Mark English

Explorer Tom Gortlee Presbyterian Church has these fancy iron gates that look way too posh for such a simple building. I bet the whole congregation had to agree on them for weeks.

Explorer Tom Gortlee’s five-bay facade, dating from circa 1800, suggests a stately home that has seen two centuries of local life and change.

Explorer Tom Mount Errigal Hotel sits on a mountain pretending to be humble. Three stars? I'd give it four just for the view of me being stuck up there!

Explorer Tom PoleStar Monument shines in Letterkenny, a heritage beacon guiding spirits through County Donegal’s night skies.

Explorer Tom Costa in Letterkenny is selling coffee that wakes up the dead faster than a shock. Grab a latte before they change their hours and lock you out!

Explorer Tom Dry Arch Monument is a stainless steel and stone tribute to the workers. It sits at The Dry Arch Roundabout, which means the shiny metal probably gets quite a lot of traffic glare.

Explorer Tom Conwal Wheeled Cross Slab is a tiny, battered fragment that survived the mess of a 1968 tidy-up. It’s just the top half of a wheeled cross, weathered smooth on the cairn. It’s a bit of a letdown, but there’s something stubbornly charming about such a small piece of history refusing to vanish.

Explorer Tom Godfrey O'Donnell Graveslab claims to be the final resting spot of a guy who died in 1258. It’s got a wheeled-cross with some fancy interlace that looks like Celtic knotting meets a bicycle wheel. The corner is broken, but the carving is still sharp enough to make you wonder if Godfrey was actually into cycling.

Explorer Tom In 1650, the Battle of Scarrifholis saw a Commonwealth victory near Letterkenny, leaving a lasting mark on local history.

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

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

Explorer Tom Gregory Hill stands in County Donegal, keeping its access details firmly unknown. The name sounds like a word you’d mumble into your breakfast cereal, yet it sits there as a solid geological fact without offering a single helpful footpath.