Blogs from County Donegal, Ireland, Europe - page 6

We left Killybegs at 09.30 and arrived in portnoo at 18.35. WE went ashore in afternoon to Killybegs. its a desolate town, a reminder of what it once was. today, all is quiet, supermarket closed, hotel closed, fish factory on minium. we walked 1k to garage to get diesel as fuel depot on pier was closed and luckily got a lift back from a local woman. she is married to a fisher man and was telling us about the changes occuring there. fishing boats now fish so far out it is easier to land in Norway and so no fish arrivibg back to Killybegs which is seriously affecting the local economy. we had a dodgy fish and chips and a pint and went back on board. we left Killybegs at 09.30 and sailed past rotten island ... read more

As the last of the visiting Americans departed the pristine coach, I watched as one by one they ambled towards the waiting craft shop and tea rooms, where piped Irish music reminded them that they had made it to the heritage town of Aradra, which sits on the edge of the Atlantic in Donegal, Ireland. The coach arrives each day during Summer, with different passengers of course, although mandatory name tags give away the fact that they are on a pre planned holiday. With limited time, they purchase the Arran jumpers on display and many look over at the nearby bars, but opt instead for the tea and scones on offer. On a a few occasions I have seen a few brave souls waltz into the heart of town, ignoring the craft shop and finding themselves ... read more

Hey folks, I am very late... again! We are now in Ballyliffin. It has been since we left Dublin. I will write about what and where we went since, in my next blog. This one is all about the greatest day of the year after Christmas. I should almost say a week. I have been to all sorts of festivals on four different continents, but I was really looking forward to this one. Did it match my expectation? Not really, alto it was great, but the parade was bad. Nothing is perfect though, the St. Patrick in Dublin is worth a flight around the world. For a really rare time, maybe the first time, I was well prepare. I booked a room at Isaacs for four nights, last year. But, before going to what seems like ... read more

Monday 6th September to Sunday 12th September 2010. Monday 6th Sept 2010 Looked around Londonderry, not much happening as lots of shops are closed as it is Monday, and they open Saturday and Sunday. We have noted that we have to make Mondays our catchup/rest day. Drove to Letterkenny and found Hymer dealer. Have booked in the motorhome for next Monday so went into tourist information office to plan the next week. Headed south to Belleek and found The Lakeside campsite by lake which is man made hydro system. Pelting down with rain and blowing a gale - but dam is overflowing - some good has come from it. The campsite was only just ordinary. Tuesday 7th September 2010 We left the expensive very ordinary campsite and full lake and stopped at a pottery place that ... read more

Geo: 54.66, -8.12Donegal, Republic of IrelandWe made a quick stop just outside of Strobane for a photo op of the 5 metal statues representing the unification of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland though the use of song, dance, and music. We then past some more small towns and arrived in Donegal at 12:45 p.m. We had until 2:05 to grab some lunch, site see, and shop. Now that we are in the Republic of Ireland, we no longer can use the pound notes of the UK, but European Dollars or Euros. So I had to go to an ATM machine to draw out some money. I found some items regarding the Bradley and Collins family and then grabbed a bite to eat. I went into a pub/restaurant and expected to hear Irish music. Instead ... read more