A Walk in Our New Neighborhood

We had a warm afternoon before a storm came in, so I took a walk on "the middle road" behind our new house. I've driven it a few times before and always thought it would be more interesting to walk instead. It's an old road, and now that everyone is staying home, even safer. 

This post will simply be photos from that walk, and whatever it is that I thought about. 

This house is built from a beautiful local copper-colored stone. It is an old house, but completely new inside. I know this because I looked in the window. It's empty and for rent. 

Just up the hill is a ruined "bawn house." You first see it in behind that modern farmhouse. 

Class: Bawn
Townland: AN FHOTHAIR (TC An Ardaidh)

Description: Faugher House (DG016-024): In 1611, Tirlagh Roe O'Boyle was granted some 2,000 acres in the barony of Kilmacrenan which included, inter alia, the lands of Faugher (Hill 1877, 328; Trench 1945, 96-8). In 1619 O'Boyle is described as having 'built a good bawn and a house of lime and stone in which he with his family dweleth' (Hill 1877, 526). He mortgaged the lands to John Stanton, whose wife is recorded as living there in 1622. The house is described in that year as 'of clay and stone rough cast with lime, 48 ft long, 25 ft broad and 13 ft high . . . Adjoining to this house, there are 3 stone houses and a timber house, thatched' (Simmington 1937, 136; Treadwell 1953-5, 43).

The lands were forfeited by O'Boyle as a result of the 1641 rebellion. They were regranted to Sir John Stephens and were sold by his assignee, Hugh Hamil, to William Wray in 1700; the Wrays had been living there for some 30 years previous (Trench 1945, 94-7). The house was abandoned during the 18th century and is marked as 'Castle Ruins' in Taylor and Skinner (1778, 231).

The remains comprise an irregular five bay three-storey house with attic and entrance at first-floor level set centrally in a rectangular bawn (DG016-024002-), 34.3m x 29.4m internally, which had four corner towers. Sited on a slope, there is a gradual rise in ground level from S to N; this rise is markedly less within the bawn, where some attempt has been made to raise the ground level, particularly on the SE. ...

The bawn is possibly early 17th century in date and is probably that which was erected by O'Boyle. The house (DG016-024) is certainly later than that described in the 1622 report and might well have been built when the Wrays came to reside there in the second half of the 17th century. The nature of this settlement is further reflected in the names of two fields on the S of Faugher House, namely 'the kitchen garden' and 'the orchard'.

Beyond Faugher House is a pretty little valley. Here, the road runs along the ridge behind our house. 

What are those? 

To the east, you can just see our house on the middle left. 

Looking south toward Muckish. 

The name of our townland is "Lower Faugher" or An Fhothair and I just now learned how to pronounce it.  An Fhothair means "a shelf or loft in a hill or mountain." Until I hear differently, I assume it refers to that dark hill just behind the house in that picture. 

Just after I took that picture, I met a woman walking her dog. We chatted about the weather, the passing of Malcom from covid, and how dogs get us our walking every day. She introduced herself and her surname is Stewart. Later that day, when I looked at the 1911 census for our townland, the Stewart family has a dozen members. The Laffertys and Algeos lived here then, and people with those names still run holiday rentals. The Montgomerys also appear that census, and Helen told us that Mrs. Montgomery ran a guest house in our house for a long time.  

The road crests the ridge, then turns west and north toward Sheephaven bay crossing through the Dundrudian townland. Everywhere are fields and rocky hills, punctuated by holiday homes. And sheep. 

Those little white dots are lambs. 

. 

Old Dundrudian

The Middle Road ends at Marble Hill road near The Shandon, the resort hotel. 

Next to the Shandon is a caravan park. I know they can look ugly, but everyone deserves a beach vacation, and not everyone can afford the Shandon. I like the mix of classes in this part of Donegal, and maybe it keeps the rich people from getting notions.

We stopped at the beach for a minute, which I've heard is closed, but there was no sign saying so. It's worth watching to the end of the video. 

Marble Hill Beach usually has dozens of people on it, and it's a great spot for teaching surfing.

This is The Shack, where someday we will drink coffee and eat ice cream again. 

I liked this hand painted sign, you don't see many of them anymore. Carrigart is on the next peninsula over. It seems so far from here these days. 

There is a "big house" above Marble Hill beach. The house is hard to see from the road, but everyone passes the pretty gate house on the curve in the road. 

Marble Hill House on the left and its gate house. The usual procession of beech trees. 




Marble Hill House on the right, shower of holiday homes on the left. 

By now I'd reached the residential section of Marble Hill road. Several of the homes here have elaborate gates. This one is well-kept and the daffodils are blooming. 

This is the gate to Ochiliree. Ochiliree is a town in Scotland. 

The one after that is in disrepair, but I think people are living up that road because there were sacks of garbage here last week. 

The house is called "Rest-A-While." How creative. 

Our house is called by the equally creative name "Bide-A-Wee," but no one uses it. Most houses in rural Ireland don't have street addresses, but are named instead, and the postman knows where everyone lives. I received mail addressed to me at "Lower Faugher, Donegal" before I had even introduced myself to the postman. I had told our old postman that we were moving, and he said he would tell our new postman about us. So that's how that happens. 

Then the road brought me back home. Just under 3 miles. I have a feeling I'll be taking this walk many more times in the next month or two. Not a bad place to be sheltering in place.