Ireland 2026 - Caves, a Headland, a BBQ and a Birthday Boy

Thursday 21st May

Richard’s birthday.

It was a rough night with a lot of wind and rain.

We made a 40 mile trip back into Northern Ireland for a visit to the Marble Arch Caves.  The entrance to the caves is just over in County Fermanagh but the caves stretch for nearly 7 miles, some of which is under Eire.

The story of the caves began roughly 330 to 340 million years ago during the Carboniferous period. At this time, the area that is now County Fermanagh was covered by a warm, shallow tropical sea. Skeletons of marine organisms accumulated on the sea floor, eventually compressing into thick layers of limestone.  Over the last few hundred thousand years, the modern cave system took shape through a process called karstification. Three tributary rivers (the Owenbrean, Aghinrawn, and Sruh Croppa) flow through it.

I could go on and on about karstification and calcification but I’m sure you would fall asleep! 

For centuries, the deep, dark chasms were treated with superstition and fear. Local folklore held that the caves were the domain of ghosts, witches, and fairies, keeping people from exploring past the entrance. 

In August 1895, the Earl of Enniskillen invited Édouard-Alfred Martel, a legendary French speleologist widely considered the "father of modern caving," to conduct the first scientific exploration of the system.  Martel partnered with a Dublin-born naturalist named Lyster Jameson. Armed only with candles, heavy ropes, magnesium flares for brief bursts of bright light, and a collapsible canvas canoe made in America, the two men lowered themselves into the subterranean darkness. 

They paddled and waded through the unknown waters, mapping the first 300 meters of the system.

In 1907 cavers from the Yorkshire Ramblers' Club returned without a boat, opting to wade through the freezing water to push past Martel’s furthest point, discovering the Great Boulder Chamber. 

Between 1935 and 1938 explorers successfully connected different sections of the cave by using floating candles to trace the water currents through low, waterlogged arches, mapping the Skreen Hill chambers. 

Then in the 1960s with the advent of modern cave diving speleologists were able to pass submerged sumps, uncovering miles of additional hidden passages. 

In 2015 the region was officially designated as the Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark.

All the group were in awe of it all and many of us felt they were the best caves er had ever visited - this includes Richard and me.

After the caves we headed to Glencar waterfalls. We all donned our wet weather gear, including Rio, only to discover at the entrance that it was no dogs!  Apparently, it is a very good waterfall especially after all the rain ☹️

Back at the site it was laundry time, we still had clean clothes, but it seemed to make sense to get it done and it was pretty cheap.

16 of us went out for dinner to a local pub. Richard and I had pizza - the toppings were excellent, but the base was soggy which was a great shame, however the craic was good!

Friday 22nd May

We were up and away early, for us anyway. We were heading to Achill Island, the last stop with the group. 

A quick sortie into Lidl then we left Sligo behind.

We were heading to Downpatrick Head, one of the WAW Signature Points. 

The headland rises about 130 feet, but we were at the top looking down!  However, the crown jewel of the headland is the towering 150 feet high Dún Briste Sea Stack which stands just off the coast having broken away from the mainland in a severe storm in 1393. Its distinct, brightly layered rock strata showcase millions of years of geological formation.  According to local folklore, the stack was created when St. Patrick struck the ground with his staff, isolating a pagan chief on the newly formed rock. 

In the middle of the headland is a fenced off area round a huge blowhole which is about 130 feet down through the rock.  During heavy swells or storms, the ocean is forced up through the tunnel with incredible pressure, creating spectacular plumes of spray.

A few miles west of Downpatrick Head is the Céide Fields Visitor Centre. We probably wouldn’t have stopped as the car park was pretty rammed but were told that there was live Irish music playing and today it was free for the over 60s!   The Centre stands on one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in the world, mapping out a highly organized system of fields, dwellings, and megalithic tombs built by a sophisticated farming community over 5,000 years ago.  Neolithic farmers cleared the primeval forests here to graze cattle and cultivate the land. The stone walls they built form a vast, interconnected grid layout that stretches for miles across the landscape.  As the climate changed millennia ago, the area became much wetter, causing a slow-growing layer of blanket bog to form. This thick peat layer completely sealed and perfectly preserved the stone walls, keeping them completely untouched by modern agriculture until their discovery in the 1930s.

