Crocknakilla

Explorer Tom Graveyard or cemetery in Kill is a place where the unmarked graves of the workhouse sit alongside iron crosses for sailors lost at sea. It’s a heavy mix of local sorrow and distant tragedy, with the paupers' section holding the quiet memory of those who died during the Famine. I think it deserves a slow, respectful walk to see how the stones mark the boundary between the known and the forgotten.

Explorer Tom Clondahorkey Old Church & Graveyard in Kill has been kicking around since the sixteenth century, apparently. A report from 1622 says it was newly repaired then, so it’s got some serious history under its rubble-stone skin. Keep your eyes peeled for that old chapel!

Explorer Tom Kill Old Church Graveyard is roughly 50 by 25 metres, with its church in the northern part. A 1622 report called that church newly rebuilt and well repaired; it remained in use until a new one was built at Ballymore in 1752. I enjoy the change in viewpoint: the same place can be 'newly' repaired in one document and old church on this map.

Explorer Tom Local Wildlife presentation at New Lake is beautifully painted by hand, though the paint is peeling like my motivation. The local sheep think it’s a bit pretentious. Practise your Irish on it; it won't correct your grammar.

Explorer Tom Arnold's Hotel has been in the Arnold family since 1922, which means the pillows are stuffed with a century of pure local gossip. I bet they hold a fake world record for the longest staring contest with the sea. Ring your granny and tell her where you are.

Explorer Tom Whiskey Fly Bar sounds like they’re flying whiskey into your mouth at high speed with zero brakes. Walk around town smelling peat burning in the fireplaces nearby to settle your stomach. Best enjoyed with a bag of chips and no plans.

Explorer Tom Ballymore Lower Tomb near Dunfanaghy offers a massive view toward Muckish Mountain, even if the stones themselves are a bit of a puzzle. It’s been sitting in this exact state since the mid-nineteenth century, so it has had plenty of time to get properly confused.

Explorer Tom Killahoey has a beach with a second act: an estuary and broad mud flat at the eastern end. Horn Head is in the audience. I might end up watching the birds instead of the waves, which is exactly the sort of distraction I came for.

Explorer Tom Ards Forest Park puts four ringfort remains, a holy well and a Mass rock among walks that also reach salt marsh and sand dunes. Ancient stones and sea air make a rather full day here.

Explorer Tom Breaghy Head looks like a shoulder of the earth that’s been shrugging at the ocean for millennia. There’s a cottage nearby that probably has stories to tell, or just WiFi issues. Best enjoyed with a bag of chips and no plans.

Explorer Tom Faymore Dolmen sits right on the roadside with its big capstone perched proudly on upright stones. I can’t find an official number for it, but seeing that massive rock balanced there makes me wonder what story it’s keeping to itself.

Explorer Tom There are two Tramore Strands in Donegal, and this one near Dunfanaghy makes you earn the sand. The local guide sends you along a tree-lined path for about 30 minutes before the two-mile beach shows itself. I would give it a grand entrance; the dangerous currents mean my swimming trunks can stay in the bag.