Donegal Native and Super Irish Blogger of emeraldsire.wordpress.com was nice enough to invite all to her part of the world, enjoy.
Donegal Bound
Totally delighted to have been asked by Brian to submit a guest post for his wonderful site! Foolishly though he decided to let me choose a topic….he obviously didn’t hear that I am terrible at making decisions. You should of seen the list of possible topics I came up with …then the hours I spent chewing on my pencil figuring out which one I REALLY wanted to talk about. It was getting close to lead poisoning when I decided that maybe I should just keep it simple…. and tell you a wee bit about Donegal my home county.
First before jumping too ahead I think a wee bit of a geography lesson is required. Now pay attention folks, there is a small pop quiz at the end. No pressure but I am expecting 100% from you all.
Donegal or Dun Na Gall is located here in the beautiful North West of Ireland. In Donegal, you will find the most Northerly point on the island of Ireland ( Malin Head ) . Despite our location in the North of the country and being situated in the province of Ulster, we are part of the Republic of Ireland. We are a border region which means that we share fields with a few neighbours…..from the Republic of Ireland, Sligo and Leitrim and from the Northern Ireland side, Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh. Have I lost you yet? Well don’t worry; I think the Dept. of Education have caught wind of my moon-lighting as a Geography teacher so it’s best I stop now.
Now that you know where we are … what are we like? I took a survey of one (that would be a very unbiased me ) and survey says…..
We are an extremely friendly bunch of people and if you ever get a chance to call into one of our homes, you will find out just how much we love hosting. “ Ah sure go on, one won’t kill ya” is a popular selling line for the quick cuppa….. You will soon learn that refusing a 
quick cuppa or treat from your host is not in your best interest. Donegal natives are born black-belts in banter so expect high doses of quick witted humour served up with a side order of sarcasm. Make sure you leave your feelings at home, as we are all fond of slagging but be warned it’s one thing us slagging ourselves off … but it’s another you slagging us off…expect repercussions if you dare get so brazen. Please take us all with a pinch of salt… chances are we’re just having the craic with you and it’s our way of showing you that we like you or that we don’t. Our sense of humour can be confusing for blow-in’s ( ie visitors) but maybe this ad for Donegal Catch from a few years ago best sums it up and might clarify any questions you might have on the matter.
Worth noting, Donegal people are very proud folk especially when it comes to our wee 
county but on the flip side we are all also extremely modest. Yes modesty is definitely a defining trait of ours. You would never hear us boasting about our long deserted Blue Flag beaches or regaling you about the views from one of Europe’s highest cliffs at Slieve League . Since modesty is so ingrained in our psyche it wouldn’t dawn on me to tell you about the breadth-taking scenery you will find as you drive along our stunning and dramatic coastal roads like the Inishowen100 or how we are home to Glenveagh National Park one of only 6 National Parks in the country.
If I was the bragging type, I suppose by now I would be telling you that Donegal is a thriving Gaelic speaking county so not only can you immerse yourself in our traditional language but experience many other Irish traditions like our music and dancing.And if we met in person I would be houling my whist (keeping quiet) on how the county is home to some of nature’s greatest stars like Sharks, Dolphins and even the odd pod of Orca Whales. Even if I had known you for a while I might not mention that in Donegal you can experience the natural phenomenon that is the Northern Lights.
I could probably tell you all about the monuments dating back to over 9000 years dotted around the county as well as the castles, forts and other places of interest but again it may appear that I am tooting the county’s horn on how rich we are in history.
This far flung county is the birth place of Rory Gallagher, Enya and Daniel O’ Donnell and 
what all Donegal folk know, we are a bit closer to heaven here than anywhere else in Ireland with Saint Colmcille, one of Ireland’s national saints being born in Gartan.I suppose at this point, if I was really going to town on the ultimate boast I would tell you that Donegal is also a second-home to many celebrities both Irish and International and that only the most glamorous of chicas Ms. Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex of the city fame chooses to spend her summers here every year.
If you’re a sports fan you may wonder about what were like for sports here in the North West and sure I might just tell you were not too shabby in this department at all. However, you probably find out soon enough we are the 2012 champions of Gaelic Football, that we are internationally known for our quality surfing, that we have some of the best kept secret cycling routes in Ireland, we are home to one of the longest golf courses in Ireland and Europe as well as being an international rally destination. All of this on top of the fact with so many mountainous areas, it is a great place for hiking and with so many lakes, rivers and beaches water activities are huge part 
of our weekends.
Well now that I thought a little more about it, I am terribly disappointed folks not to be able to share more details to you about my home county. You understand that it is just the type of us up here, that I wouldn’t want to be seen bragging all over the Internet about Donegal being the best county in Ireland and a must for all visitors to come and see. The whole thing would be terribly distasteful and so it brings me right back to chewing my pencil and wondering what to write about.
