Mayo Stop-over

Mayo Stop-over

I enjoyed my recent one night in Ballina (County Mayo), especially the meal in the Market Kitchen and the overnight stay at the nearby Quignalegan House. The Irish don’t seem to have discovered Quignalegan yet as most of the guests come from the continent!

Amuse Bouche

Met up with my Mayo relations during the day and then checked in with Breege Padden at her Quignalegan House just about a mile out the Sligo Road from the well known Ice Hotel. Breege runs a four star guesthouse here and had the kettle on even before we thought of a cuppa. We enjoyed the tea in her well equipped lounge which has comfortable chairs, a TV and plenty of books.

Crab claws

The bedroom too was comfortable and spacious and had all the mod cons, including a flat screen TV. All rooms are ensuite and you’ll also find information here on what to see and do in the area. There is a breakfast menu. Cereals and fruits and yoghurts are on side tables and you might need to give Breege your cooked breakfast preferences in advance – otherwise it is the full Irish!

Scallops

Had heard only good things about the Market Kitchen, the restaurant that is on the floor above the Murphy Brothers Bar in Clare Street in the town. The kitchen is a big supporter of local producers and they are listed on the menu.

Duck

It comfortably seats 80 and it was busy on the Saturday night. We really enjoyed our dinner there. The local produce stood out in the starters, both top class. CL went for the Seared Scallops (pan-fried, with asparagus, chorizo, béarnaise, and Kelly’s black pudding crumbled). Mine was one of their signature dishes: the Achill Island crab claws (baked, with roast baby potatoes, garlic, chilli and lime cream).

Salmon

The main courses were also local, also superb. Mine was the Roast Breast of Silver hill Duck while CL went for the Grilled Fillet of Clare Island Salmon. The restaurant, as I said, was busy, but the bar was positively abuzz as we walked down the stairs and most of the punters seemed to be eating. Highly recommended!

River Moy, Ballina

Kate Lawlor's "Cork on a Fork recipe book"

Popular Cork Chef launches limited edition

 ‘Cork on a Fork’ recipe book.

Popular chef Kate Lawlor, of No. 5 Fenn’s Quay Restaurant, Sheares Street Cork, has cooked up a quirky new Cork-themed recipe book in celebration of the year of The Gathering. Entitled ‘Cork on a Fork- with a few spoonfuls from across the border’ it pays a foodie tribute to the ‘Real Capital’ with 14 interesting recipes with ingredients drawn from the best of Cork’s rich hinterland.

Kate told us:  ‘There’s something to tempt everyone, and they’ll find it surprisingly simple to recreate these delicious, locally-inspired dishes, examples of  which include ‘Farmers Market Cauliflower & Potato Spring Rolls’, ‘Ballea Carrigaline Lamb & Rosscarbery Black Pudding Burgers’ and ‘Kate’s Beetroot and Orange Blossom Fudge’.  Each recipe is described in an easy to follow step-by-step manner, accompanied by stunning food images that will have even the most stern foodies salivating!’ 

Kate Lawlor has always been inspired by fresh, local produce, and ‘Cork on a Fork’ is the result of a life-long love affair with Cork-inspired cuisine. She is known both nationally and locally for her passion and flair for food and is acclaimed by several food critics.  

Her award-winning food blog (www.fqchefess.blogspot.ie) is legendary, and she is a popular driver of foodie ‘tweet-ups’ and charity foodie events within the Cork area and elsewhere.  She’s very proud of No. 5 Fenn’s Quay’s Michelin recommended status, is on the council for the prestigious Eurotoques organisation as well as a member of the Irish Restaurants Association.

Kate says: “With ‘Cork on a Fork’, all of us at No. 5 Fenn’s Quay wanted to create a sassy take on a number of traditional homespun recipes. We wanted to showcase the fantastic quality of produce that Cork is renowned for and share our food philosophy which is simple: we only use the best produce from the best local suppliers and treat them with care and attention to detail.”

The team at No. 5 Fenn’s Quay are in a real sunny spot at present as they were nominated for ‘Best Digital Marketing’ at the Irish Restaurant Awards and are rolling out their summer menu full of light bites and fresh seasonal dishes like Ballyhoura mushrooms on toast with wild garlic & seaweed butter, Castletownbere scallops with Rosscarbery white pudding , carrot gel & bacon dust and The Fenns ice pop.

