Bogay Hill

Explorer Tom Bogay House dates from around 1730, yet a timber found inside carried the date 1679. The survey says an earlier house may have stood here. I would bring two birthday cakes until someone works out which house the old timber belonged to.

Explorer Tom Castruse House hides a secret skeleton under its plaster. Local records say it was built in 1792 incorporating parts of an earlier house by the same family. I picture the old gable peeking out like a shy ghost, wondering if it still remembers who lived inside.

Explorer Tom When Balor Came West: The Second Battle of Mag Tuired sits on flat ground below Aileach, relying entirely on Eochu Ollathair’s poem rather than archaeology. I suppose it is easier to argue with a rhyme than a shovel.

Explorer Tom Grianán of Aileach has two roofed passages within its thick circular wall. Both curve toward the entrance and stop short. If you thought the fort was just one big ring of stone, the builders had another plan.

Explorer Tom Grianán of Aileach Outer Hillfort has a surprise outside the stone fort: three worn earthen rings may belong to a much older hillfort, perhaps from the Late Bronze or Iron Age. I came for one ancient place and found several piled into one hill! The long account below even traces an old road, a cairn and a holy well.

Explorer Tom Greenan Mountain is a peak in County Donegal with no recorded access details. The picture looks north towards Inch Island, which makes me think the mountain is just using it as a background for its own very serious portrait.

Explorer Tom O'Doherty's Castle near Burt is the one that can make a confident guide point towards Buncrana and get the wrong ruin entirely. This is Burt Castle, a sixteenth-century stronghold guarding the southern approach to Inishowen, with a plan influenced by Scottish fortification design. Sir Cahir O'Doherty used it as his headquarters during his 1608 revolt. I would offer to defend the approach, then remember the fort has been a ruin for a good while and put my imaginary helmet away. The story here involves real sieges and prisoners, so keep the account straight. Check lawful access before heading for the ruin and stay off unstable masonry. Stand where you can see the ground it guarded. The view explains the choice of site quicker than any boast from me.

Explorer Tom Burt Castle's roofless keep still stands on the hill, with two round corner towers and rows of gun-loops. The old account even records a spiral stair with broken steps in the south-west tower. I would admire that stubborn stonework from safe ground; those steps sound like trouble.

Explorer Tom Coyles bar in County Donegal is probably hiding a secret stash of old pints behind the tap. I bet they serve a stout that tastes like it’s been marinating in peat for decades. Grab me a pint if you’re passing through!

Explorer Tom Inch Castle Promontory Fort sits right on Farland Bank, which is a bit of a mystery since the records are silent. But that coastal edge? I bet the wind there has been roaring since ancient times, keeping the ghosts perfectly chilled.

Explorer Tom Our Lady of Lourdes Church has a permanent grudge against the weather for constantly ruining its hairdo. The wind keeps blowing the stained glass out of alignment, and frankly, it needs to stop being so dramatic about it. Toast it with a cup of tea and move on to the next.

Explorer Tom Inch Island is Donegal's trick for people who think an island demands a ferry. The Inch Banks road carries you over Lough Swilly to about thirteen square kilometres of fields, shoreline and old stone. Another Irish name for the place means Island of the Oysters, which is a better lunch suggestion than I usually manage. Look for the remains of a portal tomb near Carnaghan, a fifteenth-century castle above the water and a fort from the early nineteenth century at the northern end. I would tell you I built them all, but even Donegal would spot that lie. Inch Top rises about 222 metres, enough to show how the lough folds around the island. The road is public, while individual ruins and land may have their own access limits; follow signs and do not cross private fields on my authority. Take the causeway slowly. The island begins before you have finished deciding whether you left the mainland.