Ranny Hill

Explorer Tom Another Rough Island in County Donegal, because apparently they needed a sequel to their first act. It sits there looking bored near Mulroy Bay. Ten minutes here and you'll have a yarn for the pub.

Explorer Tom The Curlew overlooks Mulroy Bay from a rise near Carrowkeel. Built around 1910, it has stepped red and yellow brick chimneys and wavy timber trim on the gables. Those chimneys look rather pleased to have found such a good view.

Explorer Tom McGinley's has a guy at the bar who swears he saw a leprechaun pay his tab. He never left. Probably still in the back room polishing glasses that aren't there.

Explorer Tom Water pump in Carrowkeel has a lion's head spout and a Scottish maker's mark from Kilmarnock. The heritage survey found it out of use. I picture the little iron lion proudly guarding a vanished water job, as though retirement were someone else's idea.

Explorer Tom The Village Inn sounds like it has a village in there, but it’s just a pub. Ask the bartender if he knows the local king. He probably doesn’t.

Explorer Tom Children's playground in County Donegal has a slide that definitely goes to the afterlife if you lean right. Just don’t ask me how I know about the exit route. Look for the ghost, then pretend you didn't see it at all.

Explorer Tom Woodquarter sits by Mulroy Bay where Lord Leitrim got murdered in 1878, adding some spice to the forest planting later on. The trees are just along for the ride now, pretending they didn’t witness the whole bloody mess. Tell me if the gossip I made up is actually true.

Explorer Tom Glenalla Standing Stone is a 1.4m high monolith with a base width of 1.2m, sitting on the northwest edge of some high ground in rough pasture. It’s quite the sturdy fellow for such a remote spot, standing proud despite its modest dimensions. I reckon it’s been keeping watch over that hillside long enough to have seen every cloud that ever drifted past.

Explorer Tom Druid's Altar is a large tilted slab resting on three low stones near Croaghan Hill. The survey says it is not a megalithic tomb and cannot settle whether people placed it or nature did. That uncertainty is the story I want to keep, rather than appointing a druid without a record.

Explorer Tom Croaghan Hill hides a passage tomb that dwarfs its own defensive walls. The enclosure is barely a metre high, yet it shelters a mound three metres high and twenty-one metres across. I bet the ancient builders felt rather small inside their own home.

Explorer Tom Wych Elm in County Donegal is just an elm, but it’s got presence, like it’s waiting for you to say the right thing. It’s quiet, steady, and probably thinking about photosynthesis while you’re worrying about parking. Dare you to say hello to it out loud, see if the leaves rustle back.

Explorer Tom Moross Castle was built in 1532 and sits on a tiny rocky island connected by a causeway. By 1622, someone had slapped a thatched roof on the ruins while it lay waste, which is peak medieval DIY. Only the southwest corner survives now, but that narrow causeway makes it feel like you’re walking onto a very defensive boat.