The weather was pretty awful, so we didn’t wander around outside instead went into the Centre. Richard went round the exhibition while I stood entranced by the Irish music which was very good indeed.

In the centre of the Visitor Centre is a 4,300 year old pine tree trunk excavated from the bog. It was quite a feature.

As the weather wasn’t conducive to sightseeing, we set off for Achill Island. Our journey took us over very bleak landscape which was brought to life in places by the vibrant yellow of the gorse and the pink of the wild rhododendrons. In places they were mixed together and looked beautiful. Sadly, I didn’t get a photo.

Our campsite was on Keel beach, a 2 mile stretch of sand. I took Rio for a lovely run on the beach where there was a kite surfer doing tricks, before settling down for the evening.

Saturday 23rd May

At long last a day off, but it was a pretty grim day.  It was grey and blowing a hooley. After lunch we decided that we really needed some fresh air so bundled ourselves up and braved the elements.  We had seen a butchers from the van so wandered across to buy some salt marsh lamb.  We walked back via the beach and there were lots of sheep hoof prints, so I guess that proved that the lamb I bought was really local salt marsh!

 The wind howled all afternoon, and the greyness really got us down. Kat had suggested a BBQ as it was our last night together, so Richard moved Kiwi to 90 degrees next to Kat which at least made a relatively good windbreak.
 

People slowly emerged from their vans bringing chairs, tables, BBQs and food over to the camp. It was a lovely evening and just what we needed after 2 really rotten days.

As nothing much happened today, I thought I would tell you about a soldier honoured with a statue in Bushmills. Robert Quigg was awarded the Victoria Cross medal for most conspicuous bravery at the Battle of the Somme.  The citation, published in The London Gazette read:
 
No. 12/18645 Pte. Robert Quigg, R. Ir. Rif. For most conspicuous bravery. He advanced to the assault with his platoon three times. Early next morning, hearing a rumour that his platoon officer was lying out wounded, he went out seven times to look for him under heavy shell and machine gun fire, each time bringing back a wounded man. The last man he dragged in on a waterproof sheet from within a few yards of the enemy's wire. He was seven hours engaged in this most gallant work and finally was so exhausted that he had to give it up. 

Ireland 2026 - Geology and History

Monday 18th May

Giant’s Causeway today. We drove the mile or so into Bushmills, parked in the park and ride car park and took the bus out to the site. 

The Giant’s Causeway is Northern Ireland's only UNESCO World Heritage Site and features around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns rising out of the sea—the result of intense volcanic activity some 60 million years ago (or, as legend tells it giant Finn McCool built the causeway to fight a Scottish giant. When he realised the Scottish giant was enormous, Finn’s wife disguised him as a baby. The Scottish giant saw the “baby” and panicked, thinking the father must be gigantic.)

We were quite surprised that nowhere was out of bounds and there were people clambering all over the place. My balance isn’t what it used to be, so I didn’t do much clambering! 

We got the bus back into Bushmills and drove out to Portrush Whiterocks Beach which is a huge sandy beach which Rio just loved.  Centuries of relentless North Atlantic waves have carved the soft, sedimentary chalk cliffs into an incredible network of caves, headlands, and freestanding stacks.

Between Bushmills and Portrush are the ruins of Dunluce Castle which are pretty stunning and are one of the most dramatic and picturesque ruin sites in Ireland.  The first stone castle at Dunluce was constructed around 1513 by the McQuillan clan, who ruled the surrounding region of "The Route." They built the two large, round towers that still dominate the mainland side of the ruins today.  However, the McQuillans’ hold on the coast was short-lived. During the mid 16th century, the MacDonnell clan arrived from the Western Isles of Scotland (Islay and Kintyre). Initially, the MacDonnells came as gallowglasses (mercenary soldiers) hired by the McQuillans. Recognizing the strategic perfection of Dunluce, the MacDonnells slowly began to claim the land for themselves.  The rivalry culminated in two major battles in the 1550s (the Battles of Aura and Slieve an Aura). The MacDonnells, led by the fierce warrior Sorley Boy MacDonnell, decisively defeated the McQuillans and seized Dunluce Castle, establishing it as the seat of the MacDonnell Lordship of the Glens. 

