As anyone interested in nature and birds will know the corncrake population in Ireland is in stark decline, so much so that it is now a Red-listed breed. Although they are now rare, County Donegal is probably one of the best places in Ireland to hear, and possibly see, one if you are very lucky. Urban development and modern farming methods have played no small part in their decline. I live in the largest town in County Donegal and used to hear the distinctive call of the corncrake every spring until "progress" took away the large fielded site they favoured here. Their sound is very distinctive and described very well on birdwatchireland.ie "The kerrx-kerrx sound of the corncrake has been compared with two cheese-graters rubbed together, producing a sound so monotonous as to qualify the bird as the world's worst singer.". I have never heard the sound a corncrake makes described like that before but having just gone to the drawer and taken out two graters and rubbed them together, I can confirm that is exactly what they sound like! Every year I would ring the telephone given for anyone hearing a corncrake so those who kept such records could know where and when the caller heard their first corncrake of the year. (You can hear a corncrake on a link at the end of this post). In rural areas farmers are asked to mow their fields from the centre of the field out to the edges, a small thing to do as far as the work involved is concerned but a massive help in preserving the small number of corncrakes we have. Mowing from the inside out means that nesting corncrakes and their chicks hear the noise and have time to run to safety, altered as they are by the noise. (Thanks to our commentators below (Ben Quinn and Daniel Mugan for pointing out my previous error in this paragraph). The corncrake in Ireland has now had the intelligence to move their habitat to places where the landscape makes it nigh on impossible for machinery to get near. I have been lucky enough to sight a corncrake on Tory Island off the coast of Donegal and another island, Owey, where I was lucky enough to not only see it but manage to take an albeit very blurry photograph. So given my interest in the corncrake and my love of photography, you can imagine how envious I was of a fellow photographer who hails from Malin Head in Inishowen, Ireland's most northerly point, Ronan McLaughlin, when I saw the stunning photographs he had taken of them! When I said to Ronan about the photos (all taken at Malin Head) and how jealous I was that he managed to get these photos he told me "Patience and camoflague is key to success. Corncrakes by their nature are very secretive. But given time etc every now and again a bird will pop out for what can be a split second view." Patience? That's me out then. Here are the photos and a link to a video of the corncrake and the sound it makes also done by Ronan. Click on the photos below to enlarge.
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Donegal Autism Family Support Group at Errigal Tweet-upThe Errigal Tweet-Up 2014 drew lots of friends of the Donegal Autism Family Support Group to TURN ERRIGAL BLUE this year. Here are a selection of the photographs from some of those who took part. We took the easy option and went to the Dunlewey Centre in the valley below Errigal to take advantage of the boat trip they run out into Dunlewey Lake where we could look upwards to see those dots on the top of Errigal which told us people were up there. The photo on the left below shows Errigal, Donegal's highest mountain (2,464 feet/751 metres) from the lake and the photo on the right gives you some perspective on the hard climb the people taking part in the tweet-up faced. (Click on the pics to enlarge). The photos in the slideshow here were submitted by some of those taking part in the climb on Sunday including Clare McCahill (of the Errigal Tweet-Up) and Geraldine Diver, Maria Ryan, Liam Porter and Ryan Keane. Just click at the top left of the lead photo (taken by Maria Ryan and adjusted by me for the lead photo), and the slideshow will run for you. If you need to speed it up, click on the top right of any photo to move along to the next one. The third annual Errigal Tweet-Up takes place this Sunday the 6th of April 2014. As with the past two years together with being a great get together for both twitter users and others, the event is used to raise awareness and raise funds for local charities. This year the organisers are asking everyone to wear blue as it is the colour of Autism Awareness. During the week buildings all over the world were lit up in blue for World Autism Awareness Day and on Sunday the organisers of the Errigal Tweet-Up hope to turn Errigal blue in support of Donegal Autism Family Support Group. The climb is being lead by local businessman Jason Black who last year became the first Donegal person to reach the summit of Everest. But don’t worry if you are no climber, there will be a link of hands from the top to the bottom of the mountain and so people will be needed to stand from the very base all the way up and everyone is welcome to take part. There will be an aerial photograph taken on the day and it is hoped there is lots of blue to be seen! You can wear your own blue clothes or buy an Autism Awareness t-shirt for €10 on the day. One of the organisers, Clare McCahill said: “The climb has always been tied in with charity so this was a perfect opportunity to tie in with a group (Donegal Autism Family Support Group) who were also climbing Errigal as part of their activities”. Funds will also be raised for Donegal Mountain Rescue on the day (you can donate to this online HERE )and as with the