Ballymacool Park

Explorer Tom Ballymacool House, once a grand county seat from the 1770s, now stands as a poignant ruin after suffering a recent fire.

Explorer Tom Tir na Nog sounds like a name invented by someone who had one too many pints. Bet they’ve got a special named after a ghost there.

Explorer Tom Sallaghagrane House dates to about 1870, with a slate roof and clay ridge cresting. The building survey found a millstone and a possible fragment from a medieval church in its rear yard. The yard carries clues much older than the house.

Explorer Tom Conwal Wheeled Cross Slab is a tiny, battered fragment that survived the mess of a 1968 tidy-up. It’s just the top half of a wheeled cross, weathered smooth on the cairn. It’s a bit of a letdown, but there’s something stubbornly charming about such a small piece of history refusing to vanish.

Explorer Tom Godfrey O'Donnell Graveslab claims to be the final resting spot of a guy who died in 1258. It’s got a wheeled-cross with some fancy interlace that looks like Celtic knotting meets a bicycle wheel. The corner is broken, but the carving is still sharp enough to make you wonder if Godfrey was actually into cycling.

Explorer Tom Station House Hotel is pretending to be a proper castle, but it’s just a three-starer. Grab me a slice of cake if you see one!

Explorer Tom Bawn in Letterkenny was the beating heart of a 1650s market town, complete with Friday markets and a bridge over the Swilly. You can literally walk the exact footprint today along Castle Street and Fort Well. It’s a bit like walking through history’s old clothes, isn’t it?

Explorer Tom This battlefield at Ardahee might hold the echoes of old battles, waiting quietly in Ballyconnelly for curious explorers.

Explorer Tom Donegal County Museum tells a long story inside a building that has one of its own: part of Letterkenny's former workhouse. I would give the old stone walls their due, then follow the county displays from prehistory onward. One building can hold far more than one century.

Explorer Tom In 1650, the Battle of Scarrifholis saw a Commonwealth victory near Letterkenny, leaving a lasting mark on local history.

Explorer Tom Site of Castle Sollus is where Cathbarr O'Donnell passed in 1580, but the castle itself was pulled down in the early 19th century. It’s gone so completely that even the River Swilly looks suspiciously empty. It’s like a history book that got erased with a very enthusiastic eraser.

Explorer Tom PoleStar Monument shines in Letterkenny, a heritage beacon guiding spirits through County Donegal’s night skies.