Speaker: John McGroary

From The Bluestack Way - Part 3 playlist.

Directions

 After the old ruined cottage, following this track for approx. 2km gives the walker fine views across Donegal Bay on a clear day. Young plantations of conifers are fast becoming the prominent landscape feature of this ares.

 

 A right turn through a gate at the bottom of this track leads you north again toward the mountains. On climbing this track you enter an area of traditional peat extraction on an area of lowland blanket bog, much of which lies derelict, but some turf banks are clearly visible and still worked today. After a further one kilometre, the walk goes across country and follows the waymarkers over the bogland. Care must be taken to follow the chosen route as this area can become very wet in some seasons and it is not advised to deviate from the marked pathways.

 

 This area is also a working upland sheep farm and is in private ownership. Care must be taken to leave all gates as they are found unless signs indicate their closure and only cross fences using the stiles provided for this purpose.

 

 Towards Donegal – John Boyd

 

 The halo of sun now hldes the hills

 Of Donegal, while here I stand

 Watching the gathering cloud that falls

 Over those hills nightly, like a fan

 Unfolded in an orient tale.

 I have never known those lost hills

 Nor their people; nor the soft tongue

 Spoken there; nor the silence that falls

 With soldered sun; nor valleys along

 The crackling coast now bare of sail

 Or smoke of ship; Yet I can tell

 My children legends woven there

 In winter’s woe; and telling feel

 The spell in the wondering stare

 Of candid eyes captured by the living tale.

 

 Our audio piece has John telling us how the valley we have come through is in fact the result of glacial deposit.