House in Drumgorman

Explorer Tom Inver Methodist Church has a tiny bellcote above its entrance gable, pointed windows and a stone finial. Built around 1880, it gives the bell the best seat on the roof. I hope it never got too proud of that position.

Explorer Tom Drumbeg House has a secret fan club of local geese who refuse to leave it alone despite being told off daily. It’s a solid country home that got so busy expanding itself, it forgot which side was originally the front entrance. Tell it you’re just passing by and watch if it blinks first.

Explorer Tom White Hill in County Donegal is all about meadow, farm, and a big sky stretching out forever. It’s a gentle giant that seems to be just hanging out, enjoying the quiet of the countryside without making too much fuss.

Explorer Tom Salthill Cabin near Mountcharles is likely just a shed with a coffee machine and serious delusions of grandeur. It’s in Donegal, so expect rain to pour straight through the roof. Bring your worst joke, the place has heard worse.

Explorer Tom Drumlaghtafin Hill sits quietly between Leagans Hill and the Gortnalagan townland, keeping its access details firmly under wraps. The name is such a mouthful that I suspect it’s just trying to trip up anyone brave enough to attempt a pronunciation challenge without a map.

Explorer Tom Ginkgo in County Donegal had a fiddler play there all night long until he fell asleep leaning against its trunk, which was very inconvenient for the tree. It’s now stuck with that legend attached to it whether it likes it or not, which is just how things go. Bring a coin for luck and keep it in your pocket.

Explorer Tom Cashel Town Wedge Tombs are unique because three galleries sit side-by-side in a single circular kerb. One roofstone is four metres long, and locals once found giant human bones here, which is either brilliant or terrifying.

Explorer Tom Killymard Old Church Graveyard encloses a church whose story changes after a bleak 1622 report: it was ruinous then, was later repaired or rebuilt, and remained in use until a new church opened at Ballydevitt in 1829. The earliest modern grave slab noted in the account dates to 1809. Two timelines fit inside one walled place.

Explorer Tom Carraduffy / Killin Court Tomb is mostly a grassy hump with one solitary upright stone standing guard. The rest was demolished long ago, but old maps called it a Giant's Grave or even a friars' house. It’s a bit of a letdown now, but that lone slab makes you wonder what the full structure used to look like.

Explorer Tom Murvagh Beach has a wartime lookout hut that Joy Browne, writing for Donegal tourism, remembers playing in as a child. She says erosion has since sunk it into the sand and made entry impossible. A lookout hut retiring by burying its feet is theatrical enough for me; I would leave it to its rest.

Explorer Tom Killaghtee Old Church Graveyard sits beside the old church; inside the graveyard, southwest of that church, the survey records a cross-inscribed slab. The Civil Survey called the church 'in reparation', and it remained in use until 1826. I like how one small mapped area holds separate records for the graveyard, church and stone.

Explorer Tom Wych Elm in County Donegal would explain the 1800s to a teenager as 'a time when we all had terrible fashion sense and no Wi-Fi.' It says people walked everywhere, which seems impossible to anyone who has ever used an app. Find a local and ask them the real story, then come back and tell me.