HOLIDAYMAKERS take note. Ireland is not short of interesting places to visit, for either leisure or academic reasons, and in recent issues of Hot Press we have devoted some space to summarising the attractions of Galway, Cork and elsewhere. For this issue we are taking time out to look up North to the chief town of County Donegal, Letterkenny situated in what many believe to be one of the most attractive scenic areas to be found anywhere in Europe.
Those of you who 'sagged off' the day they did geography in school will not be aware that Letterkenny stands on rising ground above Lough Swilly, adjacent to the point where the twisting Swilly River pours itself into the Lough. The statistically minded will be pleased to find that Main Street, Letterkenny is one of the longest thoroughfares in the country.
The hinterland around the town is refreshingly free of too many signs of modern man's ability to defile natural surroundings, and anyone making the modest effort to gain the high ground above the town will be rewarded with fine panoramic views over the South shores of the Lough, its nourishing river and the surrounding pasture and farmland.
The local Chamber of Commerce have made staunch efforts not only to attract more people to the area, but also to ensure that once lured they have ample reason to prolong their visit for as long as feasible. Evidence of their hard work is to be found in the form of their Visitor Information Centre at 40 Port Road, Letterkenny which offers information on the whole of Donegal and caters for up to 300 visitors a day in high season. all who call in are guaranteed a friendly welcome.
As a bonus, Letterkenny is an ideal base for anyone wishing to explore parts of Donegal county, with the highlands over to your West and Northwest, and the picture-postcard peninsulas of Fanad, Inishhowen and Rosquill further North. Strabane (17 miles) and Derry (21) are only a couple of hours away, while Dungloe, Glenties, Gweedore, Milford and Rosaphena are all equally within striking distance. There the geography lesson concludes. Now for some history.
Irish history buffs will be aware of Lough Swilly's numerous contributions through the ages. It got its name from Suileach (the Irish word suil means eye) a Loch Ness-style monster with hundreds of eyes said to inhabit the inlet. Fortunately St Colmcille slew the monster after a bit of a barney.
It was here that in 1587 Red Hugh O'Donnell was captured by Lord Deputy Perrot. In 1607 the Great O'Neill left Ireland from Lough Swilly during the Flight of the Earls. Nearly 22 years later a French fleet with 3,000 troops on their way to the Lough were unfortunately intercepted at Tory Island.
So a trip to Letterkenny is also a trip back into the island of the past, a fact reflected in the way the area drips with the music, song, poetry and stories of Irish culture.
WILD LIFE
Anyone wishing to explore Ireland's wildlife could profitably spend some time in Ballygarr Wood, only a few miles North of Letterkenny, an area rich in flora, old coppice areas and old field systems reverting to woodland. It's open all the time. On the eastern shore of Lough Swilly you'll find Rathmullan Wood, with a wide variety of plant species, and anyone whose imagination has been caught by the recent debate over the plusses and minuses of the state taking care of areas of National beauty can see the results for themselves in Glenveagh National Park in the Derryveagh mountains North-West of Letterkenny.
The Glenveagh National Park envelopes nearly 10,000 hectares of impressive countryside, including mountains, moors, woods and lakes, cut down the middle by the magnificent Glenveagh Valley. In the mid-seventies the Office of Public Works bought the lands from their Philadelphian owner. In 1981 the same owner, Henry McIlhenny handed over Glenveagh Castle and surrounding gardens to the Irish people and it is our largest National Park having been open to the public in 1984.
According to a 1991 survey the park boasts the cleanest air in Europe and it is believed that the area was the last part of Ireland to come under the benign or otherwise, influence of human beings.
Potential visitors to the Park should note that the castle is open every day for guided tours, but if you go there in July or August you need to reach your destination before 2 p.m. There is a free minibus from the car park to the environs of the castle, there are tearooms in the courtyard and a nature trail near the visitor centre. The visitors' centre houses displays, topographic models of the park and an audio visual show.
Admission to the park is ludicrously cheap at £1, and while you're there you might also like to visit the Glebe House and Gallery in the park's woodland gardens by the shores of Lough Gartan. The house includes items by Picasso, Yeats and Annigoni and items of local, Japanese and Islamic art.
Irish language enthusiasts, of which there seems to be a growing band, should take note of special Irish days (Laetha Gaelacha) organised in the Park throughout the summer and including Irish music, dancing and displays. (Phone 074-37090 for further details).
But one warning, the Park deserves a little time to see even a fraction of it adequately so don't rush your visit unless you really have to.
BREATHTAKING VIEWS
Just three miles from Letterkenny you'll find Castlegrove Country House on Ramelton Road. It's an impressive Georgian style 13th Century building a the end of a mile long avenue through a parkland of mature trees. From the sheltered location of the house you can enjoy a breathtaking view out over Lough Swilly.
