Interlude: evening of Day 3: Napoleonic anchor and Franciscan Abbey in Donegal Town
I realized in going over my pictures from the trip that I neglected to post about the end of day three, which involved the anchor from a Napoleonic ship and might…hypothetically…have involved us jumping a stone wall when we somehow missed the entrance (or even the road) leading to the old abbey in Donegal (despite the fact that you could see it from where we’d eaten dinner).
Yeah, I have no sense of direction. For those who know me, this comes as no surprise.
The anchor came off the Romaine, a frigate from a small fleet Napoleon sent to help the Irish against the British in 1798. Unfortunately, the ships were spotted by watchers loyal to England and sunk or captured. See how well my husband wears it on his arm and my pretty poor attempt to look like a pin-up girl. Not to self: do not give up day job.
Anyway, the abbey was certainly worth seeing. According to sources, it was built in 1474 by Hugh O’Donnell (the Irish did like their Hughs) and Wiki says it “withstood ransacking, burning and ravaging before it was finally abandoned in the early part of the 17th century.” The cemetery, however, was not abandoned, and continued in use for many, many years. The abbey was apparently the place where the Annals of the Four Masters was written to preserve as much as possible of the Celtic culture and history of Ireland, which, it seemed, the English had tried pretty hard to stamp out.
I am now determined to get my hands on an edition.
Lucienne Diver's Drivel 