  

For more information or to make a booking call 021-427 9527, email fennsquay@gmail.com or visit www.fennsquay.net

Food and Drink Spotting. A Friday Special.

Food and Drink Spotting. A Friday Special.

Cornstore Head Chef Mike Ryan launches their Seafood Summer Collection

Cornstore focus on local produce and in-house innovation

with Summer Seafood and Infused Cocktail Collection.

Sticking to their ethos of ‘quality food sourced locally’ – Munster restaurant group the Cornstore now bring you the bounty of our local seas, with the launch of their Summer Seafood Collection. The menu positively showcases the freshest fish and seafood, delivered daily from only the most reputable suppliers.   

Seafood enthusiasts and crustacean connoisseurs can expect anything from Whole Baked Fish wrapped in seaweed and fresh herbs to Natural Rock Oysters on ice with Himalayan salt and lemon juice, and if your taste buds aren’t watering yet, a Whole Grilled Lobster with clarified butter might just do the trick.

However, it’s not just the chefs having all the fun this summer. The group’s resident mixologists have taken on the task of ageing fruit and plant based elixirs in-house resulting in a range of signature infused cocktails. ‘In recent years we’ve seen an increase in flavoured spirits and liquors across our shelves’, said restaurateur Padraic Frawley. ‘We’ve decided to prove that nothing can beat the real thing and our customers love the fact that we’ve always got something new to try’.

Specialising in seafood and steak, the group’s restaurants are located in both Cork and Limerick. Just last month they launched an in-house beef dry-ageing process in each location – being the first restaurant group in Ireland to invest in such an initiative. This current project looks like the perfect summer marriage, sure to see these restaurants become a pilgrim destination for any seafood and cocktail lovers.

Carewswood Garden Centre & Café: “every gardener’s cup of tea!”

 In a bright and airy premises, that also offers a crafts shop with a range of beautiful gifts for the home and garden as well as practical items such as tools and planters, Carewswood Garden Centre also boasts a homely café, where you can find “a range of delicious freshly baked goods and local artisan and organic foods which prides itself on ‘honest food’ with no artificial colourings or preservatives.”

Carewswood is a destination suited to all the family with an on-site playground to keep children entertained. They can also visit the estate’s hens which provide fresh eggs for the café.  And of course parents will be able to entice children into eating all their greens by letting them pick out their own vegetables to grow.  

The renewal of Carewswood, which reopened in April, is the brainchild of a passionate and energetic young couple Daniel Leahy and Juulika Lomp (pictured) who hope that by combining their horticultural and culinary skills and through nurture and care, it will grow to become Cork’s favourite garden centre.  They also pride themselves on a strong eco friendly ethos. Along with using as many recycled materials as possible in the refurbishments of the property, they also use recyclable and biodegradable materials where possible and have a motto not to waste anything.

Since opening its doors this April, the Garden Centre and Café have seen their visitors grow day by day as horticulturalists and day-trippers alike discover their unique and scenic location. The Centre is set within a traditional 19th Century walled garden, Carewswood is only a half-hour drive from Cork City and is a great destination for those with green fingers as it has a wide range of plants, shrubs, flowers and grow your own vegetables, along with the necessary tools, books and of course, expert advice.

Find them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Carewswood-Garden-Centre-Cafe

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Barbeques With Planking???

Another great culinary suggestion from Executive Chef Niall Hill at The Butler’s Pantry –

Award winning purveyors of hand-made Irish food, The Butler’s Pantry, are offering a new and exciting way to add the wow factor to your barbeques this summer with their Red Cedar Planks which will be on sale in all ten of its shops in Dublin and Wicklow from this Monday.

Cedar Planks offer a modern method of experiencing back-to nature cooking that cooks and smokes meat, fish, seafood, fruit, vegetables and cheese in a uniquely woody, tender and aromatic style. 

The Butler’s Pantry Executive Chef Niall Hill, said of Plank cooking, “When I first came across planking when working in Canada many years ago, it was like a light went off in my head.  It opened up a whole new avenue of cooking ideas that I had never explored before for grilling and hot smoking almost every type of food from cheese, meat, fish, to fruit and vegetables right across to desserts, the list of dishes you can cook on a plank is endless.”

