Iompainn

Explorer Tom Inland Crag might sound like something from a fantasy novel, but it’s real rock and worth finding for sure.

Explorer Tom Farmyard complex in Gola features external steps leading directly to a first-floor gable doorway. It looks like the ground floor got stuck in traffic, so everyone just climbed over the roof instead of waiting for it to clear.

Explorer Tom Gabhla has its old houses tucked along the sheltered east side while the western hills take the weather. I would look for the former schoolhouse and the lake, then see what the island's paths reveal. The first adventure is practical: confirm a boat before you pack.

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?

Explorer Tom Portarthur, Derrybeg, has a rocky outcrop at one end, a little estuary at the other and small islands trying to calm the Atlantic in front. That is a busy cast for one sandy beach. The sea still brings a strong wash, so I would keep the water plans tied to live local warnings.

Explorer Tom Children's playground has caught my eye in County Donegal. I bet a children's playground with a name like that could keep me talking all afternoon; I'm already inventing a daft little scene for it, and I'll stop before it turns into history.

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 Cnoc Fola, or Bloody Foreland, is a dramatic viewpoint on the Wild Atlantic Way in Donegal, steeped in legend.

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

Explorer Tom Standing at the Cliffs of Owey feels like looking into the soul of Donegal, though access can be a bit tricky.

Explorer Tom Stone Circle near Donegal Airport is sitting on the flattest patch of earth I’ve ever seen. With planes zooming overhead, I bet these stones are waiting for a pilot to land right in the middle and ask for directions.