An Inside Day

For some corporate reason, which is on a need to know basis only, Enterprise called and wanted our car back. Oh, they would give us another one and all, but would we please hie ourselves to the nearest Enterprise office and turn over the keys forthwith. Well the closest office was at the Donegal Airport. There’s a sign at the corner near us that says the airport is 7 km. A bit further along it is 19 km. Then it becomes 23, 8 and finally 1 which turned into 4. Anyway we changed our brown Nissan for a gray one and were off.

Because it was raining

 we decided to do indoors things and the first was a visit to the site of the Ferry family weaving centre. The Ferrys are all gone, but the family croft where they had produced their world famous tweed has been turned into a tourist attraction where you can see a spinning wheel at work and a loom and, surprise, you can actually buy a length of tweed material.

 I guess the family had only had sheep and Mr Ferry decided he would have a flutter at making tweed. I just had to get that in. 

But all of you who know me will be pleased to know that I now am the proud owner of a penny whistle and I will play for you.

After we left the weaver place, we travelled to the Glenveagh Castle. This was a smallish castle that was built by a cad named John Adair.

 This guy noticed that during the famine years many land owners had mortgaged their properties to help their tenants. So Adair bought up a bunch of the mortgages and booted the tenants off the land. When families were evicted, the thatched roofs were set ablaze and doors and windows destroyed so no one could come back and squat. That’s why we’re seeing all these roofless ruins. 

Adair then built this castle as a hunting lodge and summer retreat, quickly lost interest in it and moved to the USA where he died. His wife came back and did what she could to repair relations with the local community. The castle then changed hands twice more and ended up as a National Park and House belonging to the State. 

The gardens are beautiful and the setting is spectacular. 

We then tootled home over a stretch of moor that looked very much like Scotland. It was a great day for an inside one.