Niall has also developed a number of unique recipes for you to try for both sweet and savoury foods as well as serving suggestions for al fresco dining and plank parties! (see attached).

Made of local red cedar wood and measuring 2 ft x 1 ft the barbeque plank is available in all The Butler’s Pantry Shops in Bray, Clontarf, Donnybrook, Greystones, Monkstown, Mount Merrion Avenue, Rathgar, Sandycove and Sandymount, priced €3.95 each.

Remember plank cooking is not just for summer but can be done all year end as it gets best results with the lid closed on the BBQ. A great way to have summer time cooking 365 days of the year!

Shorts

Star Anise ‏@StarAniseCork

For Just €44.50 you get A 3 course meal at Star Anise and a ticket to the "Best Man" now showing at the Everyman.... http://fb.me/2qlrW8bOB 

Island Bakery celebrates 1st birthday with mainland opening!

Island Bakery celebrates 1^st birthday

 with opening of first mainland outpost

Laura and Patrick

It is hard to believe that it has not yet been a year since The Firehouse Bakery and Bread school opened its doors. On June 30^th last year Patrick Ryan and Laura Moore set up shop on Heir Island in West Cork. For an island that boosts 27 permanent residents expectations for this venture did not extend beyond the summer months.

Bu,t as the Firehouse bakery approaches its first birthday, business is going from strength to strength for the West Cork duo.

Since opening Patrick's passion for real bread and his island bakery has grasped the nation's imagination and got many of us back baking again.  The bread school is currently fully booked until October (but Patrick assures us that he is trying to find extra course dates) and with the opening of a new bakery and patisserie in Delgany, Co. Wicklow it is hard to argue with the pair's bread revolution.

The Firehouse bakery forms part of the exciting new venture under way at The Delgany Co. Wicklow which houses four independent businesses operating jointly, Romany Stone restaurant, The Delgany Grocer, The Bungalow Florist and Gift Shop and The Firehouse bakery.

“While West Cork remains the home to our bread school The Delgany is the new home to our bakery,” explains Laura. With an open plan bakery and wood fired oven the Firehouse Bakery is bringing a touch of island life to Co. Wicklow.

“Each morning you can sit and watch the bakers work as they prepare and bake hand crafted sourdough breads and pastries. Throughout the day our wood fired oven will offer up pizzas and flat breads served along with soups and sandwiches,“ said Patrick who is delighted to be working alongside amazing producers like Badger & Dodo, Clement & Pekoe, Abernathy Butter and Gubbeen cheese. "It is a pleasure to be bringing back the village bakery!"

The Firehouse Bakery at Delgany is open Tuesday to Friday 8.30am – 5.30pm, Saturday and  Sundays 9.30am-5pm. Closed on Monday. Parking available on site.

Amuse Bouche

One heavy zinc-lined case included nothing but spices and gourmet condiments. Tins of ground mustard, celery salt, poultry seasoning, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, chutney, orange and grapefruit marmalade, Tabasco sauce, and olive zest. Ever mindful that the expedition would be led by a former president, Fiala even sent Roosevelt a variety of teas so that he could select his favourite kind.

From The River of Doubt by Candice Millard

Food and Drink Spotting

Food and Drink Spotting

Taste of the WeekSuperb pink lemonade by Walshe's Juices.

10 years in Ireland:  Wines from Spain 

• Undoubtedly Ireland’s largest wine event of the autumn 

• Over 350 Spanish wines on show, showcased by 23   importers 

Join  in  the  celebrations  and  toast  the  10th  Anniversary   of  Wines  from  Spain  in  Ireland.    This September, Spanish wines will celebrate all   the   way   from   Madrid   to   Dublin   in   style,   to   toast   the   10th   edition   of   the   Annual   Spanish Wine Fair.   

  

September  11st  at  the  prestigious  Shelbourne  Hotel,  an  unprecedented  number  of   Irish  importers,  23,  exhibiting  the  best  from  their  Spanish  portfolio  with  over  350   wines.  Ten  Spanish  wineries  from  exciting  regions  around  Spain  and  new  to  the   Irish   Market,   will   showcase   their   wines.   In   total,   wines   from   over   30   different   Designations  of  Origin  will  be  on  hand  to  taste  at  this  special  occasion. 

