Ireland - Day 11 - June 15, 2013

When you're traveling as much as we are on this trip getting a good nights sleep can be very hard to come by.  Well, last night I actually got a pretty descent night's sleep, save the drunkards who decided to bang doors at 2:00 in the morning and the ones who thought they would get up and get dressed at 4:00 in the morning.  The hard knocks of life on the road (haha).

The travels today would be taking us on into the town of Donegal and to see the Slieve League Cliffs.  Donegal was a quaint little town.  It was centered around a town diamond (triangle in shape).  There were lots of bustling stores around the diamond.  Our tour guide, Keith, stated that about 5,000 people live in the town.  Standing in the middle of the diamond and looking around brought back memories of how Greensboro was 25-30 years ago with stores bustling and the town packed with people.  They even had a Magees clothing store.  Finally, maybe a little ancestry to be found?

Donegal Town itself is famous for being the former centre of government of the dynasty of O'Donnell of Tyrconnell, who played a pivotal role in Irish history, and whose original homeland lay further to the north in the area of Kilmacrenan. From the 15th to the 17th century, they were an important part of the opposition to the colonisation of Ireland by England. The town itself contains Donegal Castle, on the banks of the River Eske and the remains of a Franciscan abbey which dates back to the 15th century on the Southern shore of the Bay. The Annals of the Four Masters written in the abbey in the early 17th century. The story of Aodh Rua Ó Domhnaill (Red Hugh O'Donnell), Lord of Tyrconnell, was the inspiration behind many books and films, not least, Disney's The Fighting Prince of Donegal (1966).

After the Flight of the Earls in 1607 the castle and its lands were given to an English captain, Basil Brooke, as part of the Plantation of Ulster. Brooke carried out major reconstruction work and added a wing to the castle in theJacobean style. The current plan of the town was also laid out including an attractive town square or Diamond. From the late 17th until the early 20th centuries, Donegal Town formed part of the vast estates of the Gore family (from 1762 Earls of Arran) and it while in their ownership that the town took on its present appearance. Donegal Borough returned two members to the Parliament of Ireland until the Act of Union 1800. Evidence of the Irish Famine still exists including a workhouse, whose buildings are now part of the local hospital, and many famine graves. (Wikipedia).

Donegal Castle

The afternoon had us snaking up small road that had me closing my eyes when we met cars.  The road didn't seem wide enough for a bus, let along meeting cars.  However, Joe (our bus driver) was a pro.  He traveled onward with such precision and skill.  The destination he was taking up to was called Slieve League Cliffs.  They rise almost 2000 ft. from the Atlantic, making them one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe and twice as high as the Cliffs of Moher.  As skilled a driver as Joe was, he could not take up all the way up.  The road was just too steep and narrow.  Therefore, we hiked the last 1.5 miles to the cliffs.  Might I add that that 1.5 miles was ALL UPHILL, a very steep hill.  My knees were screaming at me by the time I made it.  However, the view was worth every agonizing step.  Of all the spots I have seen in the world, both personally and through pictures, it was this spot that just proved to you how wonderful God was creating the Earth.  I was only going to go about half the way up, but I kept pushing on and I am so thankful that I did because I would have missed the sheer beauty of His creations.

Just about the time I thought I had recovered from that hike, our nightly accommodations would pose a new challenge.  We were scheduled to spend the night in Glencolmcille, County Donegal, Ireland, but our hostel cancelled on us.  A last minute reservation can sometimes be a shot in the dark.  Well, the hostel that we were able to book was about to be one of the most memorable experiences of the trip.  Our hostel was built into the side of a mountain and we had to walk up there.  Needless to say, we too up only what we needed for the night.  The views were terrific, but after the 1.5 mile hike up the hill my knees were in rebellion.  Once we got up, none of us came down.  It (Dorry Hostel) by far will gone down in history as one of the worst places I have every stayed.

That is our hostel...the white house in the middle of the picture...up on the hill!

The view from the hostel to the beach below

But, one great thing about staying here was that they did not have any internet so we all played cards and had a great time talking and joking around.  Times like tonight show how dependent we have, as a society, become on the Internet and our electronic devices.