‘Unique ascent’ of the seven summits of Donegal
Iain Miller
The county of Donegal sits on the northwest tip of the Republic of Ireland and quite simply plays host to more rock than anyone can ever climb in several lifetimes. The diversity of Donegal’s rock climbing venues covers every climbing medium found in the rest of Ireland combined.
With the mudstone roofs of Muckross Head, the golden sea battered granite on the islands of Cruit, Gola and Owey, and two major Irish mountain ranges in the county, each contain some of Ireland’s oldest and longest rock climbs. And with over 2,800 recorded rock climbs (on 18 free PDF downloads) in Donegal, there is plenty to play on.
On the summit of the icon. The sea stacks of Co Donegal are some of Ireland's oldest and longest rock climbs. Photo Iain Miller
But it is along the coastline of western Donegal where perhaps Ireland’s most unusual climbing locations are located. Living along the western freeboard of Donegal is a collection of nearly 100 sea stacks. The main residence of these gothic leviathans is the little known coast line of An Port, in one of Ireland’s most remote locations.
Oileáin – The Irish islands guide
Perhaps an adage too readily used is that Ireland ‘punches above its weight’; however when it comes majestical landscape, it is admirably true. For a small island on the periphery of Europe, Ireland’s geographical range belies its size of just roughly 84,000 km2, and its necklace of islands that differ, not just at the four compass points, but sometimes in sight of one another.
'Oileáin is about places,' writes David Walsh, in this second edition (first published in 2004) dedicated guide to almost every Irish coastal island. Most of the ‘newbies’ are close to shore, or satellites of larger offshore islands with a central theme of being ‘islands up the heads of bays, well sheltered’.
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Guest Writer2014-04-15 13:44:442019-02-14 15:28:22Howth RNLI launch Mayday campaign
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Guest Writer2014-03-27 17:15:082019-02-14 15:25:03Storm shelter for Sandycove swimmers
State-aid for storm battered piers and harbours
Eleven local authorities that manage the State’s 115 harbours/piers/slipways damaged during the storms of winter 2013/’14 are to receive €8.5m exchequer aid. €7m will support 111 projects and €1.5m will go towards remediation works at four of the State owned non-Fishery Harbour Centres, including €1.3m for North Harbour, Cape Clear.
Minister Simon Coveney speaks to locals in Connemara. Councillor Seosamh O Laoi, second left; Senator Hildegard Naughton, Councillor Eileen Mannion and Sean Kyne TD
“We are all too well aware of the damage wreaked on our harbour network….I am delighted to announce this significant funding for the immediate repair of piers and harbours across the country, as part of an extended capital programme for 2014,” remarked Simon Coveney,
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Minister Coveney also announced details of a further €15m towards harbour development. A significant increase on 2013 funding, Minister Coveney said it was an indication of the government’s “commitment to developing our fishing harbours for the benefit of our fishing industry, seafood processing sector, other ancillary marine industries and the wider community.”
The Old Pier, Union Hall
Nestled in a sheltered corner of Glandore Harbour on the spectacular West Cork coast, the fishing village of Union Hall with its multi-coloured terraced houses that line the streets and the one-lane bridge have been immortalised in Sir David Puttnam’s film War of the Buttons, and 300 years before then as a retreat for the Dean of Ireland, Jonathan Swift.
And in the 1900s, the harbour and its pier thrived during the herring season when fish was salted and stored in barrels for export. More recently too its name resonated far beyond these shores when the village was the coordination centre in January 2012 for the search of the fishing vessel Tit Bonhomme and ultimately the recovery of five fishermen.
A sense of community prevails, possible because the village essentially is a cu-de-sac with no passing traffic so that everyone is there for a reason – and is not just in a transient moment.
Wild Atlantic Way – Ireland’s 2,500km coastal route
The ‘longest coastal touring route in the world’, stretching from Malin Head in Co Donegal to the Old Head of Kinsale in Co Cork, was launched today and has been benchmarked against the Gold Coast in Australia; South Africa’s Garden Route and the Pacific Coast Highway in the United States.
The 2,500 km Wild Atlantic Way is an initiative of Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland and is a key element of their 2014 overseas marketing campaign, with interest already coming from Germany and Austria’s leading tour operator Dertour and CIE Tours International in North America.
Mizen Head, West Cork
Sean Quinn, Fáilte Ireland’s chief executive sees the initiative as “repositioning Ireland for overseas visitors”. He added that international experience showed that packaging and branding assets into defined touring routes increased visits from domestic and international visitors.
European strategy to promote coastal and maritime tourism
The European Commission has presented a new strategy to support coastal and maritime tourism in Europe. Recognising the sector's potential for sustainable growth and job creation, the strategy outlines 14 EU actions 'to help coastal regions and businesses tackle the challenges they face and strengthen the sector's position as a key driver of Europe's blue economy'.
Included is a break-down of tasks that Member States, regions and industry stakeholders can undertake to complement the actions.
Rhodes, Greece where tourism is leading component of the island's economy
The proposed actios include 'facilitating closer cooperation and dialogue across Europe between all coastal tourism stakeholders, public-private partnerships, promoting skills and innovation, promoting ecotourism, and creating an online guide to funding opportunities to help drive investment.
"Coastal and maritime tourism was identified in our 'Blue Growth' strategy as one of the key drivers for creating growth and new jobs, particularly in our coastal areas which often suffer from high unemployment," remarked European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki.
Funding to rebuild storm damaged piers, slips and harbours
The government is to allocate €8.8m for the repair of the publically owned pier, harbour and slipway network linked to fisheries and aquculture, marine minister Simon Coveney told colleagues in the Dáil today.
A temporary "one-off scheme" of assistance for pot fishermen who have lost lobster and shrimp pots will apply to vessels under 15 metres and will be administered by BIM. It will provide a set amount of €24 per lost lobster pot and €12 per lost shrimp pot, representing circa 40% of the cost of gear relplacement.
Inisbofin's signal tower - before and after. Photo Marie Coyne
" While I am conscious that some pot fishermen have reported losing several hundred pots, I belive those are exceptional cases. I am therefore capping the number of replacement posts at 50 for under 12 metre vessels and 100 for under 15 metre vessels, "Minister Coveney said.