Here's a first wave of highlights from my trip report. I'm uploading a few photos to www.flickr.com. Try looking at the slideshow at http://www.flickr.com/photos/43762537@N00/show/ You can read the captions by clicking on the images.

INISHOWEN PENINSULA
I have to say, we really enjoyed Inishowen. It has a great mix of spectacular scenery, great sites and very friendly people. We also saw more thatched roofs in this area than other; however, the Celtic Tiger has also had it’s impact with loads of new holiday homes dotting the coastline. Be sure to pick up one of the free maps of the area; it is very good at pointing out the sites. We wouldn’t have even stopped in Inishowen, but we were near the border and since I hadn’t changed any money over to sterling, we thought we’d slip into Donegal for the night and use euros. The sites were great and the B&Bs were a really high standard for a great price. Here were our favorite spots:

Grianan Aileach: We couldn't go inside this enormous ring fort because of conservation work, but the views from up there were fantastic, and the structure is very interesting.

Buncrana: This nice resort-type town was a great stop. Our B&B was right on the river and we could take the riverwalk to the castle and town centre. We enjoyed a very nice meal at The Cranberry restaurant.

Dunree Fort wasn’t open yet when we were passing through, so I can’t comment on that.

Gap of Mamore: Wow! We came over the crest and there in the distance was the ocean and the road wound down the mountain from there. It was really beautiful. There was an interesting holy well on the side of the road as well.

Leenan Strand: We drove down to the beach and enjoyed the low tide and morning air. It was very peaceful down there.

Glenevin Waterfall in Clonmany: Our server at the Cranberry recommended we stop. It was a great 25 minute hike to the waterfall (there’s a smaller waterfall on the way as well). The paths are well-groomed with packed gravel, so I’d say it would be wheelchair accessible too. They have some nice picnic areas set up on the route and the B&B/restaurant next to the entrance has great scones with cream and jam (we checked out their B&B prices and they were reasonable as well and the place seemed very nice).

Doagh Famine Village: This was one of the most interesting stops of our trip. The village is a homespun collection of “the old ways,” but it offers a very unique perspective on the famine by looking at it in a global and modern light. In addition to learning about the historic tools, customs and diet of the region, we left thinking about modern-day famines and asking ourselves how we are contributing to these conditions…many of which are similar to those that plagued the Irish. Also walked by Carrickbrackey Castle (just down the road from the Famine Village).

Malin Head: What a view from Ireland’s northernmost point. It was cloudy and raining when we were there, but that just added drama to the scene. The locals said that on clear days you can see Scotland. We hiked to Hell’s Hole. This was quite an adventure as the wind and rain made it especially treacherous. Down the road we stopped at the Wee House of Malin, an old hermit’s cave with a church ruin near it.

The ferry from Greencastle to Northern Ireland is very convenient.

INISHOWEN ACCOMMODATIONS
Westbrook House B&B, Buncranna: Great house right on the river. Hostess Mary Margaret Grant is an avid gardener and has the yard landscaped right to the river. There is a path just across the street that leads to the riverwalk which includes a butterfly garden, the angling club headquarters, a castle keep, big house, arched bridge and town centre. Breakfast was delicious and Margaret took very good care of us. Tea was available near the veranda that overlooked the garden and river. 40 euro per person. PH# 074 93 61067 (international # 011 353 74 9361067) mgwest@eircom.net

Admiralty House, Moville: Another great old house with views of the Lough Foyle. Our room was enormous, had it’s own fireplace and hostess Suzanne McFeely had the heat turned on, so the place was nice and warm when we showed up at her door. Breakfast was great and well-presented. We could hear a little bit of sound from a TV somewhere else in the house, but otherwise there was nothing to complain about. This home was not ensuite, but there were two large private bathrooms right outside our door. There was a sink and vanity as well as tea, biscuits and chocolate waiting for us in the room. 27.50 euro per person. PH# 074 93 82529 (international # 011 353 74 93 82529)

The Glen House, Clonmany: We stopped here for tea and would definitely have picked this place if we were planning to stay in the area. It’s a mix of modern design that still has old world charm. It has great views of the ocean and has a feeling of being in the middle of nowhere…even though there are several towns nearby. 43 euro per person. PH# 074 93 76745 (international # 011 353 74 93 76745) www.glenhouse.ie

More to come...

Corey,

Many thanks for posting your recommendations and photos. I agree with you that Inishowen and the Gap of Mamore are great. Few tourists actually get that far north. You probably had it all to yourself. What a pity you couldn't go into the Grianan of Aileach. The views are even better from the top of the walls. But I suppose they must repair things and that takes time. Although you would think they would do it in the winter when no one is around.

Michele

Corey,

You are much braver than me! I have never got up the gumption to cross the bridge. I can't believe that small child was playing on it. What could his father be thinking? Or not thinking. Great photos, BTW.

