Cronalagh

Explorer Tom Cairn, Cronalaght is just a name on a page right now. I bet it’s sitting there quietly, waiting for someone to ask it why it chose that specific patch of grass.

Explorer Tom An Chuirt in Gweedore is shaking its head at Storm Desmond's leftovers while you're here. Get a picture of that wet window for me.

Explorer Tom Heath Cottage in Meenderrygamp was built around 1850 and now stands empty, featuring a slate roof with decorative metal brackets.

Explorer Tom Bunbeg Community Centre began as a church around 1860; a rose window came with the 1874 chancel. The building survey records it as a hall now. I expected a plain hall; the rose window made me go back and read the older story.

Explorer Tom McGeady’s is sitting there looking suspiciously quiet. Order something strong and ask if they’ve had any ghosts; if not, blame the damp on them instead.

Explorer Tom Take a look at Dermot and Granias Bed (1905), a portal tomb tucked into the garden of a house near Ballyness Bay. Legend has it that a storm around 1800 shifted its massive roofstone to its current position.

Explorer Tom Errigal / An Earagail rises 751 metres above Dunlewey, with loose trails and the narrow One Man's Pass beyond the usual summit route. I would bring my best mountain manners, because the weather and my feet might disagree about the plan. The white slope is worth looking at even from below.

Explorer Tom Right then, we’ve reached the summit of Mackoght in County Donegal. I can already see the mighty Errigal looming right behind us, which is quite the dramatic backdrop for a cheeky selfie.

Explorer Tom Braade Strand has some water sitting behind the beach. I reckon the tide just got confused about which way is up there.

Explorer Tom Magheraroarty has pulled a fine trick on the map: Atlantic on one side of a sandy spit, Ballyness Bay on the other, Inishbofin up north. That is enough directions for one beach to manage. The western shore takes a strong Atlantic wash, so I would keep my admiration on dry sand.

Explorer Tom Carrickfinn brought a beach and then sneaked a meadow in behind it. Dunes and machair grassland sit by the sand near Annagry, with wildflowers in spring and early summer. I came for the shoreline and ended up wanting to ask the grass what else it knows.

Explorer Tom Inis Oirthir saw its population skyrocket to forty-three in 1901 before everyone quietly vanished by 1956. That is a faster exit than most office parties, don’t you think?