Within the Irish County of Donegal, roughly 580 sq miles (1502 square km) are a designated area for the specific preservation of the Irish language, arts, and heritage. And while it may seem strange that a nation should need to allocate regions for sustaining its own culture, such was the case in 1921, for an Irish Free State - still a Dominion of the British Commonwealth of Nations until the Republic was finally formed in 1937 - and in need of the ongoing efforts of the formal Gaelic Revival. The Irish language had been largely ousted by English and within the Gaeltacht, Irish remains the primary language by design. Almost 100 years later, the Gaeltacht is a refuge not from the encroachment of the English, but of ever-increasing globalization and its culturally degrading impact, much of which has been successfully eschewed within the territory. This desire to retain one's own ethnic heritage speaks to the recent increase in population as ethnic Irish have decided to return to the Gaeltacht following decades of mass emigration.
Today, just under 100,000 people live within Ireland's Gaeltachti, with the population of the Republic standing at about 4.2 million. 26,000 live in the Gaeltacht of Donegal.
These 580 square miles are noted for striking natural beauty, beautiful beaches and cliffs, mountains and lakes, and it is said the dialect of Irish preserved within its borders is that most similar to the language spoken by the island's Gaelic Celts of the past.
Croithlí and An Clochán Liath (Crolly and Dungloe)
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| View from my front door |
My family Teach Saoire sits on two acres of wild land between Croithlí and An Clochán Liath, nestled in the rocky hills of Donegal, next to miles of lake and bog, populated by more sheep and cows than people. And while I could go a week without seeing another person, I could be in a town with little shops after a 10 minute drive. My Irish is abysmal and I did not struggle to communicate while there as almost everyone within the area speaks English, but I am motivated to learn to abide with the intention of the Gaeltacht.
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| Ruins of an 18th century cottage on the land, said to have been owned by by a poet |
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| Dirt and pebble road leading from the Teach Saoire |
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| A beautiful waterfall is a view worth a wade through the bog |
Carrickfinn and An Bun Beag
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| Bád Eddie |
Along the shoreline of the Magheraclogher Strand of Gweedore Bay in An Bun Beag lies the resting place of the iconic shipwrecked Bád Eddie (Eddie's Boat), otherwise known as the Cara na Mara (Friend of the Sea).
Carrickfinn is another beautiful beach, covered in sand and shells but beware of jellyfish washed ashore.
Dún Lúiche and Mount Errigal
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| View of the Poison Glen and old church |
Also in Gweedore is the picturesque Dún Lúiche (Dunlewey)
I visited previously and there are many more photos of the village and two churches here.
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| Mount Errigal |
The Donegal Gaeltacht is a beautiful place, from its beaches to its mountains, covered with livestock raised by farmers intent on preserving their proud Irish heritage.
Photos of Glenveagh Castle and National Park, also within Donegal's Gaeltacht region can be found in a previous post here.