Creating  a  buzz  this  year,  is  the  Pop-­up  Wine  series  .    Pop in for the ‘5 terroir on   Irish thalami ́ master classes.  Throughout the day, the five wine seminars will bring   5   very   special   Irish   importers   and   Spanish   winemakers   together   in   a   relaxed   atmosphere.    Read more here... 

West Cork Hotel

Whiskey Galore! Our 1st Snug Whiskey Tasting is happening on Thursday 27th June. You will get to try 5 drams, have a few nibbles & a good informal chat about Whiskey. €19.50 per person and you will get a copy of tasting notes to take away. Contact Sascha to book. Sascha@westcorkhotel.com

Keep eyes peeled for a whiskey related comp.

Pandora Bell’s New Irish Cream Liqueur Fudge

(available from July 22^nd 2013)

 Pandora Bell is thrilled to launch a new Irish Cream Liqueur Fudge. This delicious premium crumbly butter fudge is flavoured with Irish Cream Liqueur to turn the divine the purely sublime.

 The new fudge partners the original Crumbly Butter Fudge in the Pandora Bell range.  Pandora Bell’s Fudge is rich and crumbly with a very generous helping of butter. It is made traditionally, cooled naturally and broken by hand for that magical ‘once upon a time’ taste.  The ultimate treat for lovers of high quality fudge… made in the traditional homemade style packed with the highest quality ingredients, and no compromise.

 Pandora Bell’s fudge is all gluten free.  It contains no artificial colours or flavours and no added preservatives.

 Pandora Bell’s is stocked in Fine Food and gift shops nationwide including Harvey Nichols, Fallon & Byrne, Avoca, McCambridges Galway and Country Choice in Limerick and Nenagh… and is also available from www.pandorabell.ie

Shorts

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Coconut Bites. http://pinchofyum.com/dark-chocolate-coconut-bites

Chowzter

Chowzter Food for Thought: Did you know? The Popsicle was invented by an 11 year old boy who first called them epsicles (his name was Frank Epperson) - 18 years later he patented the invention and it became popsicles. http://lunchhero.ca/fun-food-facts

The lowdown on Samphire by Fenn’s Quay’s Kate Lawlor

http://fqchefess.blogspot.ie/2013/06/wild-irish-samphire-or-sea-asparagus.html?m=1

 Beet Carpaccio with Caramelized Goat Cheese http://www.foodspotting.com/reviews/3699886

Andy: Baking Bachelor @BakingBachelor

Good luck bloggers!"@BlogAwardsIE: We just this second opened nominations for Blog Awards Ireland 2013blogawardsireland.com/nominations-op… #blogawardsIE"

Inishfood 2013: The Feast of the Chieftains 

RTÉ Food

It's week four of our guest series of features from the top Irish food bloggers. For Afternoon Tea week - Dermot of Gas Mark Seven delves into afternoon tea and finds a little necessary comfort. Plus check out four of his very own special recipes including a delicious coffee cake and smoked salmon and cream cheese finger sandwiches

http://bit.ly/104nl4u

24 hours in Kenmare

24 hours in Kenmare

View of Kenmare Bay from the Sea Shore guesthouse

An unexpected call led to a quick decision to head for Kenmare for a recent overnight stay. No rush on the way down so we took the “long” route: lunch at Manning’s Emporium and a trip around the Beara Peninsula.

Kenmare Bay

The Sea Shore, a well named guesthouse, just about a mile from the town, was to be our overnight base. We got a terrific welcome from Owen on check-in and a welcome cup of tea before we even thought to ask for it. Met his wife Mary Patricia at breakfast in the morning, quite a breakfast I might add, and she filled us in on places to visit and so on.

Kenmare town

Of course, we had been out the night before for a meal, this at the well known Lime Tree. Many of you will know of this restaurant over the years but did you know that it is now owned and run by one of its former chefs Michael Casey?

The Lime Tree

It remains a top class dinner venue. My starter was the Oak Smoked Kenmare  Salmon with celeriac and apple remoulade and a caper and red onion salsa. Excellent also was the Warm Sneem Black Pudding salad, served with crispy fried potato cubes, apple compote and blackberry vinaigrette.

