For the past few months, I had the opportunity to travel around Donegal finding time through my studies, coaching and training to explore the county. Every time I travel up the road to a local gym or head out to a remote school to coach in the countryside of Donegal I’m usually blown away by the terrain. Coming from a small suburb in Connecticut then heading out 5000 miles to live in a town where it’s most populated town has 22000 people living in it, is definitely a change of scenery. It’s a pretty big change, yet looking back it’s a journey that I’m glad I have got the change to endure. I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing people in my time here and have been able to do some exploring through rolling hills to find hidden gems of beaches. Many of my teammates know when we go travelling for a day cause my Instagram story is covered with posts of the scenery all around. To them, it’s nothing special as they are used to be surrounded by the green rolling hills and cliffs that overlook the Atlantic Ocean. To me, I am blown away by the sites of golden beaches and the mountain skyline each time I come across them.
As I mentioned earlier Donegal was voted one of the coolest places on the planet by National Geographic in 2017. After finding time to convince some of the locals to do some touristy things, I can see why this notion took place. One of my favourite places that I have enjoyed checking out was Malin Head, which is Donegals most northern point. Also, home to the filming of Star Wars, and there are several other locations around Donegal, where Game of Thrones has also been shot. I can tell you one thing that if Ireland didn’t have a rainy climate it would definitely be a hub for tourists because of its beaches. Although many of the beaches along the west coast of Ireland are a popular surfing destination, it is much more pleasant if you can catch them on a sunny day. I highly recommend taking time to explore the Northwest Region of Ireland as there are many hiding gems throughout.
