This weekend was full of hiking and exploring!
Saturday morning started out with a 5K run through Downings, to celebrate the victory of a Gaelic Football team. And oh man, I loved it! For my first 5K ever, my pace was pretty decent and I really loved getting to see the entirety of the town from a different perspective. What I enjoyed the most was getting to converse with locals there and get to see various parts of local Downings life. I got to see the football field, the golf courses, and the local rugby culture (which I loved as a Rugby player myself).
Our next sport was foot-golf. The options were either play the par 3 course or play foot-golf (which is an iteration of soccer on a golf course). I had walked by a foot golf game on my 5K and it seemed interesting enough for me to try it. And man was it a challenge, where I did nearly regret not sticking to my skills in golf, but however, it wound up being the most fun I had all day, kicking the football around. It was really eventful and I got to enjoy the nice weather as well with good company!
For lunch, we headed to the Downings Bay Resort, where admittedly I had the best fettuccini alfredo of my life. We stayed in Downings for the remainder of the day, taking our time to explore and see the area. There was a parade being held, in honor of bank holiday. The Irish pride was prevalent in the costumes and dances, as well as the attractions they marched down. My favorite part, however, was when the sports cars came out.
The girls and I trickled our way through the town, checking out the festival, the local gift shops, and the small park. The town itself is homey and I could see instantly that people are very well connected within that community. We made our way to the beach eventually, which was beautiful with the view. There were a lot of jellyfish stranded upon the beach, which is unusual to see but the rip tide currents on this side of the North Atlantic Ocean are strong. We took a nice scenic walk along the shore, and even managed to find some unique seashells to take home.
As we had a lot of time to spend in the town, myself and a few others ventured our way down to the fair, where we went on an insane ride. It was fun, but the dizziness after the fact was very much not.
For dinner, the group made our way to Burger Jacks in Milford. I got one of the chef’s specials which was a chicken dish. The day ended with a venture to enjoy some live music!
Sunday started with a long two hour drive to make our way to the Sliabh Liag Cliffs, which was a beautiful hike. Overall, it was six miles, but it was well worth it with the views and scenic overlook at the top. The cliffs are mesmerizing, with an overview of the ocean from practically every angle.
As we had some extra time, we made our way down to the town of Killybegs, which is a port town. Immediately, as soon as I stepped off the bus, the culture there was vibrant. From the docks to the picturesque town, there was hustle and bustle everywhere, even for a holiday weekend. I loved watching the regattas occurring on the river, which is not something I expected to see at the Donegal Bay. As the culture is so rooted with Gaelic teams, rugby, golf, and football, seeing row crew was a nice change as well. Rowing is a sport I have always wanted to try out, so seeing a match was exciting.
For dinner, we made our way to the Lagoon Termon. I got the curry, which was really good. The environment of the restaurant was lively, with a game playing, and I loved the scenic drive up to it! The dessert I got was the chocolate fudge cake, which was delicious and refreshing after a long day of hiking.
For the remainder of the day, all of the respective teams locked in for our project presentations. Without even realizing, our time in Ireland is quickly going by, and we are soon reaching the final stretch. I am excited to see how we can work together and provide Carrigart with ideas to improve their town businesses.
Monday morning started with a whirlwind of schedule changes. The weather turned out to be rough, so rather than start our day with a visit to the plant nursery, we opted for Doe Castle, in Creeslough. The castle itself was mesmerizing and I was enamored by the architecture left standing. I loved learning about the history of the castle and looking through various points.
Later on, we ventured to the Glenveagh National Park. There, we toured the Glenveagh Castle, which was astounding. The nature was beautiful, from the gardens to the scenic Lough Beagh Lake, I throughly enjoyed getting to wander about and explore the sights. My favorite part was getting to tour the castle and seeing the different countries represented in various artifacts.
The weather was very harsh, which makes me ponder upon how local businesses are affected by such circumstances. Such as the plant nursery we were meant to meet with, they obviously rely heavily on weather. Sometimes conditions work in favor, and sometimes they don’t. This is definitely a struggle that the small town of Carrigart faces regarding tourism, but I believe that they can also use the weather to their benefit in certain situations. For example, there are many beautiful sights and walks to embark upon throughout the town, however, the rain and cold often pushes people away from such exploration. Carrigart could attract more business through outside vendors and stalls, given the correct circumstances, and draw in various types of crowds. Indoor workshops and classes can prove to bring success, and these are just one of many new ideas Carrigart could consider when it comes to adapting to the ever-changing climate.
For dinner, we went to Lizzies, where I enjoyed a wonderful latte and carbonara pasta. Later on, I met up with the marketing team in the evening to fine tune our projects. I believe we did some of our best work tonight, and I cannot wait to share our bright ideas.
I am especially excited for what the rest of the week brings.