NORTHWEST Donegal is a coast of contrasts, with incredible variation as one journeys from Bunbeg to Creeslough via Gortahork, Falcarragh and Dunfanaghy. It also incorporates one of my favourite mountain roads, Muckish mountain pass, which runs from Falcarragh and on towards Letterkenny. Having not driven the road in many years, I was anxious to rediscover its charms.
Falcarragh was our starting point. This is the heart of the area known as the Rosses, where aspects of traditional Irish life that have long since disappeared elsewhere are preserved, and where Irish is still spoken. The Muckish drive is signposted from the centre of Falcarragh village, which lies on the edge of Ballyness Bay. Nearby, in the grounds of Ballyconnell House, is the Cloughaneely Stone. Tradition says it was on this stone that Balor, the one-eyed king of nearby Tory Island, decapitated the local chieftain, MacKineely.
The village is dominated by Errigal (752m) to the south and Muckish (666m) to the south-east, and the road across the Muckish Gap rises slowly at first as it leaves Falcarragh. On the day of our passage across the Gap, cloud obscured the heights of Muckish Mountain. Away to the south of the road, Aghla Beg rises to 564m, while nearby Ardloughnabrackbaddy is 603m high. Although the higher Muckish remained clouded, these two were revealed in all their mountain finery.
This is a place of great natural beauty, and it was a shock, therefore, to see a gate on a road leading off our road to a landfill site, admittedly now closed. But worse was to follow. As we reached the highest point of the Gap at Meencoolasheskin a huge lighter-coloured gash in the side of Muckish Mountain revealed itself as a large quarry.
While I’m quite sure there is a local history concerning both these sites, the simple fact is that one of the most beautiful landscapes in northwest Donegal has been disfigured. In all my travels the length and breadth of this island, nowhere have I encountered such disregard for our heritage.
Doing my best to ignore these issues for a moment, Muckish Gap once again wove its magic on me as we began the long, slow descent towards the junction with the R251 on the edge of the beautiful Glenveagh National Park and the road to Letterkenny.
Yet, I left this road deeply saddened. Bad as it is that a landfill site and a quarry should be allowed on Muckish Mountain – but that they should also be sited on the edge of Glenveagh National Park – one of the most beautiful places on this island – is a national disgrace.
Travel Muckish Gap and decide for yourself, but do it soon, before things get worse.