previous two years old mobile phones will be collected from the base of the climb to raise funds for the Little Angels School in Letterkenny. So even if you don’t want to take part in the climb, just go to base camp and bring those old phones that are cluttering up the house ~ and enjoy the craic too. Everyone is asked to assemble at the car park at the foot of Errigal at 11am sharp (directions: HERE or HERE). Those taking part in the climb should wear suitable clothing and footwear and everyone takes part at their own risk. Follow @errigaltweetup and use the hashtag #errigaltweetup For further details TEL 085-126 2943 OUR PREVIOUS BLOG POSTS ON THE ERRIGAL TWEET-UP Last year’s Errigal Tweet-Up HERE First Errigal Tweet-Up HERE Throughout the world for St. Patrick's Day many iconic landmarks are 'going green', in other words being lit up with green lights, to celebrate Ireland and Ireland's most famous Saint. It has become such a big event now that it even has it's own hashtag on twitter! #GlobalGreening where people are adding photos of buildings turned green where they live. Iconic landmarks 'going green' this year include The Leaning Tower of Pisa, The Great Wall of China, London's Eye and the Sydney Opera House. But here in Donegal another, lesser known, place was lit up last night: Banaba's Crown. The area is more correctly called Altnadarrow but in the 1969s the tourist board decided to put the name 'Banba's Crown' on it. Banbha (Banba in English) was one of Ireland's mythological Goddesses, It is now more commonly known by people not from the area as 'Banba's Crown'. Way up beyond Malin Town and Malin Head lies this scenic, if normally very windy, spot. In daylight you can look out over the Atlantic Ocean and to the north east, Inishtrahull Island and the lighthouse there. At Banba's Crown there is a tall Napoleonic tower built as a look-out tower by the British in 1805. It is one of over a dozen such towers dotted around the coastline of County Donegal. It was from here in 1902 that the Marconi Company sent the first ever commercial radio message (to a ship named the SS Lake Ontario). During daylight hours it is not too difficult to find but last night, in the pitch dark (there are no street lights within miles of this area), it was a slightly harder job. Just as we approached Malin Head we saw the Napoleonic tower lit up in green in the distance but we got lost for a moment or two until we spotted car headlights heading along a side road and decided that they were possibly going to Banba's Crown too and we followed the road they took. Once we started to near Banba's Crown we realised that we were certainly not going to be alone. There were cars coming and going up and down the narrow road to the top. Luckily, like many such small roads in Donegal, there are cut outs from the fields at the sides every now and then which allows one car to pull over and allow the other to pass. And last night with all the traffic we were very glad of them. It was mad up there. I had thought there might be one or two nuts like us who wanted to brave the elements and drive miles to get a photo but I never expected to see hoards of people, families with all ages of children running around, people like us who wanted to photograph it all, and of course lots of people doing 'selfies' in front of the tower. ('Selfies' for those not aware of them are photographs you take of yourself ~ with possibly friends/pets etc. included ~ on a phone, more than likely to post on one or more social media sites). When we arrived up it was raining and quite windy and so taking photographs was a pain because we kept having to wipe our lenses and quickly try to grab a shot but luckily, the rain stopped for a while allowing plenty of shots to be taken. Banba's Crown is totally exposed to the wild Atlantic Ocean and it can be very cold and very windy up there. The last time we were up it was almost impossible to get out of the car so strong was the wind ~ it was even rocking the car so last night was relatively mild compared to that. In keeping with the madness of the night, there at the top of the cliffs on Ireland's most northerly point was just what you would expect to see in such a place on a windy, rainy night ... a van selling coffee! It was all very Fr. Ted-ish. The van there is an established business called Caffe Banba and operates there from spring until the autumn. (I can nearly hear what the locals must have said when the idea for selling cups of coffee at Banba;s Crown was first heard of). But mad and all an idea as it may have been, it has been a success and last night they were doing a roaring trade both in coffee but also I noticed the hot chocolate (topped with tiny marshmallows) seemed to be the drink of choice for the night. There was a constant queue around the van and the guy who owns it was telling me it had been the same all day. It was great to warm both body and frozen hands with a beaker of piping hot coffee. I had an Americano and my husband had a cappuccino. The coffee is freshly ground for each order and the is excellent. With the weather that was in it, a watery 'van coffee' would have been welcome but to have real coffee was a very happy surprise. (They also sell tea, soft drinks, cakes, biscuits etc.). So was it worth the round trip of 110 miles to Ireland's most northerly point on a damp, blustery, dark night in them middle of March? Hell yes! Click on any of the images to enlarge and see below gallery for a link to google maps. Banba's Crown 16th March 2014 Views in daylight and evening. In some of the photos below you can see the narrow road up to Banba's Crown. Find Banba's Crown on google maps HERE.
