Arriving in County Donegal

After a 4-hour cross-country bus trip from Dublin, we arrived in the town of Donegal. We took time to look around the center of town—all 3-4 blocks of the commercial/tourist district. The modest Donegal castle was open for tourists and the banquet room had been recently restored.

Of note, a small exhibit described a connection between the Choctaw Nation in America and the Irish in the 1800s. Not long after the Choctaw endured the Trail of Tears, they heard about the plight of the Irish who were suffering from the Great Famine of 1845-47. Feeling an affinity for their suffering, the Choctaw took up a collection and raised $170, equal to tens of thousands today, which they sent to Ireland through a U.S. Famine Relief Organisation. In 1990, Choctaw leaders came to Ireland to take part in a re-enactment of a famine walk undertaken in 1847. In 1992, Irish leaders took part in a 500-mile trek from Oklahoma to Mississippi. A plaque on Dublin's Mansion House that honours the Choctaw contribution reads: "Their humanity calls us to remember the millions of human beings throughout our world today who die of hunger and hunger-related illness in a world of plenty."

After a night in a B&B overlooking Donegal Bay, we met Seamus from Ireland By Bike and two fellow bikers on this self-guided trip around County Donegal. Fortunately, the overnight gale winds had diminished and there was a bit of sun (for a brief period). With e-bikes, the wind is a little less daunting, but we’re still getting rained on off-and-on. Today’s ride was a warmup 16-miler around Loch Eske on small country roads with little car traffic. We were stuck behind a tourist horse-and-buggy for a while!Read more