Due to cancellations we do have room in our holyday-home in County Donegal again in June. Our Navone Mews is a rustic, secluded town-house in Ballyshannon, pretty spacious (3 bedrooms, sleeps up to six people), close to all amenities and a great base for tours around Donegal, Fermanagh and northern Sligo.
Here are the dates available:
2.-12.6.2025
16.-19.62025
24.28.6.2025
The minimum stay is three overnights. All details and booking-possibilities here:
Tullan Strand, second week in May 25. Copyright: pat
We’ve spent most of the autumn and winter in Ballyshannon, and it was a lovely time: unusually dry and mild, lots of good weather. But all that did not prepare us for this spring, which probably will go down in history. April started off sunny and dry and May really topped it: an unseen spell of good weather with temperatures between 20 and 27 degrees turned our lovely beaches into a kind of Celtic Costa Brava. Hard times for cloud-lovers.
“It’s unbelievable”, was something I heard more than once, “I can’t believe this is Ireland.”
But it is! Probably a New Ireland, where sunny spells become more extended? Who knows?
Surfers in the water, friends taking snaps. Copyright: pat
Beginners practising their skills before high tide. Copyright: pat
Swimmers at Tullan, second week of May: As warm as it gets in Ireland. Copyright: pat
Beach-Live at Tullan: A Surfer working out on top of the cliffs – probably the most beautiful gym on earth. Copyright: pat.
Late-afternoon light: what a day! Copyright: pat
If you feel enticed to explore the beauties of southern Donegal and northern Sligo, check out our Navone Mews. There are some slots still vacant in June, August and September.
The wind blew us down to Donegal town. Still festive looking, Christmas lights still up. After dinner at the Harbour (always nice food!) we walked it over to McCaffertys Bar, known for the craic and the music and biggest venue in town. That night it wasn’t big enough though, the queues stretched endless and it was freezing cold. Landed in the Reel Inn instead, handmade music all night, with a set including guitar, piano and spoons. What shall I say? The craic was ninety.
The Allingham Arts Festival is one of meanwhile five notable festivals in Ballyshannon in the course of the year. And because the poet William Allingham, beside Rory Gallagher Ballyshannons most famous son, was born 200 years ago this year, the organizers put together an impressive program with more than 60 events – with drama, film, literature, music and witty entertainment. It starts today, check it out!
The Macnas-parade in Galway is famous for being one of the most spectacular, artistic Halloween-events in the country. This year it was unusually short and very, very wet – the weather really did not play along. Nevertheless: Halloween in Ireland is far more than “trick or treat”.
Rugged, too cool, bad weather, no trees?
Sounds bad, but put together it makes for – pure beauty.
The last “chapter” is Donegal by the way.
This has nothing to do with Donegal or Ballyshannon, I know, but it is too beautiful not to mention: The second digitalisation of the iconic Book of Kells should have been national (and international) news. I is a gift to the public, payed for with public money, and it is something to be proud about.
The Book of Kells is a medieval Bible-manuskript dated to aprx. the year 800. It is a historic treasure: The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass those of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity. The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular, celtic art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with Celtic Knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colours, enliven the manuscript’s pages. It’s iconography inspired graphics of “celtic type”, you find motives from the book in present day jewellery, paintings, clothes – whatever you can think of.
The book’s dimensions are only 330 by 250 mm, so pretty small really. In 1986 a first full-colour facsimile was produced, based on photos, and in 2006 Trinity College produced a first digital scan. That was exciting, but by scientific measures it was not enough. In September 2024 Trinity published a second scan – and that shows the book in all its beauty and bigger than live: pictures of 2379 x 3150 px are almost what you would call “8K” in the world of TVs. What that means? They are big enough to print them out as wallpapers, if you’d like to.
Or just have a peek at it here and now. You can zoom into the pictures with your mouse. If you want to see the book full-screen, use the link above.
So, the The Ballyshannon Folk Festival 2024 ran its course – in spite of atrocious weather. It made it a tent-event, with too little music on the streets: bad luck, but the people who found their way to the Marquee still had lots of fun.
The Ballyshannon-Festival is the oldest festival of it’s kind meanwhile. All the other ones have gone, Ballyshannon keeps up the Trad-spirit. Check out their website, they are already looking for gigs for 2025.
Singer: Paddy Casey
Video: Joyce T.
Copyright: pat
Thinking about getting a sheep for the lawn is a kind of running joke amongst men. Some apparently make that dream come true. In July we passed a garden in Ballyshannon, where two of those organic lawn mowers were at work. One model was pretty dated – or extremely hungry.
Copyright: pat
Copyright: pat
We now offer Autumn-, Winter- and Spring-Specials.
Day-prices are reduced between September and March, and there is a 20%-extra-rebate for weekly bookings. Long-term-stays can be negotiated: just contact us.
Check it out!