Description
Glenveagh National Park, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, lies along the Derryveagh mountains in the northwest of County Donegal. These 16,958 hectares of mountain, bogs, lakes and woods is cut in two by the spectacular valley of Glenveagh which gives the Park its name. The Park includes the peaks of the two highest mountains in Donegal, Errigal and Slieve Snacht as well as many other fine hills, notably Dooish and Leahanmore. Towards the southwest end of the Park are the ice-carved cliffs of the Poisoned Glen and Bingorm, while the northeast end has a gentler array of hills, deep peat bogs and the swampy valley of the Owencarrow river.
Lakes range in size from little hillside lochans to the majestic Lough Veagh, surrounded by the scattered remains of a forest which once covered much of Donegal. The ancient name Derryveagh means forest of oak and birch' and today these remain as the most important species in the woods.
The magic of Glenveagh derives from the fact that here is one of the last places in Ireland to be influenced by man. The aim of the National Park is to conserve this wilderness in such a way that people may visit and appreciate it and yet leave it unspoilt for the generations to come.
HISTORY
To this day, Glenveagh remains a remote valley, and in olden times was probably uninhabited. However, over the hills at Gartan there were settlements and many of the remains are still to be seen. An ancient ecclesiastical site near Lough Akibbon is traditionally held to be the of birthplace of St Columkille, born in 521.
The estate of Glenveagh was created in 1857-9 by the purchase of several smaller holdings by John George Adair from Co. Laois. Adair incurred infamy throughout Donegal and Ireland by evicting some 244 tenants in the cold April of 1861. Most of the evictions took place at the edge of the estate, along the shore of Lough Gartan. Many of the dispossessed made their way to Australia while others found refuge with relatives or were forced into the Workhouse.
Adair built Glenveagh Castle about 1870, but died in 1885. His wife survived until 1921 and, unlike her husband, is remembered as a kind and generous person. The Castle was occupied by the IRA in 1922 but they evacuated it when the Free State Army approached. The building then served as an Army garrison for three years, after which the glen returned to its tranquil ways.
Following the death of Mrs Adair in 1921, Glenveagh fell into decline until its purchase in 1929 by Professor Arthur Kingsley Porter of Harvard. His stay was short, as he disappeared mysteriously from Inishbofin Island in 1933. The last private owner was Mr Henry McIlhenny of Philadelphia, USA, who bought the estate in 1937.
In 1975, the lands of Glenveagh were purchased by the State and, in 1981, Mr McIlhenny presented Glenveagh Castle and Gardens to the Irish nation, thereby adding greatly to the amenities of the National Park. Further land acquisitions have since been made to conserve areas of special natural value.
THE CASTLE AND GARDENS
Overlooking Lough Veagh, Glenveagh Castle stands atop a slight promontory jutting into the lake. Few buildings in Ireland can boast of as fine a setting. Made from rough-hewn granite, the Castle, a castellated mansion, was built in the years 1870-1873 from designs by John Townsend Trench, a cousin of John Adair. It consists of a four storey rectangular keep with walls 1½ metres thick, with battlemented ramparts, turrets and a round tower. Many of the rooms inside still have the furnishings from the last private owner.
First conceived more than a hundred years ago, the gardens boast a multitude of exotic plants whose luxuriance contrasts starkly with the surrounding austere mountains. Work on the gardens began under the direction of Mrs Adair and the subsequent efforts of Henry McIlhenny and his advisors, Jim Russell and Lanning Roper, have resulted in gardens of extraordinary charm. Pines and ponticum rhododendrons provide windbreaks to allow ornamental rhododendrons and delicate plants from as far afield as Chile, Madeira and Tasmania to survive and flourish, attesting to the careful nurture they have received. The 11 hectares are laid out as a network of mainly informal gardens, each with a different theme. The best time to see the gardens is in May/June for rhododendrons or in August, when the Walled Garden is at its most colourful.
The Castle may be visited only on guided tours, which take place regularly every day. The tearooms at the Castle, open daily from mid-March until November and then every weekend through the winter, provides visitors with teas and delicious home baking.
WILDLIFE
The National Park is home to one of the two large herds of red deer in Ireland and, although the deer are completely wild, a 40 km fence restricts the herd within Glenveagh. The deer spend most of the summer on the high ground, moving to lower sheltered areas for the winter or summer storms.
The hills are covered mainly with purple moor grass and species of heather, but the yellow flowers of tormentil and bog asphodel and the little pink lousewort are easily found. The most frequently encountered bird on the uplands is the meadow pipit, with stonechats, grouse, ravens and occasional peregrines and merlins to be seen. A large area of woodland has been fenced off to allow young trees to survive the grazing deer and here woodland mosses and filmy ferns grow luxuriantly as in most western Irish woods. Woodland bird life includes siskins, treecreepers, wood warblers and crossbills.
Lough Barra and Cloghernagore Bogs are great stretches of intact peatland, where curlew and dunlin breed in summer and small flocks of Greenland White-fronted Geese feed in winter.
HILL WALKING
Most of the Park is mountainous and is suitable for properly prepared hikers only. If you intend walking on the hills, please leave details of your planned route and expected time of return at the Visitor Centre.
SEEING THE PARK
Access from Letterkenny is by the N56 road through Kilmacrenan, turning left on to the Gweedore road (R255), or alternatively via Church Hill, and past Gartan and Akibbon lakes (R251). This route passes close to Glebe House, former home of the late Derek Hill, which, with the adjoining Gallery, houses his collection of paintings and other objets d'art.
The National Park and the Gardens are open all year round.
There is no admission charge to the National Park, Visitor Centre or Gardens.
Cars are not allowed beyond the Visitor Centre area, where there is a large car park. However, a shuttle bus service runs regularly between the Visitor Centre and the Castle, a return journey of 7km. The route provides excellent views of the Glen, passing close to Lough Veagh.
Access from the north coast of Donegal is via Creeslough or Falcarragh and from the west coast via Gweedore and Dunlewy.
Paths: A track from the Castle to the head of the Glen is a pleasant walk along the lake shore, through oak woodland and upwards into the open mountain land. There is a short path (less than 1 km) from the old sawmill beyond the Castle to a marvellous vantage point above the Castle. The Nature Trail which starts near the visitor centre is 2km long. It passes through both planted and native woods and offers excellent views.
Guided Walks: Guided nature walks are held weekly in July and August and there is a 6-hour guided hill walk every month from May to October. There are two guided tours of the gardens each week in July and August. For details of guided walks contact a member of staff.
The outlying areas of the National Park may be viewed from a car by travelling from Church Hill to Gweedore on the R251 road, past the Derryveagh mountains, the Poisoned Glen and Errigal, or from Church Hill (R254) towards Doochary, taking in the fine view at the head of the Glenveagh Valley and Slieve Snacht.