Castlegrove has a fine reputation for the quality of the cuisine provided by their renowned chef, and one suspects that quite a few people pop in just to enjoy the house's fine log fires in their drawing room, tv room and dining rooms!
It offers excellent accommodation, all rooms en-suite, with direct dial telephone, hair dryer, etc., and as it is family owned and managed you can enjoy a relaxed homely environment. The Dining Room offers excellent cuisine from the simplest to the most discerning taste, with home grown vegetables and a selective wine cellar.
Castlegrove is ideal for anyone who can appreciate the peace, tranquillity, and the warm friendly welcome. While enjoying country living at Castlegrove you can either take a leisurely holiday, with walks through the grounds and estate, or an activity packed holiday, with golf, fishing (lake, river and deep sea), shooting and horse riding all available in the area.
All in all, it's an ideal centre from which to tour Donegal. There are attractive clean beaches within easy reach, Knockalla Coast Road and Fanad Head while the Atlantic Drive with breathtaking scenery is a pleasant day-trip. South Donegal with its cottage industries and other attractions will fill another day. Phone 074-51384 for further details.
REMARKABLE VALUE
An excellent alternative stop-over point is the Port Road Hostel situated at 24 Port Road, Letterkenny, above Cafe 24. The Port Road Hostel is remarkable value, with rooms available from just £5 per night. They have a television room, a bicycle store, free hot showers and complimentary tea and coffee. Even more importantly they have comfortable, luxury beds and you can book twin, single or family rooms. For those of you who prefer to travel with an independent spirit the Hostel has ironing and kitchen facilities and guests are given their own separate front door keys.
The Hostel opened as recently as May but has already proved itself a popular place. It's located conveniently to Letterkenny's nightlife and leisure centre, with a swimming pool, shops, a launderette and other essential amenities close by, including the Ethnic Clothing Company which stocks an unusual range of clothes.
While Donegal is well-served regularly by rail and bus and the roads are more than capable of handling the swishest car, you still might fancy treating yourself to a plane flight now that Aerfort Dhun na nGall has been opened to a scheduled service.
The airport is situated at Carrickfinn and it is possible to pick up a hire car there. Loganair now operate flights to and from Glasgow every day (except Tuesday and Thursday) throughout the summer. Charter flights can be arranged to Carrickfinn from anywhere in Ireland, and the new terminal building has a taxi service, bureau de change, gift shop, tourist information office and duty free facilities for international passengers.
You can get all the details you need by phoning 075 48284 (48232).
Local Heroes
If you have a sweet tooth, prepare to worship at the shrine of William McKinney who in 1927 started producing his own pineapple drops in a shed at the rear of his grocery stores on Port Road (now known as Tinneys). He started Oatfield sweets which are now exported to 80 countries.
Before the days of the Coughlans and the O'Sullivans, Danny McDaid was a true Irish Athletics hero. He ran for Ireland in the World cross-country championship in 1969, and was twice winner of the National Marathon in the seventies and represented Ireland in the Helsinki, Munich and Montreal Olympics.
The inauguration of the Letterkenny Folk Festival, this month celebrating its 25th anniversary, is believed to have been inspired by Tubby Reynolds, a keen fan of music and dance, and a key member of the Morrismen dancing troupe.
That's All, Folk
Speaking of which, the Letterkenny International Folk Festival takes place this year on 6th, 7th and 8th August, with a bill that nicely blends the international with popular national and local performers.
It is generally acknowledged that Clannad got a crucial career boost when they won a festival competition here long before they won fame on the world stage through the successes of 'Harry's Game', 'Robin - The Hooded Man' and Maire Ni Bhraonain's hit single duet with Bono, 'In A Lifetime'.
Other top Irish names to have graced the Letterkenny Festival with their artistry along the way are Mary Black, The Chieftains, Maura O'Connell and Christy Moore, while the ' overseas visitors' book has been signed by the likes of the irrepressible Loudon Wainwright 111 and Ralph McTell, composer of 'Streets of London' and 'From Clare To Here'.
Dancers from Africa, Russia, India, Italy, Norway, France and Britain have added much colour down through the years, and this year there's a plethora of music competitions to add spice to the three-day fiesta of folk music.
A USEFUL GLOSSARY
Whenever you see the word rath or lios, it generally signifies a ring fort, of which there are estimated to be up to 40,000 throughout Ireland.
* The names cashel and caher usually refer to stone forts. Some forts were used for military defence purposes, others as domestic enclosures or animal shelters.
* A crannog is a lake dwelling and usually looks like a small island. Some were lived in as recently as medieval times.
* A dolmen generally means a megalithic monument built on a number of boulders or slabs.
* A cairn is a heap of loose stones often intended to denote a burial site, while a cist is a simpler form of box-like burial chamber.
* A gallan is a stone pillar or standing stone. Some merely mark boundaries, others are used as memorials. Many gallans are inscribed in ogham script an early form of Irish, using marks on five lines and a stem line.