Glenveagh Castle
Stone towers on the lake shore.
Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hajotthu — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0
Glenveagh National Park is the second-largest national park in Ireland, in County Donegal. It covers 170 square kilometres including Lough Veagh and much of the Derryveagh Mountains, with Glenveagh Castle and its gardens on the shore of the lake. The Irish name means glen of the birches. The businessman John George Adair built the castle and founded the estate. He was known for his harshness, evicting 44 families, 224 people in all, from their homes on his land in 1861. The estate passed to his widow Cornelia, was bought by Arthur Kingsley Porter in 1929 and by Henry McIlhenny in 1937. McIlhenny left it to the state in the 1970s and kept using the castle until 1982. You walk or ride along the shore of the lake, between brown mountains and pines, to reach the castle. Its gardens show exotic and delicate plants, with stone walls and glasshouses. Inside are rooms furnished from the last owner's time, including a library and a music room. The park has the largest herd of red deer in Ireland, and golden eagles were brought back in 2000. The castle is 17.7 km in a straight line north-west of Letterkenny. It is closed on Mondays and Fridays except bank holidays, and tours cannot be booked in advance, so check before you go. The weather changes quickly and biting insects are common in summer, so bring a jacket and repellent. Keep to the paths and respect the wildlife.
Stone towers on the lake shore.
Exotic plants among stone walls.
A long lake among brown mountains.
Derryveagh Mountains, County Donegal
No, the official site says tours cannot be booked in advance, so check opening days.
They were brought back in 2000, but a sighting is not guaranteed.