Liz Curtis travels to the coastal district of Gweedore in Co. Donegal to
sample the charms of the biggest Irish-speaking area in Co. Donegal.
Tawny
grass, bare hills, wild seas, luminous skies — and bungalows, lots of them,
scattered higgledy-piggledy along the coast from Bloody Foreland to Bunbeg.
To arrive in the district of Gweedore (Gaoth Dobhair) on the northwest
tip of Co. Donegal for the first time is quite a startling experience.
Approaching by car through the dramatic barren landscape of Glenveagh,
you pass below the shimmering triangle of Mount Errigal and travel alongside
the lake at Dunlewey. You imagine you are heading into the wilderness —
but not so!
When you hit the coast, you find yourself on a six or seven-mile stretch
of road running parallel to the sea. This road, which runs from Bloody Foreland
through Derrybeg to Bunbeg, is the main artery of what amounts to a town
consisting of bungalows, each one on its own patch of land.
Along the road at widely spaced intervals are the bank, supermarkets,
garages, a bookshop, craft shops, pubs, hotels and two discos. Because everything
is so spread out, a car is an advantage, but there are local taxis.
This flourishing coastal strip is the biggest Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking
area) in Donegal. An industrial estate provides many people with work, while
many others work elsewhere returning home frequently.
The holiday trade, though seasonal, is also important. It thrives on
visitors from Northern Ireland, including many learners of Irish. If you
drop into Teac Jack (chah Jack — Jack’s house) near Bloody Foreland almost
any weekend, you will find people from Belfast in the bar trying out their
“cúpla focal” on the locals or just relaxing over a pint. Those who can
afford it have holiday homes in the area.
Signs reading “trá” point the way to beaches of ethereal beauty, with
sand dunes and shining inlets and tumbling waves, facing across to islands
once inhabited and now deserted.
Bunbeg’s lovely old quay is a departure point for ferries to Gola Island
and to Tory Island further up the coast.
There is a great variety of holiday accommodation. I stayed in a delightful
b&b called An Teach Bán (an chah bwan — the white house) run by Linda and
Paul McGill. Linda is from Honduras, while Paul is from Derry — they met
in Yorkshire. A plus for me was their “no-smoking” policy.
A must for anyone interested in Gweedore’s history and culture is the
bookshop Teach Thomáis (chah hom-ish).
The building, constructed in 1860, was originally a hotel and general
shop. The charismatic agitator Maud Gonne is said to have stayed here while
campaigning against evictions in around 1890.
“The folklore says she arrived riding on a white horse,” says Máire Mhic
Giolla Bhríghde, who runs the bookshop.
One of her husband Tom’s forebears owned the first bungalow in the district,
so he is universally known as “Tom a’ Bhungaló” (pronounced wungalow), while
Máire is known as “Bean Tom a’ Bhungaló” — meaning wife of Bungalow Tom.
On the road home, we detoured through the beautiful wild country north
of Errigal to see the ruins of Caiseal na gCorr station, once the departure
point for many emigrants.
Driving back down the valley towards Gortahork, we dropped in at the
popular pub Teach Ruairí.
To our surprise, we found that they have an excellent restaurant tucked
away in the back room, open from Friday to Sunday, where we filled ourselves
up ready for the journey home.
FACT FILE
Getting there:
Buses: O’Donnell, daily from Belfast, phone 00353 75 48356. McGinley, daily
from Dublin and Glasgow, 00353 74 35201.
Nearest airport: Carrickfinn, daily flights from Dublin with Aer Arann,
www.aerarann.ie
Where to stay:
Ask about special offers and package deals. For the New Year, Easter, or
July and August, book well ahead.
n An Teach Bán, Bunbeg, phone 00353 75 32359,
e-mail pmcgill@iol.ie. Non-smoking. E24 (£15) per person sharing.
n Teach Campbell, Bunbeg, tel. 00353 75 31545. E26 (£16) per person sharing.
n Teac Jack, Derrybeg, phone 00353 75 31173,
e-mail teacjack@tinet.ie, www.teacjack.com. E60 (£37) standard double room.
Restaurant, bar, bar food.
n An Chúirt, Gweedore, phone 00353 75 32900, info@anchuirt-hotel.ie, www.anchuirt-hotel.ie.
E63.50 (£39) per person sharing, high season.
Where to eat:
Teac Jack, see above.
Teach Ruairí, An Bhealtaine, Gortahork, 00353 74 35428. Lunches and dinners
Friday to Sunday.
