Places near here
Photo credits
- David Baird, Geograph · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0
- Kenneth Allen, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Wanfried-Dublin, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
- David Baird, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Colin Park, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Tory Island LighthouseLighthouse · 20 miExplorer Tom Tory Island Lighthouse was designed by William Douglass, who also built the famous Fastnet Lighthouse. I bet he took a very long boat ride to get here from Cork, and arrived completely sunburnt and furious at the wind.
Derek Hill's HutHeritage attraction · 20 miExplorer Tom Derek Hill's Hut in County Donegal would complain to the council about the wind getting into its roof every single day. It’s just a tiny hut sitting up there looking like it’s waiting for a rescue that never comes. Grand place for a sulk or a snog, your call really.
Lloyds Signal StationRuins · 20 miExplorer Tom Lloyds Signal Station stands in County Donegal, but its name suggests a very specific banking connection. I bet the original manager kept checking his watch for the closing time, only to find himself stranded on a windswept hill with no clients and no tea.
Tory Island Eastern Coastal Promontory FortPromontory fort, coastal · 21 miExplorer Tom Tory Island Eastern Coastal Promontory Fort sits right on the edge of the island where the land meets the sea. It’s a coastal fort, which means it was probably there to watch out for anyone arriving by boat from across the water. I imagine it had a great view of the Atlantic waves crashing against the rocks below.
Teach Pobail Cholmcille Naofa [Saint Columbkille's Catholic Church]Church/chapel · 21 miExplorer Tom Teach Pobail Cholmcille Naofa is a graceful little Gothic church that cost just £392 back in 1857. I picture its eccentric window tracery looking like it was drawn by a very wobbly crayon on a windy Tory Island afternoon. It’s the kind of building that fits perfectly into a pocket-sized town.
An Chros TauCross, Tau cross · 21 miExplorer Tom An Chros Tau stands at the head of the West Town pier, a 1.9m T-shaped block carved from solid stone. It’s part of an early complex where five churches once stood, though only one survives today, making this cross a bit of a survivor itself.
Tory Island Early Church GraveyardGraveyard · 21 miExplorer Tom Tory Island Early Church Graveyard lies beside West Town harbour, where the survey describes a stone-built altar halfway along its west wall. A damaged cross-slab is fixed there, and another cross base was found in the graveyard in 2012. The old Civil Survey spoke of five nearly ruined churches on the island; I won't squeeze all five into this one graveyard dot.
CrossCross, High cross · 21 miExplorer Tom Cross in Toraigh is actually two fragments lying upside down in a cylindrical base, showing a robed figure and Christ with outstretched arms. It’s part of the West Town complex, where five churches were recorded in the 17th century but mostly vanished.
Tory Island / ToraighIsland · 21 miExplorer Tom Tory elected a king who had fewer powers than I give myself. Tory Island is Donegal's faraway neighbour, and 141 people called it home in the 2022 census. It is the most remote inhabited island in Ireland, yet its stories have travelled widely. A bell tower from an early monastery still stands, while artists have made an island community here since the twentieth century. Best of all, the islanders traditionally chose a “king” by agreement. I would stand for the crown, but the islanders would send me back on the next ferry. He had no legal power; welcoming visitors and speaking for the place were part of the job. I could manage the welcome and would be dismissed by lunchtime for too much talking. Irish remains the main local language, so listen before you try to rename anything. The passenger ferry from the Donegal mainland depends on sea conditions, and cars are not part of the usual crossing. Give Tory a day that can bend with the weather. A place this small can still refuse to be a footnote.
An TorpedoHeritage attraction · 21 miExplorer Tom An Torpedo in County Donegal sounds like a submarine that got tired of the ocean and decided to rest here. I bet it’s actually just a rock shaped like a fish, but who wants to check? Dare you to say hello to it out loud and see what happens next!
Balor of the Evil Eye: Tory IslandLegend location · 22 miExplorer Tom Balor of the Evil Eye: Tory Island has a fort named after him and a sea full of enough weather to make any giant blink. Tory's community group keeps his story alive. That Evil Eye must have been useful, but I reckon the Atlantic could stare back harder.
Dún Balair FortPromontory fort, coastal · 22 miExplorer Tom Dún Balair Fort clings to the highest tip of Tory Island, looking like it’s daring the sea to take a bite. A grass-covered stone wall and a vanished 'Little Castle' hint at layers of history hiding in plain sight. It’s exposed, dramatic, and absolutely refuses to be subtle about its location.
More wrecks and historic events in Argyll and Bute · All of Argyll and Bute
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