Crockroosky

Explorer Tom Fairy fort / ringfort in Machaire Dromann is sitting on the east bank of the Glenna Gannon river, where the maps once drew a single ring. No trace survives now, though a level patch of ground might mark its spot. I bet the fairies left before the surveyors got their pencils ready.

Explorer Tom An Cheathrú Riabhach ringfort was described as a twenty-metre stone enclosure so overgrown that its southeast entrance was only a possibility. Tom likes a doorway that refuses to say whether it is a doorway at all.

Explorer Tom Outbuilding in Carrowmore is a rare c. 1800 survivor with a proper thatched roof held down by rope stays. It’s a single-cell beauty with whitewashed rubble walls, standing right on the road in Effishmore. Finding a thatched outbuilding this intact is like striking gold.

Explorer Tom Hollymount House outbuilding has been guarding the rear of the estate since c. 1850, its roughcast rubble walls sturdy enough to survive most renovations. The segmental carriage arch and those timber louvers give it a proper workmanlike dignity that modern sheds just don’t have. It’s a solid reminder that servant quarters were built to last, not just look pretty.

Explorer Tom Simpson's Bar & Restaurant in Carndonagh is probably full of people pretending to be tourists. Grab a drink before they realize you're actually lost, buddy!

Explorer Tom Follow the growers on Barrack Hill and you will find sixteen raised beds and three polytunnels. One starts the seedlings; the other two keep things growing. I could claim to know their secret for a good tomato, but the gardeners would catch me bluffing before I got through the gate. These are working plots, so ask the committee before going in.

Explorer Tom At Barrack Hill, little legs get the climbing frames, swings, balance beams and monkey bars. The roundabout was designed to include more children, and older ones have their own obstacle trail nearby. If I were seven, I would call the monkey bars a test of courage. If I were a parent, I would be looking for the covered shelter. Carndonagh's park committee says local families helped shape the refurbished playground, and the older children's activity area reopened in 2023.

Explorer Tom Farren's Restaurant is serving up mystery meat with a side of confusion. I bet their specials change faster than my mood swings do every Tuesday.

Explorer Tom Croaghmore is doing its best impression of being majestic, but we both know it’s just a very large pile of rock pretending to be fancy. Find the wonkiest bit and send it to your group chat immediately.

Explorer Tom Carndonagh Early Church Graveyard makes me slow the map down: it surrounds an eighteenth-century church thought to stand where an earlier church stood. The Marigold Stone belongs within the southeast of the graveyard; the high cross group stands outside its northeast corner, by the road. Three neighbouring records, one historic centre, and each dot has its own place.

Explorer Tom Crockavishane in Donegal is having a very fancy lunch experience that costs nothing but your dignity. It’s all about the ambiance of doing absolutely nothing productive. Have a sandwich here and call it a heritage lunch.

Explorer Tom Culdaff Beach looks as if three pieces of the map agreed to meet for tea: dunes to the west, two rock outcrops to the southeast, and the Culdaff River to the northwest. The sand has quite a supporting cast. This protected coast deserves a gentle visit.