Fanadical

When I left Derry in 1980, my dream always was to return to Donegal, buy a cottage, and write a book. Like many people in Ireland and the UK, I love Donegal. So I drove mom all over the place for three days to share my enthusiasm.

Today started with a drive from Belfast to Derry, where we had tea with John Mulligan. John and I bought, trained, and showed horses together in the 1970s. He has a Pure Derry (TM) sense of humour and it was good crack to catch up with him. Next to the wee village of Muff for a visit with my sister’s friend, Heather, who brought a small American flag and reminded us it was the Fourth of July. Next to Fahan on Lough Swilly, where mom and I went for a walk on Lisfannon Beach, no pictures sadly. Next south to Letterkenny and north to Rathmullan, where we checked into Rathmullan House, pretty much directly across Lough Swilly from Lisfannon Beach.


I unpacked the car then we headed north along Lough Swilly--here Fort Dunree is on the opposite shore.

Donegal is a series of headlands. Inishowen Peninsula is in the distance, while we are on Fanad Head. Next stop Ballymacarrett beach:


The last time I was up here I made note of which beaches were easily accessible. Some you have to climb through high dunes but not Fanad beach, our next stop:

To the Lighthouse!


We had dinner in Port Salon, at the other end of Ballymacarrett beach from the earlier photo. Mom had herb-crusted salmon while we watched kids jump off the pier into the water--over and over and over.

The pier was to our left and to our right we had this view:

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