A weekend in Buncrana.

Jun 5, 2013 | Uncategorized | 3 comments

Emma and I spent the weekend in Buncrana in Donegal with two good friends Jenny and Nicky. It was something that we had hoped to do for ages so it was fantastic to finally get the chance.

Nicky had been talking to be about how great Buncrana is for months and I’m glad to say it certainly didn’t disappoint. Nicky might be biest of course but I don’t think his description did it justice. Jenny’s house is like a palace. I asked her if she’d swap but she refused. It’s a pity really. There’s a lovely walk around that area that I’d love to do every day on the way to work. Seriously. It’s one of the quietest environments in the country!

If you’re ever in Buncrana you absolutely have to go to a restaurant called the Railway tavern and Firebox grill. Technically it’s about four miles outside Buncrana but regardless. It’s a fantastic place. They easily do one of the nicest stakes in the country. Nicky didn’t stop talking about the place last week and I can certainly see the attraction now. After eating a band set up in the corner. Emma noticed that the bodhran player had a guitar strap attached to the rim so we went over to have a closer look. As always happens in these situations, I was instructed to play a few tunes with them so I got up on stage a few times.

After dinner we went to a small quiet pub called the cottage in the town of Buncrana. It wasn’t very busy at the time but we didn’t get there until well after 11. I just had to mention it because the Guinness there was just lovely.

I went for a walk on my own on Sunday afternoon at around 1 O’clock down by the beach and through a park area. I needed to talk about it here because it was by far one of the nicest walks I have had in years. The sun was shining so that was nice enough but the smells as I walked through were just amazing. At one stage I could smell the beach and hear the water lapping against the shore and a minute later all I could hear were birds in the trees and the sound of my dog’s paws tapping on the path. At the same time, a strong floral cent filled my senses and it was like sticking my head into a flower pot. A few minutes later I was on gravel with the satisfying crunch under my feet and then we hit a downward slope toward the smell of freshly cut grass. I remembered the advice given to me by one of the guide dog instructors to take opportunities like this to play with the dog so during the entire walk I was playing with Nama’s tail, running or skipping or just grabbing his nose. We must have looked crazy at times skipping around a path but he enjoyed every minute of it. The walk was around very winding paths that dipped and rose with no regularity so we both had great fun. For that little walk alone, I would recommend anyone to visit Buncrana. For the stake and the nice Guinness, I’d recommend that you just move up permanently. It’s wile good. 🙂

A huge thanks to Jenny and Nicky. We both had a brilliant weekend.

3 Comments

  1. Jenny

    Glad you enjoyed it so much. We loved having you! I hoped the stake wasn’t overrated.
    You’ll have to introduce the baby to that walk next time. That’s the place i keep meaning to do a recording from but haven’t actually bothered yet. I’ve been around twice since you left.

    Reply
  2. Jenny

    Tried to comment yesterday. Sorry if you get two.

    It was great to finally have you both up. We enjoyed having you. I’m glad the steak wasn’t overrated. I knew you’d love that walk too. Its a place i keep meaning to record in but haven’t bothered to do it yet. I’ve been there twice since you left. Its one of OJ’s favourite places too.
    I’m sure you have nice walks in Drogheda too, and i’m looking forward to seeing them.

    Reply

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