House in Veagh

Explorer Tom Maylin Cropmark Enclosure is basically invisible from the ground, hiding in excellent pasture as a subcircular shadow seen only from above. There’s even a little internal structure on the south side, which makes me wonder if that was the office or just a very committed garden bed.

Explorer Tom Drumbarnet wears four red-brick chimneys with yellow clay pots, part of the house the Glenn family remodelled in 1911. I picture the chimneys lining up for a photograph, each insisting it is the tallest. The 1911 front stands ahead of an older house dated to about 1840.

Explorer Tom Balleeghan Friary was probably founded in the later fifteenth century, and its recorded ruins stand near Lough Swilly. Steps protruding from the east gable may have given access behind the altar and window. I was about to call them mystery stairs, but the record offers a careful possibility.

Explorer Tom Since access is private here, I imagine this exclusive Children's playground in County Donegal has a very strict gate.

Explorer Tom This Rowan tree in Donegal is a classic, possibly needing permission to admire its red berries up close.

Explorer Tom Meet this ancient European Yew in Donegal, where permission might be the key to its mysterious charm.

Explorer Tom Fort Stewart in Ruins has far more than a vanished name. The survey described two ivy-covered flankers and surviving bawn walls beside Lough Swilly, matching a detailed account from 1611. One tower held gun-loops on two levels. What can those surviving walls tell us about the fort's defences?

Explorer Tom Burt Castle's roofless keep still stands on the hill, with two round corner towers and rows of gun-loops. The old account even records a spiral stair with broken steps in the south-west tower. I would admire that stubborn stonework from safe ground; those steps sound like trouble.

Explorer Tom Battlefield in Tully, Glenmaquin Lower, Roosky is a hidden gem, waiting for an explorer to uncover the tales of valor and struggle it holds within its borders.

Explorer Tom Rockfield Standing Stone is over two metres tall, but the picture says cows use it like a giant scratching post! I imagine them wiggling their noses against the rock to get a proper itch gone.

Explorer Tom Tullyaughnish Old Church Graveyard was still just near completion in 1622. It is a remarkably specific snapshot for a building that had another two centuries to actually finish its job.

Explorer Tom The Battle of Glenmaquin in 1642 pitted the Laggan Army's roughly 2,000 men against a Confederate force listed at about 6,000. Those figures make the short battle sound almost unbelievable.