Our Donegal ramble today is a pleasant evening walk with the doggie around the backroads of Killeen. It was our first spotting of the only native Iris flower in Ireland, known as Yellow Flag. The Irish name is ‘Feileastram’ which is also the Irish for the Fleur de Lis, commonly used in the heraldic coats of arms. It is such a pretty wild flower, and as you would expect, we find the yellow flag flowers in much of the folklore and tradition. It is associated with the cure for toothache and coughs, and its leaves recommended to cure mumps. Changlings, kidnapped by the wee folk were thought to reappear as clumps of yellow flag.
It will be a very common sight for the next few months, taking the baton from the dandelions that have morphed into puff balls, to keep the summery yellow palette going - and then the heathers and foxgloves will take over with their pinks and purples. We’ll bring you to it all! Enjoy
#donegal #wildflowers #yellowflag #ireland #rambles #studyabroadireland #findmyireland

​Our ramble today takes us to a modest bridge over a modest river - and yet, like everywhere in Donegal, there is a dam burst of history associated with our little stroll. We are by the Drowse River, which marks the border between the counties of Donegal and Leitrim. An odd little plaque in the center of the bridge offers us four tiny heads and a gigantically important story about one of Ireland’s most significant treasures~ ‘The Annals of The Four Masters’.
Back in the 1620s, it became very clear that the Gaelic way of life was in serious danger of extinction. Colonisation, plantation, displacement, the Flight of the Earls - everything that could be done to erase the Gaelic culture was the plan, and thankfully, this was anticipated by some wise and dedicated scholars, who took on a major project of collecting manuscripts, texts, remnants and scraps of evidence and story, and collected it all. This collection is now known as ‘The Annals of the Four Masters’- as per our little sculpture.
One cannot exaggerate the value of the work that was done - led by Michéal O’Cleirigh, two men with the excellent name Cu Coigriche ( border hound) and another chap by the name of Fearfeasa ( wise fellow). Collectively known as the Four Masters, the body of work they collected has guided our understanding of the early histories and mythology of Ireland.
Much of their work was done along the Drowse River - so this modest little memorial marks a massive achievement.
Enjoy!

Bealtaine - the month of May, and Donegal has its very own ritual site named after this special period in the old Irish calendar. Up on an elevated site, near the town of Raphoe, our ramble takes us to Beltany Stone Circle, a remarkable Bronze Age structure of standing stones. Everything about this place is special- the beautiful hedgy footpath that climbs its way up, the views from the circle, stretching north, west, east and south from the hill, the dizzy mix of hawthorn, gorse, bluebell and marsh marigold, the local fairy trees, and the sense that the ghosts of our ancestors are frolicking around in the centre, as they wait for us…
#donegal #beltany #bealtaine #studyabroadireland

The Northern Lights lit up the nights skies across the Northern Hemisphere last night ~ there’ll be a million photos~ but rambling down by the beach in Bundoran, with a group of study abroad students who had never seen anything like it, it was a spectacular, spirit~shocking, heart-warming experience. Enjoy!
#donegal #northernlights #ireland #bundoran

This evening’s ramble is down by the pier in Bundoran, along the West End. Big sky and big ocean frame this little town, and those who explore beyond the Main Street can find views as breathtaking as any part of the Wild Atlantic Way. It’s particularly lovely this season, with sprouting sea thrift and clusters of primroses scattered along the cliff tops. At every angle, the eye skims across the ocean towards a horizon that is punctuated by the Appalachian curve of Sliabh Liag. Enjoy.
#bundoran #rambles #studyabroadireland

We strayed out of Donegal on today’s ramble - not too far, - we are at Glencar in County Leitrim, to wallow in the incredible scenery. I think this is one of the most perfect landscapes in Ireland- and today it was illuminated by these massive and luminous marsh marigolds, we also discovered Welsh (yellow) poppies growing wild, wild violets and confetti-like blackthorn blossoms. The sheep here take no messing, they stare at you like bouncers at a nightclub door, letting you know before you even ask that they’ll have nothing to do with you. I think most people know of the Yeats association with Glencar, but honestly, the whole valley is any poet’s dream, it is deeply inspirational. I hope you enjoy.
#rambles #leitrim #studyabroadireland

