We’ve been to southern Donegal on past trips but never to the north. Wednesday morning greeted us with cloudless skies yet again – very un-Irish weather we are enjoying – so we decided to drive and ferry to Donegal. It was a short ride through Coleraine to Magilligan in No. Ireland where we got the hourly Lough Foyle Ferry at 10:15 to Greencastle in the Republic of Ireland. It’s only a 15-minute crossing. There were only three cars on this first crossing of the morning.
As we left the ferry we turned immediately north and stopped first at Stroove, a beach and lighthouse.
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Geography lesson: Northern Ireland consists of the six counties in the northeast of the island, still officially still part of the UK. No. Ireland uses the UK Pound for money and measures distances in miles. The Republic uses the Euro and measures distance in kilometers. Now, the northernmost point in all of Ireland is in Donegal which is not part of Northern Ireland but rather in the Republic. It sits on the northwest corner of the island and extends father to the north than the six counties of Northern Ireland. Confused? Reread and study a map.
After seeing the lighthouse we drove the back roads to Malin Head, the northernmost point in all of Ireland (refer back to geography lesson). We stopped at Five Fingers Strand along the way. This is spectacular scenery in a country that has plenty of that. Pictures tell the story. And we stopped (how could we not?) at the Ferran Pub, the northernmost pub in Ireland. We had pints and good craic (fun) talking to the bartender and the two local customers. Real characters all (including us).
Then it was a picnic lunch of sandwiches, chips, and cookies that we bought at a SuperValu (Ireland’s Safeway) in Carndonagh. We enjoyed them at a picnic spot overlooking the water and next to an Irish photo radar van (go figure!). A leisurely drive took us back to back to Greencastle for the 15 minute Lough Foyle Ferry (their motto is “Ferry Friendly Service”) ride back to Northern Ireland. We met an interesting family on the ferry. The husband and wife live near Malin Head and they had an aunt with them who had just celebrated her 80th birthday. She was Northern Irish by birth but has lived for 60 years in Somerville, MA and was here visiting. She worked for many, many years for Legal Sea Foods as a waitress, starting in the original Legal’s in Inman Square. The family also had friends that had lived in Melrose. Small world.
Dinner was at home. Smoked garlic steak burgers, with potato, cheese, and onion croquettes, and sliced cucumber. Gimlets, of course, preceded the meal. And Wolf Blass Cabernet with the meal. Delightful.
A couple of interesting sights along our travels today (courtesy of backup photographer Elaine):
you continue to take marvelous pictures…even the backup you’ve employed. I am amazed at the fine weather you have been having. Love the trip so far. Keep those pix coming.
When we were in Seattle, the owner of our favorite beer stop (Kell’s) is from Northern Ireland.