Tourism Ireland is having a contest that is right up your alley: http://www.shamrock.org/podcast/ Maybe you can go back sooner than you think.

Michele

Corey,

We stopped in Askeaton because we saw a sign for an ATM, and little did we know...While I was using the ATM, my husband was reading the signs in the middle square and decided that a tour might be interesting.  We went to the tourist office, and, just like you stated, she rustled up Anthony Sheehy.  It's not hard, he just lives in the green house down the street!  We started on the "full" tour, and almost three hours later, we had learned all that we could ever imagined about the friary and the castle.  What a fantastic man!  His memory is phenomenal, and he's quite a personality.  He told us about the town, about his background, his family, and his accomplishments.  His work is truly a labor of love.  The ruins themselves are fantastic, but he definitely made close to three hours seem like minutes.

                                                                              Pat 

Partrige - glad you too had a great experience with Anthony. Visiting with him was probably one of the highlights of the trip. For those who visit Askeaton and Anthony in the future, be sure to let him know the guys from irishfireside.com sent you and let him know he and his hometown have been the topic of conversation at irelandyes.com. He'll appreciate that we enjoyed our tour enough to tell the rest of the world.

Michele - you're right it's Dromore. I had it right in my Flickr caption, but must be typing too much lately...I'll edit in the previous post as well.

Melissa - it's amazing how fussy people can be when their room fall into the ocean

Ro: I suspect Grianan of Aileach will be under construction for quite some time. However, I would not let that discourage you from visiting. You can still walk around the outside and you still get the amazing views of the countryside. I still felt very satisfied with the stop (btw, there is no charge, so all it costs is your time).

Okay, now back to the report.

BETWEEN DUBLIN AND GALWAY
We ended up taking in several sites between Galway and Dublin (even though we were actually traveling north/south...we just happened to catch some easterly sites going north and some westerly sites on the way south). Many of these areas would make great stopover locations on the Galway/Dublin or Limerick/Dublin routes.

Tullamore: The folks at the Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre were so helpful and freindly. They were quick to make all kinds of suggestions for off-the-beaten-path sites. They also gave me some contacts in the area to make some inquiries to. Tullamore Dew whiskey is now made in Middleton, Cork, but the heritage centre has a nice mix of history and stories. As an exhibit designer, I can be a bit snobby about museums, but this one captures a nice homespun feel yet keeps its content clear and concise. Plus, you finish with a small shot of Tullamore Dew or Irish Mist.

Charleville Castle: we caught a glimpse of this gothic castle from the road and took a back road to get close to it. We ended up not getting any closer, but there was a nice-looking trail that appeared to be heading in the right direction. There were no  "no trespassing" signs, so we took a little nature hike, and it took us right to the front entrance. Ends up the castle is open for tours (and they are trying to start up some kind of school on the site). We approached the giant front door and rang the bell. We immediately heard an eerie little girl's giggle coming from inside. After a while, a guy met us at the door. He apologized that he didn't have a tour guide today, so he said, "you're welcome to look around all the rooms on that upper level." This place is AMAZING. The ceilings alone will knock your socks off. Parts of it are in a state of disrepair, which was even more evident when he let us see a few extra rooms when we asked about the "other" staircase.

The owner (actually, he holds the lease to the caste) was interviewing a Polish fellow for job while we were wandering around. He then told us he had to take his interviewee into town and told us, "You're in charge while I'm gone. Feel free to look around outside." While the owner was taking a call, we had a nice chat with the Polish fellow. He was in Ireland studying the trend of Polish emmigranting to Ireland (Ireland was one of the first EU nations to open their immigration to Eastern European countries, and there are a huge number of Polish in Ireland now). The student had lived in Arizona for five years, so he had several questions and insite about the US and Ireland.

We wandered around the castle exterior. The grounds are a bit of a mess. He must let people camp on the grounds because there were several shower shacks outside and hundreds of tarps in the yard. We then talked with a guy working in the garden who volunteers at the caslte in exchange for lunch. He was local and had a few suggestions of places we should visit. He also was able to give us some stories about the castle and the area. As we were outside, we also saw the mysterious giggling girl. I get the impression that the castle kind of operates as a co-op and the little girl, who had free reign of the place, was there with her parents.

I have to say that for those looking for an out-of-the-ordinary experience, this place is high on the list (it's right up there with the very weird Huntington Castle in Co. Carlow).

Belvedere House: We spent so much time at Charleville Castle that we didn’t make it to Belvedere House in time to see the inside of the house. We still wandered the gardens and checked out the folly which looked like a giant ruined castle that was built to block the neighbor (the owner's brother) from being able to see the home. This turned out to be a fantastic evening walk.