Duo of lamb

On then to the mains. Mine was the superb eye-catching Duo of Lamb: a mini shepherd’s pie (served in its own pot) and a rack of locally sourced Kerry lamb with a confit of garlic and thyme juice, all served on a board. The other main course was also top notch, also so well cooked, and it was Pan-fried breast of Skeaghanore free range duck with a rhubarb and ginger chutney, apple and a cassis jus.

On the following morning we visited Bonane Heritage Park which is crammed full of archaeological sites of all descriptions, including a Stone Circle and a Ring Fort, all within easy walking distance. Amazing.

Nearby also is the Lorge Chocolatier and that also is worth a visit. Soon we had a bag full of chocolates, nougats, marmalade, honey and other foods. All great, though I didn't realise 'til later that the honey came in a plastic jar!

We didn’t touch the chocolate at that point as we had a lunch date at the Boathouse in Dromquinna. This restaurant is on the northern bank of Kenmare Bay, quite a setting. It is a lovely spot and they do excellent food there. The same menu runs from 12.30pm until closing.

CL very much enjoyed her starter portion of  Mussels in a gorgeous white wine cream sauce while I was delighted with the Potted Crab Mayonnaise, with crispy capers and tortilla chips. Off to a good start then.

Next up for me was the mains portion of mussels and I wasn't disappointed. CL’s choice was the seared fillet of Hake and this too was top notch, looked very well and tasted even better. 

Just time for dessert then (before heading to Killarney for a family visit) and this was the spectacular Boathouse Knickerbocker Glory. Try it sometime! And do try Kenmare, well worth a visit, even if for just twenty four hours.

Stone circle at Bonane

Amuse Bouche

Weiss asked some children in pidgin Italian where they could have lunch. The kids led them to a shuttered trattoria, whose owners opened immediately for the GIs and their youthful followers. The conquering heroes sat down to lashings of the first real food that had tasted since they arrived in Italy.  ....they gorged on pasta, meat, fruit and cheese. They also bought lunch for the children, who were hungrier than the soldiers. The Americans finished five courses at one restaurant and proceeded to repeat the experience in another. “Liter after liter of ordinary vino from the nearby slopes, although red and raw, tricked down our throats,” Weiss recalled.

From Deserter by Charles Glass.

Farewell to the Donegal den

Very comfortable window seat, with a view!

Farewell to the Donegal den

The cottage is the middle of the three buildings.
Horn Head is to the left.

For the past week we have stayed in a “charming and romantic cottage that has been tastefully restored and updated over the years as a comfortable and cosy home. The kitchen is a spacious, light-filled room, with an Aga, lots of natural wood, and a south-facing window seat, where you can sit and look out at the scenery, read, or relax in the sun”.

We were lucky with the sun in Donegal and that helped us see the county, especially its northern regions, at its best, but it was lashing rain when we left Baile an tSléibhe and drove down to Downies for the last time. Yet when we reached Donegal Town the sun was trying to break through and it was blue skies as we passed Bundoran.

The cottage is at the end of the road and not even a tarred road at that. It has great views out over Sheephaven Bay and Horn Head. Not easy to reach but the views coming down each sunny morning were stunning.

Then you had the birds coming to the feeders every day, all day: sparrows, robins, even the odd magpie, but most of all the greenfinches (never saw so many of them together). The cottage has a lot going for it, the helpful owner, the AGA, the box bed and the four poster and so on. The only thing that wasn’t great was the bathroom – very very small. A six foot 14 stoner would find it impossible methinks!

In fairness, the location is not really that remote. Downies, just a few minutes away, has two hotels and golf courses and more while there is a hotel and a cafe in nearby Carrigart.

Dining out in Donegal is excellent but, this time of the year, book ahead, as quite a few restaurants are open only at weekends. The likes of La Fantasia in Letterkenny, The Cove in Dunfanaghy and the Olde Glen in Glen would give the best Cork restaurants a run for their money. And the people are very friendly, much the same as ourselves, as one hotel receptionist in Downies said to us. You’ll be at home in the hills of Donegal. And in its glorious peninsulas. We certainly were and will be back.

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Supreme of Food at the Cove and superb Kinnegar Ales

John Dory at The Cove

We enjoyed the best of food this evening in the Cove at Port na Blagh. And the beer, all ales by the local Kinnegar Brewery, weren’t half bad either!

Peter and Siobhan’s Cove is a well respected restaurant in these parts and we were shown why this evening. Made our choices in the very comfortable upstairs bar. 

