs and on walking frames to be cured (“to gain strength and blessings”) of illness or disability or the infirmity of old age. The street outside is lined with tacky souvenir shops and there is a huge business preying on devotion which verges on the superstitious. The half-hour anointing of the sick before mass started with a procession which included a larger than ...

... out of the back of a little dark green hatchback, please stop and make a purchase. Sister also has holy cards, rosaries, hats in all sizes, and three books she has written about Ireland. Every euro-cent of your purchase will go to feed the babies.

We then took a tour of a sort of resort where groups of children kayak on the lake, climb rock walls, etc. On that property Sister found yellow raspberries which she will ...

... floor room, were spectacular. Due to a mixup in reservations the boys had a twin and I a separate double.

Dinner in a pub near the Diamond in Donegal Town.

There is a Famine Pot on the drive between Donegal Town and Rhu-Gorse. Apparently my picture of it was one of the ones that got corrupted and aren't usable. Interesting history lesson for the boys.

... made our way to Londonderry (Derry), the city of walls. This was a beautiful city, quite large in size and the city walls encircled the whole city. Whilst there we looked at the People's gallery which were 11 murals from the disruptions that Northern Ireland has been going through. These were similar to the ones at Belfast, painted on the sides of 2 or 3 story houses. They were all very good and full of detail ...

... room and shared a bottle of wine sharing stories and picking on each other's cultures. Shawn shared a bit too much when speaking of his visit to Thailand and the massage he received there, but we had a great laugh. If I return to Ireland I will definitely visit Donegal again and stay at the Ardeveen house with Shawn.

... flocks of sheep skittering along the roads.

By evening we had reached Letterkenny, a stone’s throw away from the border with Northern Ireland, and were soon in the midst of our now well established pattern of finding a B&B for the night before heading into the town centre in search of a reasonably-priced pub dinner.

Co Donegal

Killibeg to Donegal
Gotta love this city!

This loop, from Ballintoy to Malin Head and down to Killibeg then Donegal was a tough ~ 175 miles ~

Peace agreement was not observed between political parties, therefore, curfew is mandatory and we have to stay in house. That sucks!