The Mill

Explorer Tom The Gallery in Figart was originally a mid-nineteenth-century fever hospital linked to the Dunfanaghy Union Workhouse, built with snecked rubble stone masonry and subdued cut stone detailing. Its symmetrical composition and strong presence are highlighted by lintels and quoins that really define its character. Go see if you can feel its history!

Explorer Tom Children's playground in County Donegal looks like it's judging your footwear choices from behind the monkey bars. Rumour has it a dinosaur egg was found here, but it hatched into a very grumpy pigeon. Pop by and tell it it's looking well today.

Explorer Tom The Dunfanaghy Workhouse and Famine Museum is a grim tale wrapped in pretty Tudoresque gatehouses built around 1841. It’s worth a visit to see how those twin blocks survived while the main workhouse vanished, leaving only these stone sentinels guarding the memory.

Explorer Tom Local Wildlife presentation at New Lake is beautifully painted by hand, though the paint is peeling like my motivation. The local sheep think it’s a bit pretentious. Practise your Irish on it; it won't correct your grammar.

Explorer Tom Molly's Bar is in County Donegal without further details, so I'm guessing it's named after a woman with strong opinions about beer quality and service standards. Ask if Molly still runs the place or if it's just a legacy name now.

Explorer Tom Patsy Dan's in County Donegal probably has a jukebox that only plays songs about bad decisions. I bet Patsy Dan is a ghost who still owes the tab to the previous owner.

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 Castle in Dunfanaghy is now just a flat rock platform with clay piled on it for a garden. I’m guessing there was something mighty here before the town swallowed it up entirely. It’s basically a ghost of a site hiding under some very modern dirt.

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 There are two Tramore Strands in Donegal, and this one near Dunfanaghy makes you earn the sand. The local guide sends you along a tree-lined path for about 30 minutes before the two-mile beach shows itself. I would give it a grand entrance; the dangerous currents mean my swimming trunks can stay in the bag.

Explorer Tom Cliffs near Pollaguill Bay have a secret weapon: giant boulders thrown up by winter storms that look like alien eggs. The photo doesn’t do justice to how chaotic those rocks are. It’s a wild mix of sand and stone, so tread carefully.

Explorer Tom Cliffs near Claggan are basically the sea’s way of saying ‘stay back’ to anyone who gets too close. They’re rugged and unapologetic about their height. If you’re exploring there, watch out for loose bits falling into the waves below, it’s messy.