Donegal

Visited Donegal Castle in the centre of the town. The only part that has been restored is the tower. At one stage centuries ago the roof was removed to avoid paying the roof tax and it stayed that way for over three centuries. The stone fireplace in the tower survived in remarkable condition depite being open to the elements but anything made of wood was lost. Spent some time looking around the town and walked down to the bay, then on to our hotel for the next two nights. After dinner we walked back into town and went to The Reel Inn, well known locally for its nightly traditional Irish music. It was fun listening to the music (only one tune was familiar) but even more fun watching the characters in the crowd. Despite some of them being pretty much under the weather there was a sense of joy and cheerfulness about the room and everyone was just there to share a good time. It was still getting dark just after ten o'clock!
The days are long here - light at 5 a.m. and still light well after 9.30 p.m. Once again we were blessed with beautiful weather and the sun was quite hot in the afternoon. The standard greeting everywhere in Donegal is "you're very welcome to......" wherever it is that you are, be it the hotel, the castle or a local shop. It's a very friendly town.
Some shots of Donegal Castle and one of the bay.Read more