15 September 2026

We left the campground later than normal. From here we drove to Donegal. Along the way we made 2 stops. The first one at Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery (almost the same as in Newsgrange but older). There are about 30 of these scattered around the area. The 2nd stop was at Sligo to visit the Sligo Abbey. Very impressive ruins in the middle of the city with its renaissance carvings, a well-preserved cloister and sculptured 1400s altar in a 13th century friary. (We planned to do some walking too but the rain put a stop to this idea),

In Donegal we camped in front of the quay, together with around 10 campers. Tomorrow plan is to visit the castle here. But tonight, we went to 2 pubs with live music and Irish dancing.

In the morning we wandered into town and visited the Donegal castle and the ruins of the local Franciscan Friary. Both were destroyed during the submission of the clan heads during the English war. This area was the last to bend the knee to Elizabeth 1.  The castle and lands were then given to an English captain for service provided. The ruins have been restored after the war in 1620 but was later abandoned and fell into disrepair. It has now been beautifully restored by the Office of Public Works (OPW), of which we have a membership card so can enjoy it free of charge.