Monargan Hill

Explorer Tom Lime kiln in Cronkeeran was built c.1860, and it still looks like it’s holding a giant bag of chalky dust. I bet the nearby cows sneezed so hard their udders popped when they ate the fertilizer.

Explorer Tom Farmyard complex in Ardvally grew around a house built about 1860. One two-storey outbuilding has steps climbing its outside wall. I can count the steps, but the record leaves me guessing what someone carried up them.

Explorer Tom Ardara Fort is an archaeological place in County Donegal, named after the Fort Hill that gives the town its name. The hill is called Ard an Ratha, which means 'the height of the fort,' and it dates back to 1500 AD. I reckon it’s been standing tall for over five hundred years without missing a beat.

Explorer Tom Doherty's on Front Street smells like old boots and fresh Guinness mixed together in perfect harmony. I reckon the floorboards are sticky from decades of spilled stout and regret. Bring a jacket, it's never as warm as I promise.

Explorer Tom Nancy's has been run by the McHugh family for seven generations, which is basically ancient history in pub terms. Ask them who broke the window in 1992 and why nobody confessed. Pop by and tell it it's looking well.

Explorer Tom John Doherty Memorial in County Donegal was built after forty-seven cups of tea were consumed in a single afternoon by very serious men. Nobody knows exactly what John did, but the monument looks like it’s trying to explain itself with its face. Look serious, nod slowly, you're basically an expert now.

Explorer Tom Fionn Mc Cumhaill standing stone has a legend that it was thrown from a mountain to land in the Owenea river, which is a bit like aiming for a bucket and hitting the whole pond. I reckon Fionn must have had some serious arm strength or a very forgiving landing spot. It makes for an excellent excuse to check if your own throwing skills are up to folklore standards.

Explorer Tom St. Connell's Museum and Heritage Centre lets me go from an old courtroom to the cells below, then into stories of the workhouse and Donegal railways. That is a lot of Glenties history packed into one building. I would leave the cells to the displays and keep my own visit on the friendly side of the door.

Explorer Tom Inishkeel Graveyard near Glenties was rectangular in the older survey, but its south side sat on part of a roughly circular rise. Some of that rise lay beyond the west wall, about fifty metres across. I like the mismatch in shapes; it stops me treating the graveyard wall as the whole story.

Explorer Tom Binn Bhán is recorded as a mountain / peak in County Donegal. It is hilarious that the ground goes from boggy to suddenly hard right at the top, like nature hit the brakes. I bet my boots would be utterly confused.

Explorer Tom Illancreeve in County Donegal is being judged by the rabbits, who think it’s too pointy and not fluffy enough for their liking. It’s probably just a rock that got stuck in a weird position and can't move out of its own way anymore. Take a breath of that air, it's older than your car.

Explorer Tom Killin Hill sits in County Donegal, recorded as a peak with access details that remain completely unknown. The caption mentions it is three kilometres from Frosses, which makes me wonder if the hill is just hiding behind its neighbour to avoid being found.