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on his feast day, the 17th of March, by millions worldwide every year. He is in fact the most celebrated saint worldwide. He is of course the patron saint of Ireland but he is also the patron saint of Nigeria, French fishermen and Engineers. There are St. Patrick's Day parades held worldwide and the first St. Patrick's Day celebration took place in a bar called the Crown & Thistle in New York City in 1756 although the event was being celebrated in a smaller way in Boston, USA since around 1737. The day has been celebrated in Montreal, Canada since 1824. There are also parades held in Paris, Rome, Munich, Moscow, Beijing, Honk Kong, Singapore, and Copenhagen to name a few. In America parades have been held in the following cities since early days: ~ Philadelphia since 1780 ~ Savanah, Georgia since 1813 ~ Carbondale, Pennsylvania since 1833 ~ Chicago, Illinois since 1843 ~ New Haven, Conneticut since 1845 ~ San Franscisco since 1852 In 1948 Harry Truman became the first American president to attend a St. Patrick's Day parade (in New York city). And now lots more about St. Patrick and St. Patrick's Day ... SHAMROCKS Every year on St. Patrick's Day many people wear their shamrocks, a little bunch of shamrocks held onto the clothes by a pin. The shamrock is strongly connected with St. Patrick and with Ireland even though the harp is the official emblem of Ireland (see below). It is said that St. Patrick used the three leaves of the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Ghost) when converting the pagans of Ireland to Christianity. FOOD FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY Many people enjoy what they think of as "Irish food" on St. Patrick's Day but unfortunately many get it wrong. If you want to see some traditional Irish recipes and a bit of background on them, click on any of these links: - Bacon and Cabbage (and 'Shamrock Sauce'!) - Irish Stew - Irish Soda Bread IRISH FLAG DESSERT & IRISH FLAG DRINK We took a while to get the white for the white jelly right and you can read how we made our Irish Flag Jellies HERE. A short drink for St. Patrick's Day could be the Irish Flag. It is very moreish and easy to drink but very strong ~ so take care! You will need a sherry size glass, a shot of Baileys Irish Cream, a shot of Creme de Menthe, and a shot of Cointreau. Carefully run the Creme de Menthe into the bottom of the glass using a teaspoon so it doesn't splash or touch the side of the glass. Next do the same with a clean teaspoon and the Baileys Irish Cream. Finish off with a clean teaspoon and the Cointreau. You should end up with the colours separate and the colours of the Irish flag. And when you get in the mood for singing, here are the lyrics to some Irish songs for the great day HERE. GUINNESS AND THE IRISH HARP Guinness is of course the drink of choice on St. Patrick's Day. We all associate a Guinness with the harp logo and indeed it has been their logo since 1862 when Arthur Guinness introduced it as Guinness' trademark. In 1876 he registered the harp as a trademark and this is where we come to Ireland's emblem, the harp. The harp was chosen to be the emblem of Ireland by the first Free State Government of Ireland in 1922. However it has been used on Coats of Arms of Irish Chieftains (Kings) since as early as the 13th century. When the first Free State government chose the harp as the official state emblem in 1922 they had to have their harp facing a different direction than the Guinness harp as that was trademarked. See the photographs below which show the trademarked Guinness harp and the emblem of Ireland harp as used on our coinage. The third photograph below shows the Guinness harp in the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. HAIL GLORIOUS ST. PATRICK The hymn Hail Glorious St. Patrick will remind many Catholic people of their early school days because at this time of year, along with having to wear green to school, this would have been the first time we learned the words to this hymn. At the end of the hymn lyrics you can click on a link which will take you to a clip of the Irish tenor Frank Patterson's (1938-2000) version of the hymn. Hail, glorious St. Patrick, dear saint of our isle, On us thy poor children bestow a sweet smile; And now thou art high in thy mansions above, On Erin's green valleys look down in thy love. On Erin's green valleys, on Erin's green valleys, On Erin's green valleys look down in thy love. Thy people, now exiles on many a shore, Shall love and revere thee till time be no more; And the fire thou hast kindled shall ever burn bright, Its warmth undiminished, undying its light. Its warmth undiminished, Its warmth undiminished, Its warmth undiminished, undying its light. Ever bless and defend the sweet land of our birth, Where the shamrock still blooms as when thou wert on earth, And our hearts shall yet burn, where so ever we roam, For God and St. Patrick, and our native home. For God and St. Patrick, For God and St. Patrick, For God and St. Patrick, and our native home. Listen HERE. In other versions the last two lines of the verse are not repeated and would read thus: Hail, glorious St. Patrick, dear saint of our isle, On us thy poor children bestow a sweet smile; And now thou art high in the mansions above, On Erin's green valleys look down in thy love. On Erin's green valleys, on Erin's green valleys, On Erin's green valleys look down in thy love. Hail, glorious St. Patrick, thy words were once strong Against Satan's wiles and a heretic throng; Not less is thy might where in Heaven thou art; Oh, come to our aid, in our battle take part! In a war against sin, in the fight for the faith, Dear Saint, may thy children resist to the death; May their strength be in meekness, in penance, and prayer, Their banner the Cross, which they glory to bear. Thy