Glencolmcille - Drum Loop

Explorer Tom Droichead an tSráid crosses the Murlin River on two unequal stone arches, with a pointed cutwater between them. One corner has later repairs. It is a lopsided smile of a bridge, but that middle stone nose still looks ready to part the river.

Explorer Tom Teach Pobail Naomh Columba in An Caiseal has a smuggling story so wild it sounds made up. They say monks hid barrels of whiskey inside the pews during Mass, and nobody noticed because everyone was too busy singing. The pointed arches are just there to make you feel small and humble. If you hear a creak, it’s probably just the wood settling into its lie.

Explorer Tom Biddy's Pub sits at the crossroads in Glencolumcille, where the music stops and the shouting starts. It claims to be older than the stones outside, which is definitely a stretch but who’s checking? Stand still and listen, the wind tells it better than me.

Explorer Tom Cross-inscribed pillar in An Tsráid has loops on its face that look like handles for carrying it around. I wonder if someone tried to lift this slab and got tangled up in its own patterns.

Explorer Tom Turas Cholmcille Station 15 Cromlech is just three stubborn stones standing on a grassy mound near the Murlin River. You can trace the path of St Colmcille here, and there's even a little dry-stone patch where priests used to celebrate Mass. It’s a bit ruined, but it’s still a proper spiritual stop.

Explorer Tom Glencolmcille Old Graveyard holds two church stories: the modern church stands just north of an older church site, whose building was pulled down in 1828. I spotted a useful caution in the record too: earlier writers mentioned a circular enclosure, but the later survey saw no trace. One dot, several layers, and not all equally certain.

Explorer Tom Glencolmcille Folk Village lines up Donegal homes from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries in replica cottages. I could walk from one period to another before my tea went cold, though the furniture would change on me at every door. It is a clever way to compare ordinary lives.

Explorer Tom Rossan Point in County Donegal caused the whole parish to argue about whether it was actually a point or just a very ambitious hill that got promoted. The debate lasted three days and ended with everyone agreeing it was both, which is typical for this part of the world. Go at sunset and thank me later.

Explorer Tom Malin Beg Hostel sounds like a place where backpackers trade stories that sound more like horror films than holidays. Ask about the strangest guest they’ve ever had, then imagine its imaginary fan club. Go now, before it gets famous.

Explorer Tom Silver Strand Viewpoint inspired a terrible poem once that described the sand as 'soft like a sleeping bear,' which made half the village want to throw their bikes into the sea in disgust. It’s just a nice view looking south-west, but the literary damage from that one bad stanza is honestly still fresh and stinging. Go back in winter, it's a different animal.

Explorer Tom Donegal made a cliff so high even my bragging looks small. Slieve League lifts County Donegal 601 metres above the Atlantic, then appears to remember that it has no obligation to provide a gentle way down. Its Irish name means mountain of stone pillars, and the rock certainly knows how to stand to attention. Naturalist Robert Lloyd Praeger wrote about the narrow One Man's Path in 1937, praising it while warning that bad weather calls for a steady head. He also noticed alpine plants tucked into the high northern hollow, a quieter little treasure beside the enormous drop. If I say I'll race the Atlantic to the bottom, please confiscate my boots. Many people take in the cliffs from Bunglass viewpoint, reached by the narrow road out of Teelin; the last stretch needs patient driving and the walking ground can be exposed. There is no prize for pressing onto the ridge in wind or poor visibility. Stand where your feet are happy, look along that great wall of sea cliff, and let the Atlantic do the boasting for once.

Explorer Tom Slieve League SE Top is recorded as a mountain / peak in County Donegal, featuring an almost flat summit area. It leads to the narrow arete known as One Man's Pass, so keep your footing steady and your nerves calm.