Today was Sunday, so we didn't rush to get out of the house. The children played outside for a while after breakfast and we gradually packed up the car. Our mission for the day -- Donegal Town. We made a brief stop in An Charraig and assembled our picnic, our children and then headed down the coast.
On our way to Donegal the views were so spectacular that we stopped in Largy to appreciate the view!
Road signs in An Charriag
The view from Largy: Drumanoo Head with St. John's Point in the background
We arrived in Donegal at 11 AM and headed directly to Donegal Castle. We were happily surprised when we were only charged for the adults (€8) and not for the children. This tower house castle was built in 1474 by Red Hugh O'Donnell and was renovated in 1614 by Sir Basil Brooke.
Donegal Castle
It has some nice furnishings and the wooden staircases that would have been in the castle are there (unlike most castles) including some tapestries and Persian rugs. The children had a fantastic time. It is a nice castle, but anyone on a tour of the entire island has likely seen many better. For us though, it was a nice day out.
Basil Brooke's addition to the castle
Donegal Friary
After about an hour at the Castle, we headed to see the Abbey. Donegal Friary was founded in 1474 by Red Hugh O'Donnell (the same man who built the Castle) and rebuilt by the 2nd Red Hugh O'Donnell in 1588. Originally this Friary would have had the same layout as Claregalway Abbey (as they are both Franciscan) although it takes some imagination to picture it. Much of the complex was destroyed when it was used as a fort in 1601. The Abbey (as it is known in Donegal) is most famous as the site where work on The Annals of the Four Masters began. The Annals were a history of Ireland from Noah's flood up to present times (the 1600s).
Facing the cloister with the Chapel to the left
Once again the children loved being able to climb around and play in the buildings. Liam excitedly called it "a castle". I really enjoy visiting this place. There isn't really much to it, but it's located at the end of the pier (just keep walking past the Tourist Office) and is usually peaceful in addition to having some nice views of the Bay.
Liam investigates
The whole story in Irish
The view through the Choir window out to Donegal Bay
The Chapel of Donegal Friary
The door to the Choir must have been built for little people!
The gable of the Chapel
Inside the Choir
St. Ciaran's Holy Well is only signposted in Irish
When we were finished here, we needed some groceries, so we crossed the street and went into Aldi. We were not very impressed and ended up leaving without buying anything (it was more like a Costco than a typical grocery store). The children said that they were hungry so we ventured over to the Blueberry Cafe, but it was locked up tight (at 2 PM). We returned to the car intending to stop at Supervalu and Shine's Takeway in Killybegs. We were able to get what we needed at Supervalu and headed to Shine's only to discover that they didn't open until 4. So, we went back to the house for some frozen fries.
St. Ciaran statue at the well
St. Ciaran's Well near Kilcar. In the right-hand corner you can see an early Christian Cross.
The stone mounds in St. Ciaran's Turas
After everyone had had their fill we headed back out. We had two goals, both in the same location. St. Ciarán's Holy Well and the Shalwy Court Tomb. The Well was easy. It's signposted off the Killybegs road and is only a few feet from the passing cars. It is also the site of a Pilgrimage (Turas) on March 5th each year. Next to the Holy Well is an early Christian Cross Slab (6th or 7th Century).
St. Ciarán is also said to have built a hermitage here which I assume is the church in the stations and also the reason that stations are performed here. In a picture below you can see the stone mounds that are in the center of the Turas map (also below). From the mounds if you look down the valley toward the sea you can see the remains of the church. It is a roofless rectangular building. Local tradition holds that Kilcar used to be known as Kilkieran (Ciarán's Church). While we were looking for the Court Tomb, two other cars stopped to get water from the well (one man told his child it was for his "wee wart"). It was nice to see that it is regularly used.