Beehive Tomb: In Bracklyn near Delvin, Co Westmeath our B&B host told us about a strange tomb only a half mile down the road. She had never seen it, but her son told her about it. We went to giant gates as instructed and walked down the road. Fortunately, an older gentleman was minding his sheep and was quite pleased to hear us ask about the old cemetery. He pointed us through a gate and told us to just follow the field.

We got a lot more than we bargained for in this stop. There was an interesting ruined church on the site and all kinds of old tombs. The most interesting was the beehive tomb. It really is a giant beehive and holds the remains of Robert Cooke, his brother Adolphus and Adolphus’ nurse Mrs. Mary Kelly (not sure what the story was there). Apparently one of the brothers believed he would be reincarnated as a bee, so his tomb was shaped like a hive with a hole in the top for him to fly out of after the transformation.

Fore Abbey: This was a great ruin to visit. It would make a great alternative to Clonmaicnois in high season…it’s a not quite as dramatic, but it has all these little details that make it more interesting…such as the seven wonders of Fore, which are all miracles that have landmarks attached to them, like a holy well, a prayer tree (or fairy tree…with little pieces of cloth tied to it), a money tree (where visitors pound coins into the trunk). There is also a dovecote (dovecotes have fascinated me ever since visiting Ballybeg Abbey in Co. Cork last year). On the way to Fore, we also stopped at Lake Ennell (Lilliput Adventure Centre) and walked along the shores.

Father Cahill’s Grave: We were also told about the grave of a healing priest. We had to ask for more directions on the way, but we finally found it in the middle of a field. The priest died in 1822 and the cemetery was completely overgrown…except father Cahill’s, which was covered with placed flowers and trinkets. As is tradition, we said the stations of the cross (or the ones we could remember), then one Our Father and one Hail Mary at the head, foot, left and right of the grave, and a Creed said over his breast. We then removed some of the clay from the top of the gravesite, replaced it with some nearby dirt (to honor the priest's wishes to never have his bones exposed) and took some dirt with us (Cahill’s parents raised clay). Of course as Liam scooped up some clay, he dug up a bone which was exactly the same size as his knuckle. We immediately crammed it back in the dirt and covered it. According to a local book, one is supposed mix the clay with milk for internal disease or mix a poultice for external. Talk about good, old-fashioned Catholic ritual. The book went on to document several cures attributed to the priest and his dirt. We gave the clay to one of Liam’s relatives who would appreciate the effort.

The book also included some old remedies. Those suffering from baldness, a "unromantic affliction" should kill a raven, burn it, mix the ashes with mutton grease and rub the resulting oinment on the bald patch. Those suffering "Burst" should contact a Mrs. Reilly of Drumcree for a cure. Natty Grey of Crowenstown can cure "dirty mouth" by saying prayers and "breathing" into patients mouth. For "vomiting" wash clean a fowls' gizzard, roast until it becomes powdery, put some of this in warm milk and drink...I'm not sure if this cures or causes vomitting.

Loughcrew Megolithic Site: This is a great passage tomb. It’s quite a hike to the top from the car park, but the views were great and the tour inside the tomb was fantastic. It’s older than Newgrange and lines up with two other ancient sites. It was just us and the tour guides there, so we only had the sheep to contend with.

Kilcormac Pieta: Inside the little church in Kilcormac is a statue of the pieta. When Cromwell’s troops were approaching, eight townsmen buried the statue in the bog. It stayed there for 60 years. The last of the men was in his 90s and on his deathbed when he had them cart him to the bog to dig up the statue. It’s a very nice statue with an even better story.

Emo Court: Okay, this big house is great. Designed by James Gandon (he’s a big name and designed several of Dublin’s finest buildings), the rotunda is considered one of the finest rooms in Ireland. The 98-year-old fella who refurbished it still lives in an apartment onsite, but tours are run by the Office of Public Works. Evidence that it is still used by the owner include the pictures of his family in the home and the martini cart in the sitting room.

Clonfert Cathedral: This church has an amazing Romanesque door and some of the wood and stone carvings inside are very impressive. If you’re in the area it’s worth a stop.

Bog Rail Tour: Not far from Clonmacnoise, the bog tour puts you on a train and takes you into the government-run turf bog. Think acres and acres of brown turf. You learn about bog plants and history and get to dig your own piece of turf using traditional materials. The turf harvested here is actually kept in a “sawdust” form and burned at the power plant nearby. They’ve improved their visitor centre, and I’d suggest sitting at the back of the train where you can ask the guide more questions.

Still more to come...

Corey...What a great report!  I "lurk" here on Michele's wonderful board, and don't add remarks very often. But you prompted me to reply and ask "Where is Charleville?"  It is so interesting, and Husband and I shall be in that area come next May. 

Michele, I agree with you concerning The Rock of Dunamase  We found it fascinating when we were there a few years ago.  No one else in sight, it was an eerie experience thinking of those days gone past.  That terrible Cromwell!!

Will be posting soon concerning our May trip  Thanks for a great website...Helen