And here I was delighted to see the Kinnegar selection on the menu. During the evening, worked my way through the ales, the Limeburner Pale Ale, the Scraggy Bay India Pale Ale and the Devil’s Backbone Amber Ale. Thought all three were excellent.  My number one went to the IPA while CL picked the Limeburner.

The food was something else. CL enjoyed, without reservation,  her Donegal Crab and Smoked Salmon Paupiettes while my Roasted Fresh Figs, filled with Cashel Blue cheese and Parma ham, was an exquisite dish.

Good food policy!

My lips just lick themselves once I think of my mains: Classic Cassoulet, a rich casserole of confit duck, Toulouse sausage, smoked bacon and Cannellini beans, slow cooked in red wine. C’est super! And CL’s was delicate and gorgeous. It was one of the Fish of the Day specials: John Dory with lightly curried leeks. Both came with a choice of side dishes. 

Not too much room for desert but we did share the Chocolate Pot with Raspberries with which I sipped a Macchiato. There is a long summer ahead. So do get to the Cove if you can at all. Highly recommended!

With a decision made to return to Donegal and check out the southern half, there was no need to go long distance today. But we did head over the Mulroy Bay Bridge for a second time to drive a small stretch of the Fanad peninsula that we had missed. Main town on the way was Kerrykeel (also spelt Carrowkeel). Amazing how much fish-farming is going on in the waters of the bay.

Headed back to Carrigart and had a lovely coffee break at Caife na Sráide, run by the McClaffertys. There is a welcoming warm atmosphere and a menu to suit all ages and outdoor seating if the weather is kind. The village also boasts a smashing little public park down by the water.

So an easy going day ahead of check out tomorrow morning. But which bed to sleep in? The box bed by the Aga or the 4 Poster upstairs?

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Midsummer’s Evening Wine Talk & Tasting at Ballymaloe

Midsummer’s Evening Wine Talk & Tasting at Ballymaloe

21^st June 2013, 7pm

Julian Castagna, of Castagna Wines, Beechworth, Victoria, Australia, and ‘leader of the biodynamic movement in Australia’, will give a wine talk and wine tasting, in The Carrigaun Room of The GrainStore, at Ballymaloe on Friday 21^st June, at 7pm €10

More details here at this link http://www.ballymaloe.ie/things-to-do/wine-events

Gourmet grub at Olde Glen and Black Pig back on track

Gourmet grub at Olde Glen and the Black Pig back on track.
Goldfinch comes for food on Donegal Day 6

Finished off another terrific day in Donegal with a superb meal in the Olde Glen Bar, where the proprietor Cormac Walsh has Cork connections. Started off with an excellent local (Carrigart) Smoked Salmon served with horse radish, crème fraiche and crispy capers. Our other starter was the Smoked Duck Salad served with a beetroot carpaccio, somewhat drier than the Ummera product but enjoyable nonetheless.

Picked my mains off the specials board: Pan-fried Turbot with crab butter and champ. Excellent, right down to the humble champ! CL choose from the regular list and absolutely enjoyed her Herb Crusted fillet of Cod with a butter bean and chorizo ragout. Both the beans and the chorizo added to the delicious cod.

Happy out and even happier as we polished off the dessert, both going for the Tunisian Orange Cake, a favourite in these quarters! Wine, by the way, was also a winner. It was the Walnut Block Collectible Sauvignon Blanc 2012 from Marlborough (New Zealand). 

After a lazy start, overdue, we headed for Fintown and itsnarrow gauge railway, the only piece of railway infrastructure that remains of the 220 miles of narrow gauge railway that operated in Donegal in the early 20^th century.

Now Traenach na Gaeltachta Lair operate a single carriage diesel engined railcar over a three and a quarter mile picturesque stretch along the shores of Lough Finn and under the shadow of three large hills, the highest of which is Achla (598m).

View on the train trip

The reopening was in June 1995 and the locals quickly christened the loco the “Black Pig”. The proper name is Railcar 18 and it is an original railcar of the County Donegal Railway which entered service in 1940. Much more info on the website above.

Headed back then towards the coast and the sun came out through the clouds. Sun or no sun the turf was being saved on the bogs between Dungloe and Gweedore. On the previous day’s trip, we had skipped Horn Head and that was to be rectified today.

