Ask any Irish adult about their teenage summer in the Gaeltacht and you can
guarantee their eyes will mist up like a Donegal dawn – three weeks away
from the parents, on holiday with members of the opposite sex who aren’t
your relations, the Gaeltacht holiday is a cherished journey into Irish
adolescence.
You’ll see the occasional group of blissfully happy teenagers while you’re
driving around the remote back roads of Donegal. They’ll probably have a
better idea of where they are than you will – because in the Gaeltacht, all
the road signs are, of course, in Gaelic.
The Gaeltacht is all the parts of Ireland where Gaelic is spoken, and locals
move easily between English and Irish. Ireland’s largest Irish-speaking
parish is Gweedore (Gaoth Dobhair) – on the North West coast of Donegal.
Players of Irish music from all over the world come here to hone their
skills.
Maybe because Donegal only borders with the Irish Republic with a few miles it
has always been considered a remote spot, though it’s actually easy to get
to. Flights to Derry Airport are cheap (tuppence return including taxes is
possible). Half an hour west from Derry Airport and you’ll be over the
border (though there’s no sign now to tell you that) and near Letterkenny –
Donegal’s largest town and the gateway to the Derryveagh mountains and the Glenveagh
National Park.
It’s worth spending a night in Derry before heading out to the mountains and
the coast of Donegal. The city has had a rough time of it over the years,
and its notoriety is part of its charm, but it’s an optimistic place. Derry
people are softly spoken, the pubs are friendly and although eating out in
this part of the world can leave you wondering if there’s a world beyond
steak and chips, good restaurants can be found.
Where to stay
Derry Independent Hostel
A back packers joint, but a civilised place, where a bright and clean room for
two and a help-yourself breakfast of cereal, toast and tea is £18 a night
per person as long as you book online in advance.
City Hotel, Derry
At the other end of the scale, this is the poshest place to spend a night in
the walled city and a good place to wind up a long weekend before making it
out to the airport for an early flight. While the official room rates are
around £125, you’re likely to save around 40 per cent by booking online. If
you don’t make it into the Atlantic, you can wet your togs in the hotel’s
pool and steam room.
Woodhill House, Ardara
Ardara is under an hour from Bunbeg, and just up the road from Killybegs,
Ireland’s biggest fishing port. Woodhill House is family-run, and has an
excellent small restaurant whose French-based menu could include the likes
of roasted figs with proscuitto and chive cream, oysters, red onion and leek
encrusted sea bass and Carrageen pudding with mixed berries.
