Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [412]
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NORTHWESTERN DONEGAL
Few places in Ireland are more savagely beautiful than northwestern Donegal.
Humans have largely been unable to tame the wild and breathtakingly spectacular landscape. The rocky Gaeltacht area between Dungloe and Crolly is known as the Rosses (Na Rossa), and is scattered with shimmering lakes and clean, sandy beaches. Further northwest, between Bunbeg and Dunfanaghy, the scenery is softer but no less stunning. Offshore, the islands of Arranmore and Tory are fascinating to those eager for a glimpse of a more traditional way of life.
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DUNGLOE & AROUND
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A number-one pop song from the late 1960s, ‘Mary from Dungloe’, by Emmet Spiceland, helped put this little pit stop on the map. Each year the town hosts the 10-day Mary from Dungloe Festival ( 074-952 1254; www.maryfromdungloe.com) in late July/early August, during which a ‘new Mary’ is crowned, keeping the flame alive after all these years.
Apart from that, though, don’t expect too much from Dungloe (An Clochán Liath). Its standout feature is that it’s the hub of the Rosses, with ample services for anyone passing through this spectacular locale. The nearby village of Kincasslagh is far more picturesque.
The tourist office ( 074-952 1297; Jun-Sep, hr vary annually) is off Main St behind the Bridge Inn. The Bank of Ireland (Main St) has an ATM and bureau de change. The post office (Quay Rd) is off Main St.
Fishing for salmon and trout in the River Dungloe and Lough Dungloe is popular and you can get tackle and permits from Bonner’s ( 074-952 1163; Main St).
The nearest good beach is 6km southwest of town at Maghery Bay. Kevin Tobin, a former national surf champ, runs the local Dooey Surf School (Scoil na dTonn; 074-952 2468; www.dooeysurfschool.com; 2.5hr lesson €30; Easter-Oct).
The country inn of Iggy’s B&B ( 074-954 3112; Main St, Kincasslagh; d from €50; Jun-Sep; ) is a real treasure. Rooms are kept up with grandmotherly care and the downstairs pub is a right social spot that also serves seafood dishes. Nothing fancy, just heart-warming.
Rosemary Boyd has won numerous awards for her crafts and her biscuit making, and you’ll experience both at homey Limekiln House ( 074-9548521; www.limekilnhouse.com; Carrickfin, Kincasslagh; d with/without bathroom €70/60; ), which is adorned with her oils, tapestries and embroidery. Two of the four rooms have a private bathroom.
Getting There & Away
McGeehan Coaches ( 074-954 6150) runs a service from Dungloe to Dublin (€21.50, 4½ hours, two daily) via Glenties (30 minutes) and Donegal (€8.70, one hour). No transit serves Kincasslagh.
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BURTONPORT
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This pocket-sized port is the embarkation point for Arranmore Island, which looks near enough to wade to. Burtonport (Ailt an Chorráin) has attracted some famously off-the-wall characters over the years. In the 1970s, the Atlantis commune was established here, and practised a primal therapy that earned it the nickname ‘the Screamers’. Eventually it relocated to the Colombian jungle. Later, the three Silver Sisters chose Burtonport to live out their Victorian lifestyle, complete with Victorian dress. The village seems perfectly ordinary today, though it is pretty.
For fishing and diving trips contact Inishfree Charters ( 074-954 2245; www.burtonport.com). Alternatively, you can check in at the cabins by the pier.
Lobster Pot ( 074-954 2012; Main St; bar food €10-23.50, dinner mains €17-25; bar food noon-6pm, dinner nightly) sports a giant fibreglass lobster clinging precariously to its outer wall as an unsubtle clue to its menu of freshly netted seafood. In the timber-panelled interior, past the life-size pirate statue, jerseys adorning the wall clue you in to its obsession for football. Serious seafood fans can go for the seafood platter (€52.50) that’s ‘best for two, but one can try if they dare’, which is loaded with lobster, crab, mussels, salmon,