Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [427]
Rathmelton
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The first community you come to if you’re approaching the peninsula from the east is Rathmelton (Ráth Mealtain, also sometimes called Ramelton), a picture-perfect spot with rows of Georgian houses and rough-walled stone warehouses curving along the River Lennon.
The National Irish Bank (The Mall), by the River Lennon, has a bureau de change. You’ll find an ATM at the Esso petrol station, and another on Main St next to the general store. The post office (Castle St) is off the Mall.
SIGHTS
One of the restored riverside warehouses is home to the Donegal Ancestry Family Research Centre & Heritage Centre ( 074-915 1266; www.donegalancestry.com; The Quay; adult/child €4/2; 9am-4.30pm Mon-Thu, 9am-4pm Fri), which has an exhibition on the history of Rathmelton, and also does genealogical research. It costs €15 for an initial consultation.
The ruined Tullyaughnish Church, on the hill, is also worth a visit because of the Romanesque carvings in the eastern wall, which were taken from a far older church on nearby Aughnish Island, on the River Lennon. Coming from Letterkenny turn right at the river and follow it round for about 400m.
SLEEPING & EATING
Lennon Lodge ( 074-915 1227; www.lennonlodge.com; Market Sq; s/d €30/60; ) Above a lemon-yellow pub with duck-egg-blue trim, all but three rooms at this family-run B&B have private bath (prices for all rooms are the same, so specify your preference). There are laundry facilities and a large common room. The pub has live music Friday and Saturday nights, and regular darts competitions.
Frewin House ( 074-915 1246; www.frewinhouse.com; s €75-100, d €130-180, cottage per week €550; closed Christmas; ) Guests congregate for candlelit communal dinners (€45 to €50) at this vine-covered Victorian manor. Three of its exquisite rooms have private bath, and the fourth has a bathroom nearby. Take care entering the tight driveway.
Tanyard ( 074-915 1029; www.thetanyard.com; Bridgend, Rathmelton; 1-/2-bedroom apt per week from €350/400; ) Water laps the stonework of this converted Georgian warehouse, which sits right on the river. Its stylish self-catering apartments sleep up to seven people.
Bridge Bar ( 074-915 1119; Bridgend; mains €18-24; dinner) Just over the bridge, about 100m from downtown, the Bridge Bar is one of those lovely old country pubs you came to Ireland for. Its cosy 1st-floor restaurant has good seafood dishes, such as roasted swordfish.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Lough Swilly ( 074-912 2863) buses connect Rathmelton with Letterkenny twice daily from Monday to Friday and once on Saturday (€2.75, 30 minutes).
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INISHOWEN PENINSULA
The Inishowen (Inis Eoghain) Peninsula reaches just far enough into the Atlantic to qualify as the northernmost point on the island of Ireland: Malin Head. It is remote, rugged, desolate and sparsely populated, making it a special and quiet sort of place. Ancient sites and ruined castles abound, as do traditional thatched cottages that aren’t yet demoted to storage sheds.
Surrounded by vast estuarine areas and open seas, the Inishowen Peninsula naturally attracts a lot of birdlife. The variety is tremendous, with well over 200 species passing through or residing permanently on the peninsula. Inishowen regularly receives well-travelled visitors from Iceland, Greenland and North America. Irregular Atlantic winds mean rare and exotic species also blow in from time to time. Twitchers should check out Ireland’s Birds, by Eric Dempsey and Michael O’Clery, or visit www.birdsireland.com.
Moville & Around
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Essentially a couple of roads meeting beside a harbour, Moville (Bun an Phobail) is an elegant spot where nearly every building is old and well kept. It can be rather sleepy, but on holiday weekends tourists flood the town. Moville was a busy port during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when thousands of emigrants set sail for America from here. The coastal walkway from Moville to Greencastle takes in the stretch of coast where the steamers used to moor, and