St. Ciaran's Church, Shalwy Court Tomb, Croaghbeg Court Tomb
After extended searching Sarah spotted the tomb from afar, but we decided against making the trek all the way down in the wet, boggy field. As you can see from the photograph, this tomb is still is good condition. There are two other Court Tombs (all between 4-5000 years old) in this valley as well, one closer to the well is in poor condition and another (Croaghbeg) that is usually inaccessible due the often marshy conditions. In the photo, Ciaran's Church can be seen in the foreground with the Shalwy Court Tomb behind. If you magnify the photo you can see the Croaghbeg Court Tomb in line with the other two sites.
The beach at Muckross Head
We took the coast road back to Cill Charthaigh, and were glad that we did! The scenery was breathtaking, especially Muckross Head. The coast road on the east of Cill Charthaigh is a much easier drive than the one west of town.
The view from Muckross Head
We then returned home and began our meal and bedtime rituals. It certainly was another wonderful day. Sarah and I are both already sad that we are leaving in only a few days!
Gaeilge Experience: Not in the Gaeltacht for most of the day, so just signs, CDs, TV, radio and talking with the family.
4 July 2014
Fionnuala (2) still is having trouble sleeping. Each night she has coughed herself awake. So, most nights Sarah has ended up spending much of the night with her. By the time we were all awake, fed and ready it was again 10 AM. It was pouring rain today, so we decided to head to the Folk Village in Gleann Cholm Cille. This Folk Village was the brainchild of Father McDyer. McDyer arrived in December 1951 to a shrinking, dying, poor parish. Through his leadership and connections he led the creation of many jobs and got electricity brought to the rural parish. The Folk Village takes you through life in a village from the 1700s through the 1900s and includes information about Father McDyer and his role in the community.
It was a good choice! The guided tours begin at 11, so we did a self guided tour which allowed the kids to roam around at their own speed. Adult admission was €4.50 each and the children (under 7) were free.
The children test out the phone system
Liam (5) particularly enjoyed it. His two favorite houses were the school house (I played teacher and the children played student) and the house with the film because there was an old telephone system that the children enjoyed playing with. In all of the houses except for those two buildings, the items were very old so there is no touching allowed. Everything is posted bilingually (even a couple that were only in Irish) and Liam loved reading the signs in Irish. The woman in the shop happily spoke Irish to me and bid us all farewell in Irish as we departed.
Splashing in the puddles at the Folk Village
We made a brief stop in the Tea Room for some tea and a chocolate bar for the kids and then headed back to the house to meet our friends,Eilís and Peter. We visited for about an hour, by then it was clear and sunny outside so we decided to conquer St. Colmcille's Chapel and Well again.
Turas 4: Mullach na Croise
We parked in the same place as yesterday and easily walked over to St. Colmcille's Chapel (we weren't sure if we were in the right spot yesterday, but Sarah spotted it from up the mountain). To reach the Chapel you have to pass through some gates in someone's field. Turas 4,and 5 are together. Turas 4 is known as Mullach na Croise (Hieght of the Cross). This station has a cross pillar with a plain Latin cross on a cairn.
The Latin Cross carved on the cross pillar at Turas 4
Séipéal Cholmcille
Turas 5 is Colmcille's Chapel (Séipéal Cholmcille). The site consists of the Oratory or Chapel and three cross pillars on top of cairns, and a large slab of stone on the ridge overlooking the valley. The Chapel is where Colmcille is said to have prayed and spent time copying illuminated manuscripts.
As you enter the chapel there is a slab of stone in the corner to your right hand side, this is Leaba Cholmcille (St. Colmcille's Bed). In the picture below you can see an alcove with some stones in it above the Bed. Pilgrims pass one of the stones around their waist three times and then lie on the bed and turn over three times. The stones are said to cure eye disease and migraines!
Leaba Cholmcille
Liam passing the stones around his waist
The kids loved laying in Leaba Colmcille and passing the stones around their waists. Tradition holds that this was the site of the church that Colmcille founded in 561. The current building is probably from a few hundred years later and most of the crosses at the stations date from the 600s or 700s.
As you leave the chapel if you continue straight you will see a flat stone that overlooks the valley. This is called Leac na mBoon or Leac na hAthchuinge (Flagstone of Request). It is here that pilgrims declare their focus for the pilgrimage.
