Macks

Explorer Tom Bundoran Bridge stands proudly where a much flashier triple-arch predecessor once wobbled. I bet they kicked the old one into the Bradoge River because it had too many holes to keep track of.

Explorer Tom The Shell House in Drumacrin wears its applied sea shell and crockery mosaic like a patchwork quilt made by a very happy grandparent. Built around 1880, I picture someone in 1935 just smashing every spare plate they could find to make the wall look properly chaotic and proud.

Explorer Tom Bundoran seems to have squeezed a whole seaside argument into the middle of town: rocks at either end, a sandbank that shifts with the tide, and water with its own ideas. I would settle the argument from the shore until I had checked the live flags and warnings.

Explorer Tom Wishing Chair invites you to sit and dream, a magical spot near Bundoran in County Donegal.

Explorer Tom Fairy Briges sparkles with legend, where tiny feet might have danced on the stones of County Donegal.

Explorer Tom Cliffs by Bundoran frame the harbour beautifully, their rugged faces a stark contrast to the town’s friendly atmosphere.

Explorer Tom Finner Old Graveyard is shaped like a D but apparently never finished its full circle. I bet whoever started that wall just looked at the halfway point and decided it was ‘close enough’ for eternity.

Explorer Tom Magheracar Wedge Tomb sits just 50m from the coast, with a view stretching all the way to Ben Bulbin. Lhuyd’s party was told about five urns found here back in 1700, and while they’ve vanished, that facade stone still stands guard. It’s a bit of a ghost, but worth a look.

Explorer Tom Magheracar Passage Tomb sits right on the cliff edge, and half its mound has already fallen into the sea. It’s a four-compartment box that held bones and a tiny stone axe. The Atlantic is slowly eating it, so it’s a race against the tide.

Explorer Tom Bundrowes Castle is basically a rumour that Fagan checked in 1847 and found empty. The Civil Survey called it an 'old castle, ' but there isn't a single stone left to prove it existed here. It’s a total letdown, like finding your favorite spot on the map turned out to be a big grassy nothing.

Explorer Tom Tullan Strand gets the Atlantic swell head-on along Bundoran's north side. Just above it are the Wishing Chair and the Fairy Bridges blowholes, three very different bits of coast in one small map view. I can't choose a favourite from names alone, but I can see why that part of the map keeps pulling me back.