Following the burning of the town of Dunluce in 1641 and the financial ruin of the MacDonnell family during the Cromwellian wars the castle was permanently abandoned in the 1680s. The seat of the Earls of Antrim was moved inland to Glenarm Castle, leaving Dunluce to dissolve into the romantic, windswept ruin that stands today.  Without maintenance, the harsh North Atlantic gales and salt spray accelerated the structural decay. Sometime during the 18th century, a massive portion of the residential manor house's north wall collapsed directly into the sea.

For over 350 years, the town of Dunluce was treated as a local legend—until state archaeologists began extensive excavations in the 2000s, uncovering the remarkably preserved cobblestone grid system, fireplaces, and everyday artefacts of the lost 1641 town just beneath the fields.

Local folklore famously claims that during a massive storm in 1639, the castle kitchen collapsed into the sea, taking the kitchen staff with it (save for one kitchen boy who was sitting in a corner that didn't fall).

It was then back to the site where both of us researched everything we had seen today and one little dog collapsed!


Tuesday 19^th May

Off into Ireland/Eire/ROI today.  So, what is the official name?

According to Article 4 of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland: “The name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland."

We passed through Ballykelly and round Derry/Londonderry both names I remember from the “Troubles”.  Is it Derry or Londonderry?  Typically, Derry is preferred by the Nationalist/Republican community (who generally identify as Irish), and Londonderry is preferred by the Unionist/Loyalist community (who generally identify as British). Because of the constant "Derry/Londonderry" slash on signs and maps, a famous local broadcaster named Gerry Anderson coined the nickname "Stroke City." It's a lighthearted, neutral term that locals use to bypass the political debate entirely.

There were no signs to say we had entered Ireland, but Richard noticed the speed limit signs had changed and we also noticed that diesel was about 15p a litre cheaper!

We went round Letterkenny, which is famous for its distinct, large-scale public art installations situated right in the centre of its major roundabouts.  We passed two, The Polestar and The Workers.  The Polestar is constructed from 104 timber poles and stands roughly 12 meters high and represents Letterkenny’s past as a bustling trade hub.  The Workers features two giant figures made of stainless steel who are working together to lift a massive, heavy block of stone. The stone isn't a modern prop— it is an actual piece of masonry saved and salvaged from the original historic bridge that used to stand nearby.

The Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) starts at Muff, just north of Londonderry, in the north and goes down to Kinsale, near Cork, in the south.  We didn’t have time to go to Malin Head but did go up to Fanad Head Lighthouse which has been voted repeatedly as one of the most beautiful lighthouses in the world, it guards the entrance to Lough Swilly and has been shining its light since 1817.  We walked as close as we could in the rain and took the obligatory photos. There was a small cafe, so we had a light lunch.

The lighthouse was built after a major tragedy occurred. On December 4th 1811, a British Royal Navy frigate named the HMS Saldanha encountered a ferocious winter storm off the Donegal coast. Seeking the safety of Lough Swilly's deep, sheltered waters, the ship was driven off course in the blinding darkness and crashed violently onto the rocks near Fanad Head.  The ship was completely wrecked, and tragically, all 253 souls on board perished. The only survivor of the disaster was reportedly the ship’s parrot, whose collar was later found inscribed with the ship’s name.  The building started in 1815, and the lamp was first lit in 1817.

From Fanad we started to follow the WAW, but it kept veering off and we couldn’t keep up with it!  I set Mrs Google to take us to Portnoo Beach which Jem told me is one of the most spectacular stretches of golden sand in County Donegal. Rio spent the whole time chasing birds which were teasing him by flying low then suddenly swooping up. He thoroughly enjoyed it though.

We then set off for Killybegs, our stop for the night. As we approached the town, we were amazed at the size of the fishing boats tied up. I discovered that Killybegs is the undisputed capital of Irish sea fishing. Thanks to its natural, 12 metre deep sheltered harbour, it accommodates everything from small inshore day-boats to some of the largest mid-water pelagic super-trawlers in Europe.  In case, like us, you don’t know what pelagic fish are, they live in the upper layers of the ocean and are typically found near the surface where there is plenty of sunlight. Non-pelagic fish, meanwhile, inhabit deeper waters along continental shelves and seafloors.  The Killybeg fleet catch mackerel, herring, horse mackerel, and blue whiting. There is also a whitefish fleet which brings in cod, monkfish, and haddock. 

Our site overlooked the sea, Rotten Island Lighthouse and St. John’s Point, not that we got a good view with the rain!

We actually managed to sit out for about half an hour between rain showers.


