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CARNDONAGH |
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Just before you turn into CARNDONAGH town, coming from the
Ballyliffin direction, there's a church on the corner against whose wall
is the elegantly shaped and decorated seventh-century Donagh Cross (
domhnach , commonly "Sunday", but also "church founded by St Patrick"),
with two diminutive pillar stones to its right and left. The pillar
stones show figures with rather large heads, while the cross depicts
evil little characters jumping out of its Celtic interlacing - all of
which harks back to the Druidic religion. A few other decorated stones
stand by the entrance.
The buildings of Carndonagh town are stacked up the hillside, near the
crown of which stands the omniscient Catholic church. Most of the
activity here occurs in the environs of the Diamond and this is the
place to stock up on supplies. Near the corner of Chapel Street is the
Inishowen Tourist Office (Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm; July & Aug also Sat &
Sun same times; tel 077/74933) whose friendly staff can supply you with
information on the whole peninsula. The town museum , in the basement of
the Wesleyan church, near the base of the hill as you come from the
Ballyliffin direction (July & Aug Mon-Sat 1-5pm; free), has many
intriguing folk items. You can rent bikes from Bikes and Toys (tel
077/74084), three miles northwest of town on the Ballyliffin road -
handily, they'll deliver to anywhere on the peninsula.
For accommodation , try Radharc na Coille , Tiernaleague, left off
Church Street then on for a mile (tel 077/74471; £26-33/¬33.01-41.90),
or Ashdale Farmhouse (April-Oct; tel 077/74017; £33-40/¬41.90-50.79),
half a mile north on the Malin road. For food , there's the restaurant
at Trawbreaga House on the Diamond, while on Malin Road, The Quiet Lady
has extremely good-value lunches and The Corncrake 's evening specials
are popular enough to warrant booking ahead (tel 077/74534). The
Sportsman's Inn , on the Diamond, does stews and salads and has
traditional music in summer. Bradley's , on Bridge Street, is an old-time
sing-song bar. Tul-na-ri , out on the Culdaff road, attracts the crowds
to its weekend discos . Carndonagh has a street festival in the third
week of July but it's not one of the more lively ones in the area.
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