Today’s ramble is to the beautiful Colmcille Lake (Lough Colmcille) in Cashelard, Donegal. As you’ll know if you’ve accompanied me on other rambles, Colm Cille ( or Columba) is one of the three patron saints of Ireland, born in Donegal in 521. Out of the three saints (Patrick and Brigid are the other two), Colm is probably the most ‘historical’ person, - but there is no shortage of folklore about him either. But you can hardly walk a mile in Donegal without coming to something- a well, or a stone, or a tree or a church that doesn’t have an association- mythical or historical- with Colm Cille.
Today, we have Colm Cille’s lake. And the story is that there was once a castle where the lake is, and in it lived a chieftan who had a big feast, but denied entry to the poor folk of his community. Colm Cille and some of his followers arrived to the feast, and saw that there were many hungry people outside. Colm Cille asked that the chieftan admit these people, but the chieftan refused. Silly boy. You don’t mess with CC. Colm Cille create a river which rises up to form a deep pool, and the chieftan’s castle is drowned - still lurking at the bottom of this beautiful lake.
These photos were taken last evening, there was an interesting sky, and I can’t help indulging in pictures of the gorse- it’s so super yellow right now- and the wild violets are out. Enjoy the ramble!
#donegal #colmcille #studyabroadireland

Today’s ramble is around the old churchyard at Drumhome, Co.Donegal, and although I should have been thinking of our local patron saint, Colm Cille who probably founded the monastery here, I was actually bewitched by the dandelions growing everywhere, how pretty their little star-faces are, and how they don’t seem to deserve their low status as weed rather than wildflower. Back to the dandelions shortly, but we’ve stumbled on yet another site with a rich history.
The establishment of monastic settlements by Colm Cille and his missionaries had a profound effect on the spread of Christianity in Ireland and Britain. These early monasteries were hothouses of literacy and scholarship, and they are why we retain so much of our mythology and ancient lore ( albeit in a skewed fashion). In fact, one of the most important scholars to spend time learning at Drumhome was Adomnán, who would become an Abbot of Iona, and biographer of Colm Cille- but he was also the author of ‘Cáin Adomnán’, ( known also as The Law of Innocents), a law to protect women and children in times of war. It’s always very humbling when you come across these peaceful and serene old places and think about what might have happened here. A later church on the site is now ruined, but the graveyard includes many names from the Plantation of Ulster, including Hamiltons and Thompsons.
But back to the dandelions, then! Out of curiosity, I trawled the folklore archive, and found nothing but good things - the dandelion as a fairy clock, as pig food, and it is listed as the cure for many many ailments, including coughs, warts,kidney trouble, purifying the blood - and one correspondent simply declares ‘Dandelions cure everything’. My favourite recipe from the folklore archive comes from County Clare and is as follows-
‘The leaves of the dandelion were pounded and the juice and pulp were put into a half gallon jar. A half a pint of whiskey was put in next and a pound of brown sugar and the remainder of water to fill the half gallon jar. This jar was corked well and left in a safe place for a month before using. This was taken every morning as a cure for cough’.
This little ramble reminds me, and hopefully you that this is the beauty of the Irish landscape, especially if you get off the beaten path. You will find history and folklore at every turn, we are so lucky we still have the tools ( the language, the texts, the folklore collections) to partner with our imagination and be such a satisfying and rewarding experience.
Enjoy! #donegal #Drumhome #colmcille #findmyireland #hamilton #thompson

Yesterday's post introduced the festival of Bealtaine, the important quarter-day that introduces summer time in Ireland. I hope you all caught the early morning dew! Some lovely soul went around Bundoran last night and left beautiful flowers on the doorsteps of the town - it is really lovely to see these old traditions continue.
Go raibh maith agat, a chara!
Festivals like Bealtaine and Samhain and Lughnasa and Imbolc do mark a short period of instability in the pre-Christian belief system- and I think it's very interesting to reflect on how these traditions influenced the behaviour of people - these festivals are often celebrated by chaotic rituals, such as the Biddy Boys at Imbolc, and the lighting of bonfires and men dressing up in women's clothes or disguising themselves in costume- Johnny Dillon, curator of the duchas.ie folklore archive suggests that these festivals allowed a bit of disorder in society so that order was the norm - there was ordered disorder, planned and structured in the social calendar, and I think that's a constructive way to see how tradition and folklore can have a very subtle but effective role in culture. BTW if you want to hear more from Johnny and his guests, check out https://www.youtube.com/playlist... - it's excellent.
And so for today's ramble- we are wandering around a part of Donegal with some great place names- Tóin Dubh (Tonduff) which means 'Black Bottom' and Altnapaste, or 'Hill of the serpent'. Again, the folklore archive supplies us with great stories about these places-apparently Altnapaste was particularly subject to 'butter snatching' at Bealtaine, and the area was associated with the Kerrigans, the harpers to the O'Donnell family. The scenery is just fabulous up around here, and once again, the ramble is soundtracked by sheep and lambs, blackbirds and a cuckoo off in the hedge somewhere. Note the lamb who takes a nap on his Mammy's back! The sky was grey and overcast, which isn't ideal for the photos, but Donegal skies are often moody, and when you're under them, you don't mind at all.
Enjoy
#donegal #rambles