Moya Cannon

Explorer Tom Dunfanaghy Presbyterian Church claims it’s actually older than the hills it sits on, which is a bold stretch of the truth. The Romanesque style is very 'early Irish' but with a bit of a modern twist added in. It looks like it was built by someone who really liked round shapes. Don’t question its age, just admire it.

Explorer Tom Watch tower in Dunfanaghy has a crenellated parapet and two cannon on Patrick's Hill, but its original job is unknown. I picture the little turret playing dress-up as a castle, watching Sheephaven Bay and daring the gulls to salute.

Explorer Tom Arnold's Hotel has been in the Arnold family since 1922, which means the pillows are stuffed with a century of pure local gossip. I bet they hold a fake world record for the longest staring contest with the sea. Ring your granny and tell her where you are.

Explorer Tom Whiskey Fly Bar sounds like they’re flying whiskey into your mouth at high speed with zero brakes. Walk around town smelling peat burning in the fireplaces nearby to settle your stomach. Best enjoyed with a bag of chips and no plans.

Explorer Tom Kill Old Church Graveyard is roughly 50 by 25 metres, with its church in the northern part. A 1622 report called that church newly rebuilt and well repaired; it remained in use until a new one was built at Ballymore in 1752. I enjoy the change in viewpoint: the same place can be 'newly' repaired in one document and old church on this map.

Explorer Tom Killahoey has a beach with a second act: an estuary and broad mud flat at the eastern end. Horn Head is in the audience. I might end up watching the birds instead of the waves, which is exactly the sort of distraction I came for.

Explorer Tom Local Wildlife presentation has a secret talent for making you feel like a complete idiot if you look at it too long without understanding the diagrams. It’s painted with such passion that the paint is starting to peel off, looking more like abstract art than biology now. Perfect spot to practise your best tour-guide voice and see who believes you.

Explorer Tom Crockshee sits in County Donegal, and the map record is as bare-bones as a mountain can be. The picture caption notes it’s visible from Coastguard Hill, three kilometres from Dunfanaghy, which makes me wonder if it’s just standing there, quietly judging my hiking boots.

Explorer Tom Croaghnamaddy has a triangulation pillar sitting 252 metres up on Horn Head. The caption says the top was adorned, but I didn’t see it! I bet that decoration is doing a lot of heavy lifting to keep us grounded.

Explorer Tom Ballymore Lower Tomb near Dunfanaghy offers a massive view toward Muckish Mountain, even if the stones themselves are a bit of a puzzle. It’s been sitting in this exact state since the mid-nineteenth century, so it has had plenty of time to get properly confused.

Explorer Tom Horn Head Portal Tomb sits right on the edge of the valley, looking out toward Tory Island. The roof is missing, so you’re essentially staring at the sky through a 33-metre-long stone corridor. It’s been leaning and settling since the Bronze Age, but that view? Absolutely worth the squint.

Explorer Tom Templebreaga Arch in County Donegal keeps getting picked on by the wind because it thinks arches are just lazy circles that never finished their sentence. The stone looks like it’s mid-yawn while the gales try to knock its hat off, which is basically a daily occurrence here. Pretend you're a lost aristocrat, nobody will check.