Liam sa Leaba Cholmcille
The sign to the well
After the Chapel we headed to the Well. The well is off to the right of the track that leads to the Martello Tower on the Glen Head. The walk to the well is long for children and Sarah did not make it with Fionnuala. We all made it to Colmcille's Chair (Station 6) though which is on the path to the Holy Well. This is said to be where Colmcille sat and rested as he looked down on the valley. The sign is missing for this station.
Station 6: Colmcille's Chair
Liam and I made it all the way, but the path is small and uneven (and on the side of the mountain). He did really well even though it was a tough walk. Liam really enjoyed the well! We left behind our three stones, took a sip from the well and said a prayer. The views from the well are spectacular, but it was hard to take it all in because I was worried about Liam falling.
St. Colmcille's Well
Icon of Colmcille (the paint has worn off)
Cross carved in stone slab next to Well
Cross on top of Colmcille's Well (likely from the 7th or 8th Century)
Colmcille's Chapel as seen from his chair (Turas 6)
Colmcille's Chapel and Turas 4 as seen from his chair
All in all, I would do it again with a 5 year old but Fionnuala is too small to walk this on her own (it's too dangerous) and the walk is too difficult to carry her (it would be too easy to lose your balance). This took much longer than we expected (an hour for both sights), so by the time we were finished we were late for meeting another friend.
We picked up our friend and took the kids to the shop at Oideas Gael to pick out some books and DVDs. By the time we finished it was time to return to the house and eat. After dinner, Sarah offered to put the kids down so Éamonn (our guest) and I could go into The Rusty for a pint. There is a new owner at The Rusty who is English and he was behind the bar, so we did not attempt any Irish with him. We spent a while visiting at the house afterwards and then it was off to bed.
Gaeilge Experience: The Folk Village in Glen was full of Irish and the woman there was happy to speak it. She even initiated our second interaction as Gaeilge. We also were able to converse with our house guest who is a native speaker. The shop in Oideas Gael was all Irish. Liam spoke to the woman in Oideas Gael with no trouble and was able to use his Irish with Éamonn as well. This was the best day for Irish so far and something that we certainly couldn't have duplicated outside of Ireland.
Fionnuala had trouble sleeping again last night and refused to let me comfort her at all, so Sarah again was called into duty at about 2 AM. By the time we ate breakfast, assembled our picnic and got ourselves ready to explore it was 10:15 AM. Today our plan was to head to the north of Donegal. It took us about two hours to get to Gartan, including a brief stop at a shop in Glenties and a few wrong turns. The kids did well in the car, but were thrilled to get out. Luckily, they loved Colmcille's birthplace. They both investigated the large cross and the megalithic circle in the enclosure, while we all ate our picnic lunch. I think they would have stayed all day, but I wanted to make sure we got to see Castle Doe (that's how we got the kids in the car). The sight is signposted, but keep your eyes peeled.
Megalithic circle; protruding out the right side is the slab on which Colmcille is said to have been born
The 16th Century Church
A map of the complex
1 km up the road was our next stop, Colmcille's Abbey. I'm really glad that we included this in our trip! The abbey was built inside a ringfort and is said to be where Colmcille's family lived (and is also a possible birthplace) before later gifting the land to him for the monastery. I had never visited either of these Colmcille related sites and found the monastery to be a nice stop. As soon as we stopped, Liam (5) sprinted across the car park to the church with Fionnuala (2) right on his heels. I heard "Wow, treasure!" and I began sprinting across the car park as well before they could touch something! When I got inside the church I explained what all the tokens and offerings were for and each child then left a coin and we said a prayer. After exploring some more Liam said that he wanted to leave another offering, so he collected some flowers and left these as well.
Then we headed into the cemetery, but it began to rain a little, so we hurried to the furthest boundary cross, checked out the original abbey foundations and got in the car before getting too wet.