people, now exiles on many a shore, Shall love and revere thee till time be no more; And the fire thou hast kindled shall ever burn bright, Its warmth undiminished, undying its light. Ever bless and defend the sweet land of our birth, Where the shamrock still blooms as when thou were on earth, And our hearts shall yet burn, wherever we roam, For God and St. Patrick, and our native home. ST. PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE There are two schools of thought on the origin of ‘St. Patrick’s Breastplate’. Some say that St. Patrick wrote it in about 433 AD before he successfully converted Ireland to Christianity and others believe it was not written by St. Patrick but by an anonymous author showing St. Patrick’s faith. As a teenager in Ireland my maternal grandmother used to recite this when she was in the car with me driving. I used to think she used it to protect us both (and others on the road) from my driving! The verse below is the short version and probably the most used part of the prayer but you can view the much longer version HERE. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. The full, much longer, version can be found HERE. ST. PATRICK'S DAY CARDS Millions of cards are sent on St. Patrick's Day every year but some of the most beautiful date back to the late 19th and early 20th century. You can view our collection of these HERE. And finally, an old Irish St. Patrick's Day toast:
Here’s to a long life and a merry one. A quick death and an easy one A pretty girl and an honest one A cold beer – and another one! HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY ONE AND ALL! As we approach St. Patrick's Day we are aware of the fact that this day is celebrated all over the world mainly because there are so many people or Irish descent worldwide. Many of their Irish born ancestors left Ireland during the Great Famine of the mid 19th century. In Donegal alone the population decreased by 41,000 between the Census of 1841 and the Census of 1851. Of those 41,000 some were lucky enough to have died naturally but many more died of starvation and the balance emigrated to countries such as America, Canada and Britain. Those that were "lucky" enough to escape the Famine. leaving behind loved ones they knew they would never again see, travelled in dire conditions on ships nicknamed "coffin ships" in reference to the fact that around one third of those travelling died before they ever reached distant shores and the hope of a new life. The conditions were extremely cramped on board these ships with a whole family having to sleep in a space about the size of a small double bed surrounded on both sides by other families only divided from them by a piece of wood. The journey took around six weeks and the owners of the ships supplied as little food as possible. So with the cramped conditions and lack of food came disease. Those that died on board were thrown overboard to a watery grave. The song "The Emigrants Daughter" is about a young girl who died on board one such ship: "Oh please ne'er forget me though waves now lie o'er me I was once young and pretty and my spirit ran free But destiny tore me from country and loved ones And from the new land I was never to see. A poor emigrant's daughter too frightened to know I was leaving forever the land of my soul Amid struggle and fear my parents did pray To place courage to leave o'er the longing to stay. They spoke of a new land far away 'cross the sea And of peace and good fortune for my brothers and me So we parted from townland with much weeping and pain Kissed the loved ones and the friends we would ne'er see again. The vessel was crowded with disquieted folk The escape from past hardship sustaining their hope But as the last glimpse of Ireland faded into the mist Each one fought back tears and felt strangely alone. The seas roared in anger, making desperate our plight And a fever came o'er me that worsened next night Then delirium possessed me and clouded my mind And I for a moment saw that land left behind. I could hear in the distance my dear mother's wailing And the prayers of three brothers that I'd see no more And I felt father's tears as he begged for forgiveness For seeking a new life on the still distant shore. Oh please ne'er forget me though waves now lie o'er me I was once young and pretty and my spirit ran free But destiny tore me from country and loved ones And from the new land I was never to see." For those who couldn't escape to new lands life was very hard. Lack of food and seeing their children and families dying of starvation and saying goodbye forever to those they loved who set off for the coffin ships to try for a new life. People ate anything they could get their hands on to try to survive another day. Although Donegal has over 700 miles of shoreline, many of the foreshores were owned by landlords who would not allow the starving people to fish from these shorelines. The photo on the left shows women of the Fanad peninsula in Donegal gathering seaweed to feed their families during the famine so at least they were allowed to gather that. The extreme lack of food forced people to find what they could to eat anywhere and often at extreme danger to themselves. One such example from Donegal is of the man who made his way over a rocky shoreline to a large rock where seagulls nested in the hope he could gather their eggs to feed his starving children. The rock is off the coast of Rossbeg in west Donegal. A few years ago we were there taking photographs of this very scenic place when we met a man who told us the story. In the photos below you will see more clearly the hard journey the man made to get a few eggs. It is a rocky headland and the large rock he travelled to would be difficult to reach even for a fully fed, healthy man. He was weak and hungry but such was his will to save his family