Milis

Explorer Tom Bank of Ireland in Killybegs looks like a proper house from about 1870 that accidentally swallowed a cash machine. That square hole where a window used to be is just an ATM now, which feels like the building is paying its bills through its own face.

Explorer Tom Hughies in Killybegs is where the locals hang out when they want to feel like kings. The name sounds friendly, but the pints are strong. Ask who Hugh was, bet nobody knows.

Explorer Tom Post box in Killybegs sports a 'Carron Company' stamp from Scotland, which makes it feel like a stubborn Scottish immigrant refusing to change its accent. Maybe it still expects letters addressed to Stirlingshire, just waiting for a very confused postman to deliver them.

Explorer Tom Harbour Bar in Killybegs probably smells like old fish and bad decisions. I’d grab a stool and listen to the stories they don’t tell on TV.

Explorer Tom St Catherine's Friary Graveslab marks John Lindsey, who died young at twenty-seven back in 1685. The slab is broken and its coat of arms has vanished, leaving just the incised Roman script to tell his story. It’s a bit sad that the family crest got lost, but the words remain.

Explorer Tom St Catherine's Well in Killybegs was once a famous pilgrimage site, but there’s a daft legend that a Protestant rector tried to fill it up with dirt. The next day, a spring burst into his drawing room, terrifying his wife until he reopened the well. It’s still cleaned for St. Catherine’s Day, sitting beside the ruins of 'Cat Castle' in marshy pasture.

Explorer Tom Cat Castle is named after St. Catherine, but really it’s just a tiny stone corner standing on a hill above Killybegs Harbour. It’s been shrinking since 1355, and now only a 3-metre wall survives. It’s a bit pathetic, sure, but looking out over the harbour makes you wonder what that bishop’s manor looked like when it was whole.

Explorer Tom Rashenny Point sits near Killybegs, likely offering lovely views of the harbor and the wide, open sea beyond.

Explorer Tom Rotten Island sounds like a pirate's insult, but its lighthouse story is serious. The light guides boats into Killybegs Harbour; three workers drowned returning from the island while it was being built. I would remember them whenever that white tower comes into view.

Explorer Tom A European Beech tree in County Donegal offers elegant silvery bark and broad leaves, a striking contrast to the native woodland around it.

Explorer Tom Carntullagh Head is a rugged County Donegal point that apparently doubles as a fish farm. I imagine the wild seabirds looking down at their new plastic neighbours with mild confusion, wondering if this is still the natural order of things.

Explorer Tom Fintra gives me a grand view before I reach the sand: the road drops toward Donegal Bay, with dunes and grassy hills behind the shore. There is a lagoon at the far end from the car park. I would let someone else call that steep, narrow road a quick nip down.