Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [408]
Healthy soups, scones and other homemade fare is available at the Tí Linn Centre cafe Click here.
Getting There & Away
Bus Éireann ( 074-912 1309) service 490 connects Kilcar (€2.60) and Carrick (€5.40) with Killybegs and Glencolumbcille (€7.60) once daily Monday to Friday and Sunday (twice daily Saturday). In July and August an extra bus runs Monday to Saturday.
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GLENCOLUMBCILLE & AROUND
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‘There’s nothing feckin’ here!’, endearingly blunt locals forewarn visitors to Glencolumbcille (Gleann Cholm Cille). But, with some stunning walks fanning out from the three-pub village, scalloped beaches, an excellent Irish language and culture centre, and a fine little folk museum, chances are you’ll disagree.
Approaching Glencolumbcille via the Glen Gesh Pass does, however, reinforce just how cut off this starkly beautiful coastal haven is from the rest of the world. You drive past miles and miles of hills and bogs before the ocean appears, followed by a narrow, green valley and the small Gaeltacht village within it.
This spot has been inhabited since 3000 BC and you’ll find plenty of Stone Age remains throughout the collection of tiny settlements. It’s believed that the 6th-century St Colmcille (Columba) founded a monastery here (hence the name, meaning ‘Glen of Columba’s Church’), and incorporated Stone Age standing stones called turas (after the Irish word for a pilgrimage, or journey) into Christian usage by inscribing them with a cross. At midnight on Colmcille’s Feast Day (9 June) penitents begin a walkabout of the turas and the remains of Colmcille’s church before attending Mass at 3am in the local church.
Sights & Activities
FATHER MCDYER’S FOLK VILLAGE
A museum with a mission, this folk centre ( 074-973 0017; www.glenfolkvillage.com; Doonalt; adult/child €3/2; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, noon-6pm Sun Easter-Sep) was established by the forward-thinking Father James McDyer in 1967 to freeze-frame traditional folk life for posterity. It’s housed in a huddle of replicated thatched cottages of the 18th and 19th centuries, with genuine period fittings. The shebeen (illicit drinking place) sells unusual local wines (made from ingredients such as seaweed and fuchsias) alongside marmalade and whiskey truffles. Admission includes a tour. It’s 3km west of the village, by the beach.
BEACHES
There are two sandy beaches with brisk waves in Doonalt, immediately west of the village. At Malinbeg, a sheltered bay bitten out of low cliffs and filled with firm red-tinged sand, descending 60 steps brings you to another gorgeous little beach just down the coast road.
WALKING
A couple of signed loop walks will get you off into the blustery wilds beyond the town. The Tower Loop (10km, two to three hours) takes you up over some stunning coastal cliffs, while the more arduous Drum Loop (13km, three to four hours) heads into the hills, northeast of the town. Both walks start and finish at Colmcille’s church.
Glencolumbcille’s new walking centre ( 074-973 0302; www.ionadsuil.ie; by arrangement), next door to the fire station, offers information and can arrange guided walks.
Courses
Oideas Gael ( 074-973 0248; www.oideas-gael.com; mid-Mar–Oct), at the Foras Cultúir Uladh (Ulster Cultural Foundation) 1km west of the village centre, offers a range of ‘cultural activity holidays’ – adult courses in Irish language and traditional culture, including dancing, painting and musical instruments. The centre also leads hill-walking programs in the Donegal highlands. Three-day courses cost from €100. Accommodation can be arranged – you’ll have a choice of homestay or self-catering, with prices of around €20 to €40 per person per night.
Sleeping & Eating
The area has some excellent budget accommodation but places to eat are limited.
Dooey Hostel ( 074-973 0130; www.dooeyhostel.com; campsites/dm/d €7.50/15/30; ) This IHO hostel has character in spades. For one thing, it