he made the journey. Sadly he died of exhaustion on the rock and even though men from the local village attempted to take his body home to bury, their weak state from starvation rendered this impossible. So his body had to be left on the rock, something his family must have been even more saddened about as they never had a burial plot nor grave to visit. I have previously written about the 'Ghost Village of Port' for our We Love Donegal site and I had thought that that was the only Donegal 'Ghost Village.' However out and about in Donegal on Sunday we discovered another 'ghost village.' We drove off the main road at Dunlewey and took the road across the lough and stumbled upon the village which is situated literally at the end of the road. Well the road for cars that is, hikers can continue along signposted trails. Dunlewey, the Poisoned Glen, is probably best know for it's stunning views from the foot of Errrigal (Donegal's highest mountain) across the valley and the lakes below. The old roofless Church of Ireland there, commonly called 'the old church' is probably one of the most photographed churches in Donegal, if not Ireland. But further along the valley is where the 'ghost village' lies at the end of the road that crosses over the lakes. This one differs from the one at Port in that the houses seem to be of a later date and show evidence of having been plastered and some have slate roofs. The cottages at Port are simply stone constructions and would have been thatched. There are about a dozen cottages all in a little cluster giving it a village or hamlet feel and along with the old cottages there are some beautifully made old stone walls. From the village you look straight across Lough Dunlewey to Errigal so it has a fabulous setting making the mystery of why it was abandoned even stronger. Back on the main road and heading to Gweedore, I noticed that you can actually see the village from the road (see photograph below). I have driven this road many, many times and have never even noticed it which makes me even more positive that taking a wrong turn or even deliberately taking an old road off the main road can lead to treasures we miss if we stay on the main thoroughfares. Regarding the mystery of the village, I will get to the bottom of it and will then update this blog post accordingly. UPDATE (21st February 2014) After seeking information I was given the following: "Glentornan is the village. ... Betweem 30-40 people lived in the townland between the census of 1841-1881. The 1901 & 1911 recorded 55 (31 M & 24F)." Many thanks to Josephine and folks from the facebook pages for Dunlewey: DUNLEWEY and DUNLUICHE So the village now has a name: GLENTORNAN and we now know that about 30 and 55 people lived there between 1841 and 1911. My information helper also told me that most of the inhabitants moved over to the other side of the lake, possibly following their young who built homes over there and also a number would have gone the way of many Irish people and emigrated. Click on any of the photographs below to enlarge. The google map below just shows you where Dunlewey is.
Donegal Rally 2013 ~ Brian Brogan roars into Glen Village
The Donegal International Rally is the biggest and one of the most challenging rallies in Ireland and attracts drivers and spectators from all over Ireland, the U.K. and Europe. The rally has been running for 41 years this year and apart from it being cancelled in 2001 because of the foot and mouth epidemic,, and a couple of years when the rally was cancelled after it started because of fatalities during the course of it, it has run every year since it's inception in 1972. The rally weekend is always held in mid-June and it attracts many thousands of people to County Donegal who in turn bring millions of euro to the economy here. It begins and ends in Letterkenny with the opening ceremony on the Thursday night and the closing ceremony on the Sunday night. I am not really a rally fan but we decided to enjoy a day at it yesterday to take photographs and see what all the buzz is about. We went to the Glen stage as there are great vantage points there to see the cars negotiate a small village at speed (and there is no standing out in fields freezing in the rain as is the way with many other stages!). Unusually for rally weekend, it poured down! Not great for the spectators nor for the rally drivers either. However, the wet roads gave some great photo opportunities from reflections to the splash coming off the speeding wheels to a few unfortunate drivers who slid and ended up facing the wrong way. We were lucky in that we had access to a house in the village so I could get many photographs from the windows in the house and also shelter from the rain when it got really bad. My husband chose to suffer the rain and got himself a prime position on an outside wall which faces up the hill that the speeding cars roar down into the village. One thing that strikes you about the rally is the noise! It is almost deafening when the cars roar past at massive speed and then many of them backfire too. I spent a lot of the day jumping in fright with these loud bangs I can tell you. As is usual for me, I got chatting to people. A group of marshals who had travelled the six and a half hour journey from County Cork were my "teachers" for the rally filling me on on so many things I had no idea about about rallying. They are so dedicated to rallying and go all over the country assisting organisers of rallies. The marshals are a vital element to any rally with their unenviable task of keeping people off the road among many things. People can act so crazy and decide to cross over to see if they can get a better vantage point never thinking that they could be killed by one of these cars should they be unlucky enough to maybe stumble as they cross the road. Indeed a number of