Photographing The Northern Most Point in Ireland: Inishowen Peninsula Co. Donegal
A little while ago, we decided to take a few days break away from the hustle and bustle and headed off on an adventure. We wanted to go somewhere out of the way. Where we ended up was probably about as far away as you can get in Ireland without actually leaving the mainland or going on a ferry. For the longest time I had wanted to visit the top of the island, and so my wife booked us into a hotel on the northernmost peninsula in the northernmost county in Ireland: The windswept and very beautiful Inishowen peninsula in Co. Donegal. And what a place it is.
The first hurdle to get over was actually getting there. There are a few main routes you can take to get to Inishowen. The most direct route is through Northern Ireland. While this would have been quicker, it’s kind of a boring drive as it’s mostly a dual carriageway the whole way. There’s not much to see as the roads are lined with trees, so you can’t even see the scenery for a lot of the journey. The second option was to go via Sligo. This is a longer route, but the scenery from Sligo up through Donegal is much more dramatic, so we decided to go that way. It was….well, long….
We first drove across the country to Sligo where we stopped for lunch. From there we headed north, for a long but beautiful drive, past the sea and mountains and forests. It’s a long way, and some of the roads aren’t great, but it is quite beautiful. We had set out at 10.30 in the morning and we finally reached our destination at 6pm. Along the way, we had sunshine, rain and I think hailstones at one point. So a typical Irish day, basically, but as it was the Atlantic north-west, it was like you turned up the dial on the weather randomness machine.
The hotel we stayed in was the Ballyliffin Lodge. It bills itself as “Ireland’s most northerly 4-star hotel”. It was a lovely spot, if somewhat old-fashioned (in a good way). Of course we were there off-peak so it was nice and quiet. The manager, who was behind the desk when we were checking in, was shocked when we told her the route we had taken to get there. I believe her exact words were, “are you mad?”. It seems that none of the locals would ever go that way to get to Dublin.
Sunset Beach
Panorama of the berach at Pollan Bay
The first evening that we were there, we were pretty tired after the long drive, but as we were right next to an impressive beach, we decided to head there to catch the sunset looking out over the Atlantic. The name of the beach is Pollan Strand and it’s kind of amazing. It’s a mix of stones and sand and it’s quite long-running around in an arc from the south side to a long straight as it heads north. Apparently it’s a popular surfing spot. As we stood there while the sun was setting over the hills, everything was a mystical shade of purple and blue with the orange glow of the sun in the distance. The roar of the Atlantic waves added to the frontier feel to the place.
Malin Head
The following day, we headed off to find the actual northernmost point of the mainland. The place is called Malin Head, and as I was told by an "polite" commenter on X, Malin Head is the name of the whole headland, and not just the actual point. However when you say, Malin Head to most people in Ireland, they assume you mean the actual head. Anyway, the drive overtook about half an hour. Just before you reach the viewing point, there is an impressive stretch of rocky coastline called Esky bay, so we pulled over to take some photos. From there we continued on through a series of cottages, in what felt like driving through someone’s back yard.
Finally we arrived at the viewing point and, oh my, what a view. Looking back down the peninsula, it was weird to think that all of Ireland was that way. Off in the distance we could see the mountains of Donegal and the rugged and desolate coastline. It was isolated and stark and incredibly beautiful. It was also windy and starting to rain.
At the point, itself, is an interesting and somewhat famous relic of World War II. A sign made entirely of rocks signalling out the words “Eire 80” in reference to the lookout point that was there at the time. This sign would tell returning aircraft that they were over friendly territory. The rocky outcrop just beyond that sign is the actual northernmost point on the Island of Ireland. There are a few tiny, mostly uninhabited, islands further north in the Atlantic Ocean. The actual northernmost point in the whole country is the tiny island of Inishtrahull which you can just make out in the distance in the photos of the Eire 80 sign.
Another point of interest at Malin Head, is that it is the start/finish line of the Wild Atlantic Way. For anyone who doesn’t know, the Wild Atlantic Way is a scenic route that runs along the west coast of Ireland. It’s well signposted and has numerous points of interest along the way. There are also lots of charity races and treks from Mizen head in the south of Ireland to Malin Head, and on the side of the old lookout tower, there are plaques to the various individuals and groups that completed the journey.
Another Beach and Lots of Sheep
On the way back from Malin Head we stopped at another beach. I hadn’t realised before we left that Donegal had such amazing beaches. This one, called “Five Finger Strand” is apparently the most northerly strand in Ireland. It is a stunning sandy beach and at this time of the year, it was almost completely deserted save for a few dog walkers and lots of sheep. Coming off the road and down to the beach you pass an old white church that looks like something out of a movie, and the hills and dunes around are filled with lots and lots of curious sheep.
On the final few days of our trip I didn’t take very many photos, as I was suffering from an injury which I aggravated on a visit to Fort Dunree on the western side of Inishowen. On the following days we drove around the whole the peninsula and up the eastern side by lough foyle. What’s kind of fascinating is that the western and eastern sides of the peninsula are totally different. The eastern side where we were staying was windswept and fairly deserted (at least in the off season) while the western side seemed far more populated and developed. Even the roads were different. It’s also home to such interestingly named towns such as “Burnout” and “Muff”. We actually stopped for lunch in Muff at a great little restaurant called Tank & Skinny’s.
Overlooking Lough Swilly
Overall, we had a lovely time in Donegal, and I can’t wait to go back there and explore the rest of the county. Inishowen is probably only a third of the whole of Co. Donegal and there’s lots more to see there. As someone who has travelled quite a bit globally, it always amazes me when we visit various places in Ireland, how different and diverse such a small country can be in terms of the scenery and the community. There really is so much to see here, and I look forward to our next adventure. Maybe to the southernmost point this time?