This is a still a pilgrimage site with five marked stations that I found (seven after reviewing my pictures later). The pilgrimage is performed between 9 June (Colmcille's Feast Day) and 15 August. The stations are as follows:
Rath Cnó Stations
Pilgrims begin by stopping at the Holy Well, removing their shoes and rinsing their feet in the outer well before proceeded to Turas 1.
Turas 1 - Inside the church
Turas 1: Inside the 16th Century Church. The church was built in 1532 by Manus O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell. He was a descendant of St. Colmcille and wrote the biography from which most of the Colmcille tradition is derived.
At this station pilgrims kneel and say the Station Prayers (5 Our Fathers, 5 Hail Marys, 5 Glory Be and one Creed).
Close up view of Turas 1
Turas 3: The top boundary cross
Turas 2:
On the side of the church building (the right-hand side as seen from the car park) there is a mound of stones. Pilgrims circle the mound three times while saying the Rosary, placing a stone on the mound each time. They then kneel and say the Station Prayers.
Turas 3: At the top of the graveyard is a stone cross marking the western boundary of the monastic site (The northern boundary cross is inaccessible because the farmer has blocked it off. Might this also could have been part of the original Turas?). Pilgrims circle the cross three times rubbing their back against the cross and kissing it each time around while saying the Rosary. They then kneel and say the Station Prayers. Turas 4: The 10th Century Abbey foundation
Pilgrims circle the graveyard saying the Rosary, then enter the graveyard gate and circle the 10th Century Abbey three times. Then they kneel at the Abbey foundation by the Turas 4 marker (next to a cross) and say the Station Prayers.
The marker for Turas 4
The foundation of the original abbey (Turas 4)
The foundation of the old abbey (the highest point)
An Turas 5: The Cross marking the boundary of the original abbey
Turas 5: The southern boundary cross by the church (next to the car park)
Turas 6: The Holy Well
Pilgrims circle the cross three times while saying the Rosary. They rub their back and kiss the cross each time, then kneel and say the Station Prayers.
On the way out we made a brief stop at the Holy Well.
Turas 6:Outside of the Holy Well
Pilgrims circle the outside of the well three times while saying the Rosary. Then they kneel outside the railing and say the Station Prayers.
Turas 7
Turas 7: Inside the Holy Well enclosure
Turas 7: Inside the Holy Well
After this, Pilgrims go inside the enclosure, lift water from the well and say the Station Prayers.
After this they return to the church, enter it and lift the stone which held the cross on the gable end of the abbey. They then turn around to the right three times resting the stone on the alter each time.
Once finished, Pilgrims return to the well and put their shoes back on.
Doe Castle
By now the kids were beyond ready for the promised castle! A short way up the road (near the intersection with the N56) we passed the signpost for Doon Rock and Holy Well but I didn't dare stop. Hopefully, I'll get another chance to see it. The trip to Doe Castle was quicker than I expected (20-25 minutes). When we pulled into view of the castle both kids exclaimed "A castle!" The castle was wonderful and is free! You can't enter the keep, but the kids were in heaven. It is in pretty good condition, this would normally have an admission charge.
Liam storming the casrle
Fionnuala storming the castle
The front gate of Doe Castle
Hoodie up to no good
More castle storming
Fionnuala enters the courtyard
The keep from the courtyard
The courtyard
Having a rest
The fact that Doe Castle is free makes it a "must see" if you are in this area and is a perfect fit for little children. We spent a long time running around the castle and then headed home. We decided to make the loop around the coast on the N56 through the heart of the Gaeltacht. It took two hours to get to Killybegs where we stopped at Melly's Cafe for an early meal. It wasn't cheap, but the fish is very good (Fish & chips €11 each, kids burger and chips €3). Fionnuala ate a bit of everyone's dish. After a stop at Supervalu we headed home for the day.
After everyone had had their fill we headed back out. We had two goals, both in the same location. St. Ciarán's Holy Well and the Shalwy Court Tomb. The Well was easy. It's signposted off the Killybegs road and is only a few feet from the passing cars. It is also the site of a Pilgrimage (Turas) on March 5th each year. Next to the Holy Well is an early Christian Cross Slab (6th or 7th Century).
