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The road up through the Rosses to Gweedore cuts through a wild and crazed terrain of granite boulders and stunted vegetation. Cruit Island , a couple of miles north of Burtonport and accessible by bridge, has beautiful beaches and a cluster of thatched cottages available for rental (tel 071/77197; GBP160-550/?202.53-696.19 per week). A little further along the coast at KINCASSLAGH is Viking House (tel 075/43295, vikho@indigo.net ; GBP40-55/?50.79-69.84), owned by Irish singing star Daniel O'Donnell . Another local-born Irish hero is Packie Bonner , the goalkeeper who saved a penalty in the 1990 World Cup Finals. Not far away is CARRICKFINN , which boasts a fine strand and Donegal Airport (2 daily flights to Dublin by Aer Arann; tel 075/48284). About a mile further on, in ANNAGRY , Teac Jack's pub serves fine food, and, if you wish to spend a little more, Dannie Minnie's restaurant (tel 075/48201) in the centre of the village offers superb seafood specialities. There's B&B in Annagry village at Bayview House (April-Oct; tel 075/48504, jns@eircom.net ; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79), while the Rosses Trekking Centre (tel 075/48152) can arrange pony trekking around the local countryside. The local feile , one of the biggest in The Rosses, takes place here at the beginning of June. A short detour north of Annagry leads to RANN NA FEIRSTE (Rannafast), a village with an astonishing Irish literary heritage. The oral tradition has always been strong in the Rosses, but its writers only came to prominence once the school system was improved earlier in the twentieth century. Foremost among them were three brothers from Rann na Feirste's Clann Mhic Grianna : Seamus O'Grianna, the author of 27 books and a popular recent choice for school Leaving Certificate examinations; Seosamh Mac Grianna, whose most famous works are An Droma Mor and his autobiography, Mo Bhealach Fein ; and Sean Ban Mac Grianna, the youngest of the lot and the poet of the family. The village also hosts a large Irish language college. All its pubs were closed to prevent students from undermining their studies. In the townland of MEENALECK , just before Crolly, look out for a sign pointing to Leo's Tavern . The proprietors, Leo and Baba Brennan, were both well-known on the dance-band circuit in the 1950s and 1960s, but other family members have achieved greater fame. Two of their children (Maire and Ciaran) are members of the group Clannad (a third, Pol, left in 1990) and another is the celebrated singer/musician Enya - the pub's walls are decorated with a variety of awards and mementoes. The Tavern is hugely popular with tourists, and the nightly singalong sessions, often featuring Leo himself on piano accordion, are usually adapted to suit their tastes. There are regular traditional sessions on Sundays at Tessie's bar across the road. If you take the main N56 road from Dungloe to Crolly, look out for the small signs to your left marked " Kerrytown Shrine ". In January 1939, some residents of this townland four miles south of Annagry claimed to have witnessed an apparition of the Virgin Mary on a rock and, once the newspapers had reported the story, large crowds began to gather nightly for prayer meetings. Pilgrimages arrived from all over the country and continue to this day, especially on August 15, the Feast of Assumption. A couple of miles further north on the N56 is LOUGHANURE , pleasantly set beside the lough from which it takes its name. The local Anglers Club (tel 075/48689) has boats for rent (GBP6/?7.60 per day) and fishing permits (GBP6/?7.60 per day; GBP12/?15.19 per season), with further information available in the village shop. The thatched Casad na Tsugain is a popular bar/restaurant with sessions in summer. CROLLY (signposted Croichsli ) marks the end of the Rosses and the beginning of neighbouring Gweedore. The large Teac Paidi Og pub has bar food, caravan, camping and laundry facilities and traditional music (Tues & Thurs in summer). For B&B , try Leachrann House (tel 075/32194; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79); failing that, the postmistress in Crolly is a mine of information on accommodation in the area. However, by far the most exciting option is to take the narrow road on the right-hand side, just after the bridge, leading up into the Derryveagh Mountains . This passes lovely Lough Keel and its deserted village before reaching its highest point by an abandoned school and swinging sharply right to return to Dungloe. If you head straight on instead, you'll arrive at the most wonderfully situated hostel , Screag an Iolair (March-Oct; tel 075/48593), with cosy rooms, open fires, traditional music and lots of advice on walking. Nestling in beautiful semi-wild gardens on the side of Cnoc na Farragh mountain, the hostel (whose name means "eagle's nest") provides magnificent views of mountains, lakes, distant Arranmore Island and spectacular sunsets. Hostellers regularly return here for the warmth of the welcome and the congenial atmosphere.
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