Even in chilly late November a trip to Donegal in the west of Ireland is magical. The loughs and the coast, the valleys and the mountains have a sense of late Autumnal wistfulness. Tower house castles are of particular fascination to any tourist, historian or writer interested in Ireland's history. Donegal is where I spent many childhood holidays. Returning to the area for a four day trip, before continuing to Derry for a fire and light festival to celebrate the historical city's year as 2013 European city of Culture, was to see Donegal with a fresh vision.
We based ourselves in two locations , both beautiful. We stayed, first of all, at Harvey's Point on Lough Eske. It is a pleasant country hotel where the service is fabulous and the rooms comfortable. Our second location was a small hotel, Castle Murray, which looks over the inlet at St John's Point. Castle Murray is well-known for its excellent cuisine and romantic setting. This restaurant 'with rooms' is situated beside a Tower House Keep. The tower is now a ruin but it is atmospherically lit up at night.
I am going to allow the pictures to tell the story, though I shall leave Derry until another time as the city is deserving of its own pictorial story.
We based ourselves in two locations , both beautiful. We stayed, first of all, at Harvey's Point on Lough Eske. It is a pleasant country hotel where the service is fabulous and the rooms comfortable. Our second location was a small hotel, Castle Murray, which looks over the inlet at St John's Point. Castle Murray is well-known for its excellent cuisine and romantic setting. This restaurant 'with rooms' is situated beside a Tower House Keep. The tower is now a ruin but it is atmospherically lit up at night.
I am going to allow the pictures to tell the story, though I shall leave Derry until another time as the city is deserving of its own pictorial story.
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| Loch Eske where we begin. Our hotel is visible in the distance. There are beautiful nature walks here. |
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| Long strands, big skies, bracing waves and a surfer's paradise |
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| Donegal Castle is beautifully restored late medieval tower house It also has a Jacobean manor house. |
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| The Tower House is beautiful, as if it steps from a fairy-tale. |
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| The Manor House dates from the Plantation era, early 17th C |
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| Inside the Tower |
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| The Great Hall has a Jacobean fireplace |
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| Elegant windows grace this Hall |
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| The castle as it was in medieval times |
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| Portnoo Harbour where I spent my childhood holidays. |
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| The island was reached from a strand when the tide was out. We made up many adventure stories around this place. |
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| The Bay at Portnoo Harbour. Lobster and crab were fished by locals and sold at the harbour. |
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| Occasionally we stayed in the bed and breakfast above. Sometimes we rented a cottage for the month of July. |
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| Castle Murray Hotel at St John's Point has a French chef. |
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| Bloody Foreland where many ships from The Spanish Armada were wrecked. |
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| Another Tower House Castle. Castle Doe near Sheephaven |
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| Sheephaven |
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| Finally, Derry. But this is for another time
Carol McGrath is the author of The Handfasted Wife published by Accent Press and available from amazon as an e book and as a paperback. http://tinyurl.com/pfv9lsj
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