Wednesday 20^th May

We woke up to sunshine 🌞 such a change. 

We set off for Slieve League Cliffs.  We parked at the visitor centre and caught the shuttle bus up to the viewpoint.  At 2,000 feet they are nearly three times the height of the Cliffs of Moher and easily some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. 

Long before it was a tourist destination, Slieve League was a sacred mountain. The Pilgrim’s Path on the eastern side of the mountain has been walked for thousands of years. It leads to the ruins of an ancient, early Christian monastic site associated with Bishop Saint Áed mac Bricc (St. Assicus), featuring the remains of a stone church (Kille) and beehive huts (clocháns) where monks sought total isolation.  The rocks that make up Slieve League are unimaginably old - dating back to the Precambrian era, roughly 600 to 700 million years ago.  Around 400 to 475 million years ago, a massive tectonic event known as the Caledonian Orogeny took place. Two ancient continents collided, closing a prehistoric ocean and buckling the Earth's crust.  This monumental collision crumpled, folded, and thrust the ancient seabeds upward to form a massive mountain range. This same geological event created the Scottish Highlands, the mountains of Norway, and the Appalachian Mountains in North America (which were all part of the same continuous mountain chain at the time).

From the view point we could see the Rathlin O'Birne Lighthouse. The light was first lit on 14th April 1856, but in 1974, a radioisotope thermoelectric generator was installed, making it home to Ireland's first nuclear powered lighthouse.

Back at the visitor centre as we sat and poured over the map deciding which way to go, it felt a bit like Race Across the World with all of us starting and finishing at the same place and all going different ways!!

Back through Killybegs and round Donegal stopping at Lidl. We had Mrs Google set for Rossnowlagh beach where you can park on the beach. Jem (my AI friend) was concerned that, as we are 4 tonnes, we might get stuck!  To get to the beach we had to go down a narrow slipway and then we were on a huge beach, about 2.5 miles long. We got the ball thrower out for Rio, and he just chased the ball over and over but gradually he got slower and slower though he still wanted us to throw the ball!

Our next stop was Mullaghmore Head, a rugged piece of coastline. During the winter months, a unique underwater reef geometry combines with heavy Atlantic storms to create a massive, heavy wave known to the surfing community as the "Irish Mutant."  Surfers from all over the world come to ride the Mutant.

High above the cliff is a rather haunting castle, Classiebrawn Castle.  Here is some history about the area and the castle, which I found very interesting.

The modern history of the peninsula began with the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in the mid-17th century. The lands of Mullaghmore, which originally belonged to the O'Connor Sligo clan, were confiscated by the English Parliament.

An estate of roughly 10,000 acres was granted to Sir John Temple, the Master of the Rolls in Ireland. This massive tract of land remained in the Temple family for generations, eventually passing down to Henry John Temple, better known to history as the 3rd Viscount Palmerston, who served twice as British Prime Minister during the height of the Victorian era.

Palmerston commissioned the building of Classiebawn Castle, choosing a dominant, elevated site on the peninsula looking out toward Benbulben, sadly he died in 1865 before the mansion was finished. It was completed in 1874 by his stepson, William Cowper-Temple (the 1st Baron Mount Temple). 

The property eventually passed down through the family line to Edwina Ashley, the granddaughter of Wilfrid Ashley (2nd Baron Mount Temple). In 1922, Edwina married Louis Mountbatten, the naval officer, wartime commander, and last Viceroy of India.  The castle, which had been empty since 1916 was reoccupied by the Mountbattens in the 1950s. They modernized the interior, finally installing mains electricity and piped water to replace the old donkey-drawn water carts.  For nearly thirty years, the Mountbatten family spent their summer holidays at Classiebawn, becoming familiar figures in the small harbour village. This era came to a violent end on August 27th 1979. While out on his 28-foot wooden cabin cruiser, the Shadow V, Lord Mountbatten was assassinated when a bomb planted by the Provisional IRA was detonated just off the Mullaghmore coast, killing not only him but two family members and a local boy.  When I started researching Mullaghmore Head, I never expected to find such fairly recent history.

Our site was on the edge of a small seaside town called Strandhill, just west of Sligo.  It was right on the beach though our pitch was on the side furthest away from the sea.  We took a walk about 9pm along the sea front and were amazed at how light it still was.  It was high tide and the waves were crashing on the sea wall.