Bonding, Buses, and Beaches

In less pursuit of unplanned adventure and in more pursuit of bonding, this past weekend 8 girls from my program and I headed to Donegal Town, a little town nestled in the center of County Donegal, naturally. We went by bus and it took around four hours to get there. When we finally arrived, it was downpouring just as much as it had been downpouring when we left Galway. The bus literally dropped us off at this stand in the center of the town, where we were left staring at each other between raindrops. Prior to leaving Galway, we had booked rooms at a hostel but had absentmindedly forgotten to write down the number or address of where we had made our reservations. So we trekked, baggage and all, to the nearby tourism office to find out where our hostel was and, more importantly, where the craic was. The tourist servicewoman was a nice older woman, with pink (think “tickle-me”) highlights in her hair. She gave us a map with suggestions on where to eat, where to drink, and what to see while we were in Donegal. The highest cliffs in Europe, the Slieve League Cliffs, were about an hour away and a popular tourist attraction, but the combination of bad weather and steep tour prices convinced us to just find out what was doing in Donegal. Armed with maps and brochures, we set off in search of our hostel, which was probably about a mile or so from the tourist office. At one point, I stopped to ask a man if we were close, forgetting that a simple question often turns into a full blown conversation with the Irish. We were only about 300 yards from the hostel, but I continued to stand in the pouring rain while the man asked where I was from and joked about how silly it was to visit a summer town in the winter. Again, you learn something new everyday. With the strangers well wishes, we continued toward the hostel, which was called Donegal Town Independent Hostel. A little middle-aged woman greeted us at the door, excited for our arrival. I have to admit, I was very skeptical about staying in a hostel because I thought it was going to be sketchy, disgusting, not classy…the usual things that I try to avoid. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness and warmth of the hostel. It was a big home converted into a cheap place for travelers like ourselves to stay at night. Linda, the woman who had greeted us at the door, and her husband ran the hostel and live in an adjoining home beside it. There was a common room, decorated with letters, postcards, pictures, thank-you’s, and currencies from previous visitors who had left or sent a token of their appreciation after their stay. Since my friends and I were the only ones staying in the hostel that night, Linda let us have the run of the place, picking out our own rooms and encouraging us to make ourselves comfortable. 

Welcome to Donegal Town

After settling in, we decided to head straight into town for some dinner and pubbing. We went to an Italian restaurant, a typical selection for those of us sick of meat and potatoes, and it was great. We had pizza and salad and fresh baked bread, not something you find often in Ireland. After dinner, we went in search of dessert and a good pub. We found Reese’s in a local convenient store, which was like finding a needle in a haystack since I have yet to see any kind of recognizable peanut butter product in Ireland. Sweet tooth satisfied, we headed to a pub to watch a rugby game, a sport which gets as much attention in Ireland as baseball or football does in the United States. There were men of all ages, sitting at the bar and cursing their nemesis teams, while the girls and I sat cozied up by the open fire, most of us pretending that we had some idea what was going on in the game. After a while, we had enough rugby and decided to go to The Reel Inn, a pub which several people had told us was the place to go for a pint and some traditional Irish music. Well, the had plenty of pints but not too much Irish music. The pub had a couple regulars and maybe three other tourists, so when the band took the stage – and by stage, I mean a corner of the room – they had a little audience. But it was enjoyable nonetheless. We gave the guys our requests and they seemed to appreciate some new faces during the dead of winter when the town is inhabited by mostly locals. After some song and dance, we decided to head back to the hostel so we would get up early and go exploring around Donegal town.

In the morning, we made it up and out by 10AM, checking out of the hostel and thanking our hosts for a great stay. We headed into town for some breakfast before hitting up what looked to be some promising shops. Coming to Donegal, I had one purchase in mind that I really wanted to make. As most of you reading this blog are probably well aware, you will never see my father without one of his tweed caps on top of his head - regardless of formality, temperature, or other circumstance of events, he is always wearing one. I had researched where the authentic hats are made, and it turns out that they are made by a family-run business in Donegal Town called Hanna Hats who imports them throughout Ireland and the rest of the world. I figured a hat from there would be the perfect souvenir to bring home, so I found the hat shop on the map and went there. Go figure, they were closed. I was really disappointed but I was sure that I would be able to find another one of their hats somewhere in Ireland, even if it wasn’t from the real place. So I pressed on, meeting up with the rest of the girls in the center of town where there was a farmers market with baked goods, local produce, and other miscellaneous items, surprisingly among which was a Hanna Hat stall! I was thrilled, the woman working the kiosk explained that she works with the hat shop and does her own woven hats for them, as well as weaving capes, scarves, and other accessories. I found the hat that my dad wanted, as he had specifically described it down to the last stitch to me before I came, just in case, you know, I happened to see something like it in my travels. It even has the Hanna Hat label inside and authentic tag attached to it. So I got the hat and some other random souvenirs, leaving Donegal Town quite happy with my purchases. After shopping, we took a brief stroll, seeing the local castle and cathedral that I am finding almost every place in Ireland has to offer. However, it never gets boring. The old buildings all have unique histories and beautiful architecture that makes them worthwhile. 

In front of the closed hat shop.

The first really good cupcakes I've experienced in Ireland

Tweed items

Maybe I'll keep the hat for myself...

The center of Donegal Town

Shopped out and feeling like we had seen what Donegal Town had to offer, we got on an early bus in hopes that we would have a nice relaxing ride home before hitting Galway City that night. Naturally, about half an hour into the ride, the bus driver pulled over and explained that something was wrong with the bus and we would have to switch to another one. We waited for a short time and moved ourselves and our belongings to a new bus to continue the journey back. The scenery was really nice coming back to Galway, the weather had cleared up a bit, and I had a chance to see where the countryside meets the beach, which is, in my opinion, the best of both worlds because as much as I appreciate the rolling greens, I will always be a beach girl at heart. If only the weather were warmer and I could get a tan…

An Irish Beach 

Anyway, the trip was short but sweet and a good chance for all of us to get to know one another. It was a great time and something I definitely would love to do again, wherever the bus takes us.

Love and pleasant surprises,

Haley