Living The Irish Dream - Part 10

       County Donegal in the northwestern corner is considered to be the wild child of Ireland. It is at times battered by brutal weather but boasts of wild, rugged and unspoilt splendour. Due to its remote location, it is not plundered by tourists. But we included it in our Irish itinerary as we wanted to break the long journey from County Galway to County Antrim, and also because Mr. Photographer had his eyes on three spots in County Donegal.

        A shipwreck at Magherclogher Beach, Gweedore, attracted Derrick strongly to County Donegal. The ship, now called Bad Eddie, ran ashore here in the 1970s after it encountered stormy weather. It is sad to see this once magnificent vessel now stranded in solitary silence on the shore.

Bad Eddie dreams of better days in action

        Fanad Head, a peninsula at the tip of Ireland, was also calling out to Derrick. With the captivating Fanad Head Lighthouse, it made a great photo shot. Constructed in the early 19th century, Fanad Head Lighthouse has been voted as one of the most beautiful lighthouses in the world.

A truly captivating sight!

        And the real hidden gem of County Donegal is the Great Pollet Sea Arch! It is an excellent example of marine erosion. However, it is not easy to locate and we made several wrong turns before we found the right spot to park. And then it was a long steep descent to the beach. But it sure was worth it when the spectacular natural sea arch came into sight.

Behold the Great Pollet Sea Arch!

Sea arches are a spectacular phenomena created by Mother Nature with some help from the ocean.

        

       During dinner at one of the pubs, we decided to give the Irish coffee a try. The name may sound innocent but this concoction of coffee plus whiskey, I assure you, wields great power. It unleashed its potency after a few sips and rendered me incoherent and misbehaving in the car! I also finally understood why drunks can fall asleep in the toilet because that was what I nearly did! 

The deceptively innocent-looking glass of Irish coffee that led me to experience the true state of intoxication!

       I initially did not understand the interest in County Donegal and was quite reluctant to include it in our itinerary. But I am now mighty glad that I let Mr. Photographer have his way, or else I would have missed out on such splendid sights of Ireland. There’s definitely so much more to explore in Ireland and we could not cover everything in our 11-day visit. So a return to the Emerald Isle is in the cards.