Cark Mountain

Explorer Tom Ah, Three Tops! I once stood there looking east at the sunrise, wondering if the clouds were trying to hide from me. It's a bit of a mystery in County Donegal, isn't it?

Explorer Tom Bridge in Aughkeely crosses the Deele River on three little arches, with V-shaped cutwaters on both sides of its piers. Those stone noses seem determined to part the water politely while the narrow road humps over their backs. It was built around 1790.

Explorer Tom Rashedoge Bridge humps its one stone arch over the River Swilly, carrying a laneway on top. Built around 1800, it has low parapets that leave the wide span looking unexpectedly light. I expected a stout little crossing; this one arches its back without looking bulky.

Explorer Tom Newmills Corn and Flax Mills has a waterwheel big enough to make me stop and watch the machinery do the hard work. Corn and flax kept different trades moving here. Heritage Ireland's 2026 visitor season has ended, so I would check the next opening date before making the trip.

Explorer Tom Standing Stones near Cloghroe keeps two portal stones and a backstone in the survey account. Fagan recorded that farmers uncovered a bone-filled urn in 1843 and it crumbled in the air. One quick breath undid a very long wait.

Explorer Tom Gorey Hill stands in County Donegal as a mountain peak with its access details completely unknown. The name sounds like a word you’d mumble into your breakfast cereal, yet it holds its ground without offering a single helpful footpath to prove it exists.

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

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

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 Stackarnagh Abbey Graveyard has a gatepost detail I keep coming back to: a reused window fragment carved with a fish biting the end of a moulding, with a rough unicorn above it. The survey says the stone probably came from the church's ruined south window. I can enjoy the odd pair without inventing what the medieval carver meant.

Explorer Tom Teach Tábhairne an Rileán in County Donegal has a mouthful of a name. Say it three times fast for me and tell me how you feel!

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.