Turned off in Dunfanaghy and headed up the narrow road to the head which gives great views, to the right towards Rosguill and to the left towards the islands including Tory. Hard to hold the camera in the wind up there.

Tory Island

Somewhat easier to do so during that lazy morning as we watched the birds come to feed outside the cottage half-door. There was a “stranger” there this morning, with a beautiful Goldfinch joining his green cousins. Not too sure he was welcomed though!

Goldfinch (left)

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Fantastic Fantasia, Daniel O'Donnell and the sands of Bunbeg

Fantastic Fantasia, Daniel O'Donnell and the sands of Bunbeg

The bar at Ostan Gweedore overlooks the sands of Bunbeg.

Today’s smashing weather was an unexpected bonus. Spurred by the early morning sun and thinking it wouldn’t last too long, we headed off south for a change, down to Dungloe with our intention being to slowly work our way back up the coast. The sun stayed and we enjoyed another fab day in Donegal, rounded off just a short while ago with a tremendous Italian meal in Davide Tullio’s La Fantasia in Letterkenny. The sun was still there as we drove back, though dipping!

But let me begin in Dungloe where there are at least two big names, Daniel O’Donnell and Pat The Cope Gallagher. The Cope gave the young Daniel a job in one of his many outlets but Daniel could probably buy the entire village now and have plenty of money left.

Daniel's school bag!

It wasn't always so and his story, a really fantastic life of achievement, is detailed in the Daniel O’Donnell Visitor Centre in the town. Many highlights of his life and career are recalled here, including the famous Red Book from the This is Your Life series, just one of many very impressive honours given to the popular singer. Lots more memorabilia here too including gold and platinum discs.

Burtonport

Had a lovely pot of tea (no, not at Daniel’s!) but at the local community centre cafe. The centre also houses the library, the tourist office and other offices. But the café is worth a call. They serve great little bites and are very friendly indeed.

On then to Burtonport, from where the ferry leaves from Arannmore Island. The day was fine and we were tempted but decided to stick with the original plan. Burtonport hosts a memorial to eleven young men from two trawlers, the Evelyn Marie and the Carraig Una, that were lost nearby in 1995 and 1996 respectively.

As we moved through the Rosses, our next stop was Kincaslough, the home of Daniel O’Donnell. No queues for tea here anymore. Great views out to sea as we headed up the coast and then to Annagary and Crolly and then inland to Gweedore and beyond to get a better view of Errigal, the highest mountain in the county.

For many miles around here, it dominates the landscape just as Mont Ventoux does in Provence. We drove as far as Dunlewy, getting a close-up of the spectacular mountain and also great views of the valleys below, including the Poisoned Glen.

Back then towards the coast again and soon we were on the magnificent stretch of sands by Bunbeg. Had a good stroll there and then headed up to the Ostan Gweedore. The balcony of the bar here has a super view of the sands and the waters and here we relaxed and took it all in.

Wreck at Bunbeg

More great coastal sights as we continued the drive north with famous names such as Bloody Foreland and Tory island coming into view. We closed the day’s loop at Gortahork feeling privileged and spoiled. Back “home” via Dunfanaghy and Portablagh to Downies.

There was a pretty quick turnaround and we were on the road again, this time heading off to La Fantasia in Letterkenny.  Started off with Cozze Pomodoro (Sauté mussels in a spicy tomato sauce) while CL enjoyed her Bruschetta alla Pomodoro (4.50). Mine was €6.90.

Mains were superb. Pollo Cacciatora is a favourite of CL’s and remains so after a lovely plateful of Pan Fired Chicken served with onions, peppers, mushrooms, white wine and a spicy tomato garlic sauces, all for €16.50.

Vitella al pepe verde (23.90) was my choice, Irish thin cuts of veal served in a green peppercorn sauce. All main  dishes are served with a choice of side dishes so by the time I added Rosemary potatoes and CL added Vegetables we had quite substantial meals in front of us. Good stuff and good value.

Wine was, naturally enough, Italian, an IGT Sangiovese from the Adriatic region of Molise, along the Adriatic Sea between Puglia and Abruzzo.  It was dry and mellow with smooth tannins, quite a pleasing, easy-to-drink red wine.

So that was about it, aside from the gorgeous Tiramisu, of course!
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