years back a young man from Strabane did exactly that and was killed outright by a rally car who couldn't stop in time to avoid the impact. Another thing that strikes you is the smell! As the cars whiz by a fug of toxic fumes engulf you ~ my lady marshal, when I commented on this, informed me that it is the high octane fuel they use that causes the strong smell. It is vile! After a while, and even though I am still not a rally fan, I could kind of get why people do enjoy it. It is very exciting watching the cars roar by and also rather scary thinking of the consequences should one of them lose control of their vehicle. Or the thought of an animal suddenly appearing on the road ~ which is exactly what happened at one stage. A cat wandered out into the road just as the whistles announcing the arrival of a car sounded! I was terrified but the crowd, as one, started yelling at the startled cat and she ran at great speed, not to avoid a car but rather the noise of the crowd. And not a moment too soon as the car whizzed by seconds after the cat had taken cover in a field. I enjoyed taking the photographs of the cars for a while but then got a little bored ~ well after a couple of hours of it a non rally person has every right to get bored I reckon! And my boredom lead me to look for other things to photograph and I started taking photos of the photographers taking photos of the rally ~ much more fun. The media lot were great craic during the course of the rally as we chatted between cars about cameras and photography and so on ~ they laughed at me taking pics of them taking pics, not understanding that my limited attention span of taking photos of cars had been reached and I had to find something else to amuse me. Well, it passed the time. (Click on any of the photographs to enlarge and scroll down this page for lots of photos from the rally). "OOPS!" MOMENTS Given the dreadful weather with the rain pouring down, it was inevitable that there would be some "Oops!" moments. Thankfully none were particularly serious and really just ended up amusing the soaking spectators. Here are some of those "Oops!" moments on the Glen stage of the rally where cars skidded on the sheets of water on the road after taking the very sharp bend made more difficult by the bales that made the drivers swerve around them and then have to straighten up and head for "the bends" above Glen ~ and not facing in other directions as these unfortunates did! (Click on any photo to enlarge). A NARROWLY AVOIDED BIGGER "OOPS!" MOMENT Little windows I learned from my trusty marshal friends that the cars are set off at the start of each stage one minute apart and should one car cover that stage quicker than the car in front and catch up on him or her, the etiquette is that the car wanting to overtake simply toots his horn and the car in front allows it to pass. Unfortunately two cars caught up with the car in front coming down High Glen heading into the edge of the village. This resulted in a block of three cars hurtling into Glen and a sharp turn left on the very wet roads yesterday. When cars are approaching the village marshals blow whistles to let people know a car is approaching and from the side of the road I heard the whistle blow a lot and then car horns being blown and I have to say, it gave me a bit of a fright knowing that something possibly dangerous was about to happen. I took cover and awaited the bang, which happened seconds later. According to one of the marshals who saw it happen, the car in front (the maroon coloured one) panicked and hit his brakes and lost control and ended up mounting the pavement and hitting the wall in front of him. My husband was propped up on steps behind the wall along with another photographer friend and he told me that the thump shook the whole wall! I would have fainted! Luckily the only damage that seemed to be done to the car that hit the wall was a ding on the right wing and he just carried on with the stage (once he got straightened up of course). (Click on photos to enlarge). ANOTHER THING I LEARNED I really was on a total learning curve on Sunday and my lovely steward and marshal friends were only too willing to fill this novice in with their knowledge of all things rally. I had noticed many of the cars had little panels on the side windows at the front of the cars (see photo on left here). I mentioned this to one of the stewards and she told me that inside the cars get very hot and they need to let air in to cool the interior down. Standard glass windows we have in ordinary cars are not advised as in the case of an accident they can cause even more damage to the driver/co-driver and so they are replaced with sheets of perspex into which small windows are cut to allow air in. Clever eh? Vintage Porsche at Donegal Rally MY FAVOURITE CARS I am totally hopeless at identifying makes of cars unless the have obvious identities like, for instance, the Mercedes badge. One of the stewards and I were discussing the different cars in the rally and he knew lots about the different cars ~ most of which went over my head. However, the "Historic" section started and when the first car roared through I said "ooo, Porsche, now that is a nice car". My friendly steward burst out laughing and said something along the lines of "You knew that make quick enough". But even I know what a Porsche looks like! There were two of them in it and they cut a fine shape whizzing through the wet roads of Glen and so I grabbed a few pictures of them together with some of the other vintage cars. I was even able to identify the Mini Cooper! This was because my dad told me he had had one when they first hit the market in the U.K. (although I wonder to this day how someone of over 6' managed to fit in a tiny Mini ~ I guess he was young and fancied the car de jour!). Another in the historic section brought me back