Go Ireland: Abandoned in 1977, Owey Island off Co Donegal has plenty for adventurous types, says
MAIRÉAD NÍ CHAOIMH
THE CAVE I am peering into, situated underneath a remote island off the coast of Donegal, used to be a hiding place for illegal poteen making equipment, but now is attracting curious tourists like me along with intrepid cavers.
I am on Owey Island, a gem off The Rosses’ coast. Local man Mick McGinley tells me that his grandfather was the last poteen maker on Owey before production was halted after the RIC raided the island.
This is one of many caves that penetrate Owey, which give the island its name: uaigh means grave but a more popular interpretation is cave.
We then progress from the deep bowels of the island to its highest point; having climbed out of Owey’s subterranean depths we skirt around the edge of pink granite cliffs, seeing at first hand why adventurers are starting to arrive here to explore its climbing opportunities.
Our hike upwards reveals more stunning views. The view at Muallagh Mhór incorporates Gola island to the north, and Mount Errigal, Gweedore and Árainn Mhór island to the south. It is the spectacular setting of Owey that gives it its character. Owey had been inhabited for some 300 years; the population peaked at 120 in the 1920s and 1930s. But as with many of our offshore islands, the population dwindled. The last two families – McGonagles and O’Donnells – left in 1977.
However in recent years there has been a resurgence of life on the 305-acre windswept island. For the first time a tractor was brought there in 2005 and the first mass in 40 years was celebrated last summer. Owey natives have started returning to their old homes to renovate family dwellings or build new ones. Nine houses have recently become seasonally inhabited.
And Ireland’s most famous Owey native, 91-year-old Julia O’Donnell, mother of singer Daniel, has also contributed to the renewed interest in the island of her birthplace by paying it a visit last August after many years of absence.
Owey native Mick McGinley jokingly explains the revival: “We want to get away from all the bad news on the mainland!
“It was very depressing when it all fell apart in the 1970s. I am very, very happy it’s started to come back to life,” he says in his distinctive Donegal lilt. “We don’t want TVs. We have our own world and we read books. We kinda keep things as we remember.”
We travel to Owey by chartering a boat from local seafarer Dan Gallagher. The crossing from the slipway at the golf club on Cruit takes 10 minutes. An experienced seaman like Dan is crucial, as landing at Owey pier, locally called the “Spink”, is awkward. Dan helps us disembark, and, using a quad bike which we nickname the “island bus”, transports our gear to a spot near the slipway where camping is allowed. I note how Dan refers to the mainland behind us as “Ireland”. For him clearly, Owey is his real home, an autonomous republic, apart from the mainland.
There is no shop, pub or connection to the mains water supply or electricity grid. On Owey’s “main road” – a rough track – we meet Mick McGinley who is transporting a Belfast sink to his house.
He reminds us how you handle goods three times before they get to your house. They go into your car first, then the boat, then onto the quad bike. Clearly living here is not for anyone who loves their creature comforts.
The main “village” is no ordinary collection of buildings. One of my companions, Gerard Skehan, who is traditional buildings officer for Donegal County Council, tells me how unique they are: “This is a remarkable collection of intact traditional houses. There are very few places in Ireland where you’d find this. Every building is different, and they are all made from local materials.”
He explains how the walls are made from pink granite which is quarried locally and the roofs from thatch sourced from dunes on Cruit.
Referring to Owey and the other nearby islands, such as Gola and Tory, Skehan adds: “They are like nothing I have experienced elsewhere in Ireland.”
As we depart, and Dan expertly negotiates his way through the strong swell, I realise why he calls the mainland “Ireland”.
Owey, a windswept timeless island, is truly a place apart.
OWEY ISLAND: getting there
AS OWEY ISLAND is quite small, it is ideal for a day trip. Only seasoned outdoorsy types would enjoy camping there, as there are no facilities.
DURING THE summer Dan Gallagher operates a charter boat (which costs €10 return) from Cruit to Owey. For more information about this contact Paul McGonagle of Saoire Mara Charters (087-9870266 or saoiremara.com) who also offers an off-season charter service from Kincasslagh. The cost is €220 per half day for between five and eight people.
PLEASE NOTE that landing at Owey is particularly difficult and highly dependent on the tides and weather.
TO GET to Owey by car you drive 66km to Cruit Lower from Letterkenny.
IF YOU are based in Dublin, you can fly with Aer Arann from Dublin to Donegal airport in Carrickfinn.