Michael Logue

Explorer Tom Cut 'N' Style has giant letters carved right into its dormer windows! I bet Samuel Burns spent hours polishing those initials just to make sure everyone could see he built it in 1898. He probably stood on a ladder shouting at the clouds to look their best.

Explorer Tom St. Columba's Catholic Church in Massreagh would write a dating profile saying it likes granite, quiet Sundays, and men who do not talk too much. It has been waiting for a partner since 1903 without any luck at all so far. Send a wink to the stained glass and tell it that it is looking rather fine today.

Explorer Tom The Lagoon sounds like a place where your food will swim away if you blink. Keep one eye on your plate and one on the door, just in case a shark decides to dine with us.

Explorer Tom Battle at Doon Rock, Kilmacrennan in County Donegal is where Sir Cahir O'Doherty finally lost his battle against a rock. Legend says a very confused goat actually ruled this patch for three minutes before getting kicked out. Bring someone who'll believe anything.

Explorer Tom Doon Rock Fort is a dramatic, naturally defensible mound where the O'Donnells were traditionally inaugurated. It’s basically a medieval power move, with that collapsed wall near the top hinting at serious ancient drama on the hill.

Explorer Tom Silver Birch in County Donegal is having a massive screaming match with the nearest tree over who looks better in autumn. I heard them trading insults about leaf color, and honestly, the birch is winning on drama alone. If it's closed, admire it from the road like a polite stalker.

Explorer Tom Doon Well sits below steps inside a later wall. An 1889 account said two returning priests blessed it and that pilgrims came seeking cures; a 1936 account recorded the prayers said there. The survey also noted mementoes on a nearby sapling and landscaping in 2006. These are records of belief and visits, not proof that its water cures illness.

Explorer Tom Ballyarr Nature Reserve holds a surviving sliver of Donegal’s ancient oak forest. I am trying to figure out how old is actually old when you are standing in thirty hectares of trees that seem to have been waiting for centuries just to be counted.

Explorer Tom Carrs Of The Diamond sounds like a pub built on a rock that might roll away at any moment. Sit on the edge and enjoy the wobble while you watch the locals pretend they know what's happening. Toast it with a cup of tea and move on to the next.

Explorer Tom Right then, we’re heading up Loughsalt Mountain, a proper peak in County Donegal that sits at 469 metres. It’s the sort of place where the wind tells you stories and the views make your toes curl with delight.

Explorer Tom The Master Sword in Stone here is basically a giant Lego piece that someone left behind after getting bored of the game. Its secret talent is attracting every single tourist who thinks they’re Link and will definitely pull it out with one dramatic yank. Bring a map, get lost anyway, that's the fun.

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.