too. There was a Cortina and I remember as a little girl my grandfather buying a brand new one for one of my aunts in nearby Carrigart. Not sure I am totally happy with only being able to identify cars from the "historic" section mind you! (Click on any of the photos to enlarge). THE WINNER 2013 The winner of the Donegal International Rally 2013 was Sammy Moffett in his Subaru WRC with co-driver James O'Reilly. The totally dedicated headed back to the closing ceremony in Letterkenny after the rally ended. We headed back to Letterkenny too but not to the ceremony but home. We stopped off at one of the stores in Letterkenny to pick up something for dinner and as we drove to our house we noticed the queues of traffic lining up to get to the closing ceremony ~ they were about a mile long! Now that is dedication! (Click on photos to enlarge). PREVIOUS WINNERS A number of drivers have won the Donegal International Rally on more than one occasion topped by the most crowned winner of them all, Andrew Nesbitt who has won the rally a very impressive six times (1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2006). 1972, 1973 & 1974 Cahal Curley (Ireland); 1975 Achim Warmbold (Germany); 1976 & 1979 Brian Nelson (Ireland); 1978 Ari Vatanen (Finland); 1980 Jimmy McRae (Scotland); 1981 & 1982 John Lyons (Ireland); 1983 Vincent Bonner (Ireland); 1984, 1985 & 1986 Billy Coleman (Ireland); 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993 & 1995 Bertie Fisher (N.I.); 1988 Mark Lovell (U.K.); 1989 David Llewellin (U.K.); 1990 & 1997 Austin McHale (Ireland); 1991 & 1999 James Cullen (Ireland); 1994 Stephan Finlay (U.K.); 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003 & 2006 Andrew Nesbitt (N.I.); 2004, 2005 & 2008 Eugene Donnelly (Ireland); 2007 Sebastien Loeb (France); 2009 & 2010 Gareth McHale (Ireland); 2011 Tim McNulty (Ireland); 2012 Garry Jennings (N.I.); 2013 Sammy Moffett (Ireland). DONEGAL INTERNATIONAL RALLY 2013 PHOTOGRAPHS FROM GLEN Click the photo to run the slide show of photos from the rally.
A Mute Swan on the lake at Inch Island
Although I have been to Inch Island a number of times, the first time to photograph places on the island, and after that there were many visits to see the swans and ducks on the man-made lake there, I had never made the effort to find the "hides" there so yesterday we decided we would go in search of them. Incidentally, Inch Island is attached to the mainland by a causeway road so no boat trips involved. As it turned out the hides weren't at all hard to find as there are signposts in the car park at the Inch Island Wildfowl Reserve. As I suppose there would be! We parked the car and took the path to the left to visit the hide there which according to the sign is the "Tready Point Hide". The path is well laid out and cemented until just after the old pump house along the path and thereafter the path is made of some sort of compacted gravel so easy to walk on. I would imagine pushing a wheelchair or a baby pushchair would be easy to do too. Having never been to a hide before I knew not what to expect but in my mind's eye I envisaged a construction of branches covered with an old tarpaulin. Was I in for a very pleasant surprise! The hide is a sturdy wooden hut measuring around 14 feet by maybe 8 feet. There is a ramp leading up to it. We lifted the latch to enter and inside there were a number of people lined up along the wall at the various little openings which overlook the marsh and sandbanks (and probably the lake too when the water is higher). You can stand and open one of the eye level openings or sit on the sturdy benches and open a waist level opening. You just stand or sit and unbolt the wooden shutter at your chosen point. After you have finished you should lock your shutter up again. Outside had been a bit breezy but inside the hut was warm and cosy even though there is no heating. On the wall there is a board where you can note the birds you saw and the date and time. Not being birding experts we only managed to identify swans, some of the gulls, a huge heron and what we think was a cormorant. We had seen cormorants on our trip to Owey Island so thought the bird we saw at Inch was the same. Video clip of swans "dancing" on the lake at Inch Island yesterday THE TREADY POINT HIDE, INCH ISLAND View from the car park at Inch Waterfowl Reserve (Click on any of the photographs to enlarge). For those not interested in bird watching Inch Island Waterfowl Reserve is still a great place to visit. The scenery and the peace of the place together with the well laid out paths makes it an excellent place to go to to enjoy a walk (or a jog). When we were there yesterday we saw quite a few people who were there solely to walk: parents with children, elderly people, and people walking their dogs (dogs must be kept on a lead and any "business" they might do picked up). And as is usual with me, I got chatting to some people there. The first was a gentleman from Derry who told me he goes there every day to walk his dog. He was really interesting and we chatted for ages ~ until a heavy shower of rain stopped chat! It was a pity because he had many tales to tell. I asked if he uses email as I would be really interested in the history he had to impart but he told me that he bought himself a computer but doesn't even know how to switch it on yet. But he said he was there every morning and asked that I come back so we can continue our chat. I will definitely take him up on that offer and report back some of the tales ~ the ghost story one he told had me mesmerised. Later I got chatting to a woman who was at the lakeside with her little girl. They too were from Derry and she told me that she took her wee girl to Inch Island every week to see the swans and ducks and to check on the new chics as they arrive and their progress. Her little girl then has a story to tell each Monday morning at school. I thought that was a pretty good thing for a mum to do for her child: encouraging children to appreciate the joys of nature is a must in my opinion. View from Grianan Aileach to Inch Island If you do go to Inch Island, and I would encourage anyone visiting Donegal to do SO, you can take the short drive to Grianan Aileach which is an ancient ring fort, dating back some 2,000 years which overlooks the island. There is no charge and there is a car park beside the fort. St. Aengus' Church, Burt DIRECTIONS TO INCH ISLAND WILDFOWL RESERVE From Letterkenny drive to Burt (a village along the main road). You will see a very distinctively designed church, St. Aengus', (see pic on left here) to the right. Take the left turn off the main road across from the church. Take great care at this area, especially when going back on to the main road, as traffic travels very fast there at times. A short distance along that road the road takes a turn to the right and you will see another, smaller road to the left. Drive along that road and you will come to a car park (parking is free at the date of writing). There are directions at the car park for the hides: Take the left path to the Tready Point Hide (which is the one I have written about in this blog post. The path to the right takes you to the Toobin Junction Hide. Each are 800m from the car park (about half a mile). The paths are well laid out and easy to walk along. For those with limited mobility there is a disabled viewing area 150m from the car park. Note 1. The car park is tarmacked and easy for a wheelchair to manoeuvre. 2. There are no lavatories. County Donegal, on the fabulous north west coast of Ireland has retained all our 13 Blue Flag Beach awards making it the Irish county with the most Blue Flag Beaches 2013 (see below for Blue Flag criteria). The Donegal beaches achieving this prestigious award 2013 are: Bundoran, Carrickfinn, Culdaff, Downings, Killahoey (Dunfanaghy), Lisfannon (Buncrana), Marblehill, Murvagh, Fintra, Narin/Portnoo), Portsalon, Rossnowlagh, and Shroove. County Donegal has hundreds and hundreds of miles of coastline and probably more beaches than any other county in Ireland. There are sandy beaches dotted all along our coastline: some tiny, hidden away gems for you to discover; others huge swathes of silvery golden sand where one can walk for miles enjoying the fresh, unpolluted sea air and scenery. There are beaches known for their beauty: Ballymastocker beach on the Fanad peninsula was once voted one of the top 10 beaches in the world; others known for their superb surfing; others for their family suitability with gentle seas lapping their shores; and others just waiting to be discovered. Time to head to Donegal to enjoy just a few of these beaches ~ there are way too many to get to see in a week or even a fortnight. But of course that is always an excuse to return! SLIDESHOW OF JUST SOME OF DONEGAL'S BEACHESCRITERIA FOR BLUE FLAG BEACH AWARD (from BlueFlag.org):
"1) Environmental Education and Information Information about the Blue Flag must be displayed. Environmental education activities must be offered and promoted to beach users. Information about bathing water quality must be displayed. Information relating to local eco-systems and environmental phenomena must be displayed. A map of the beach indicating different facilities must be displayed. A code of conduct that reflects appropriate laws governing the use of the beach and surrounding areas must be displayed. 2) Water Quality The beach must fully comply with the water quality sampling and frequency requirements. The beach must fully comply with the standards and requirements for water quality analysis. No industrial, waste-water or sewage-related discharges should affect the beach area. The beach must comply with the Blue Flag requirements for the microbiological parameter faecal coli bacteria (E.coli) and intestinal enterococci/streptococci. The beach must comply with the Blue Flag requirements for physical and chemical parameters. 3) Environmental Management The local authority/beach operator should establish a beach management committee. The local authority/beach operator must comply with all regulations affecting the location and operation of the beach. The beach must be clean. Algae vegetation or natural debris should be left on the beach. Waste disposal bins/containers must be available at the beach in adequate numbers and they must be regularly maintained. Facilities for the separation of recyclable waste materials should be available at the beach. An adequate number of toilet or restroom facilities must be provided. The toilet or restroom facilities must be kept clean. The toilet or restroom facilities must have controlled sewage disposal. There should be no unauthorised camping, driving or dumping of waste on the beach. Access to the beach by dogs and other domestic animals must be strictly controlled. All buildings and beach equipment must be properly maintained. Coral reefs in the vicinity of the beach must be monitored. A sustainable means of transportation should be promoted in the beach area. 4) Safety and Services An adequate number of lifeguards and/or lifesaving equipment must be available at the beach. First aid equipment must be available on the beach. Emergency plans to cope with pollution risks must be in place. There must be management of beach users and events to prevent conflicts and accidents. There must be safety measures in place to protect beach users. A supply of drinking water should be available at the beach. At least one Blue Flag beach in each municipality must have wheelchair and accessibility features. Wheelchair access and accessibility features must be in place for at least one Blue Flag beach in each municipality." |
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