Overview
Glen Head guards the western mouth of the Glencolmcille valley in County Donegal, on the Atlantic side of the parish, where the sea has cut the quartzite into arches, stacks and deep ravines. An old signal tower on the head recalls the coast’s early 19th-century network of lookouts. The valley floor is scattered with monuments from the Neolithic through to the Napoleonic Wars, preserved in large part by how remote and poor this corner stayed for so long.
The coastal walk
The signal tower on the head is one of a chain built around 1800, under Major-General Sir Charles Ross, to watch for a French landing. The nearby Sturrall is a jagged sea-arête of quartzite dropping to undercut arches and surf-washed stacks, so keep to the waymarked route and stay well back from the cliff edges.
Sport Ireland lists the blue-waymarked Glencolmcille Tower Loop at 7.6 km. Use the published trail map and follow the signs near the headland. Leave dogs at home.
The route has exposure: stretches run close to unfenced cliff edges, so it is no place to be in a strong wind or when the ground is greasy. Carry a windproof layer, wear shoes with grip, stay well back from cliff edges, follow the marked route and turn back if conditions become poor. It suits older children; it is not one for toddlers. For a shorter outing, visit the public stops in Glencolmcille village.
Colmcille and the Turas
The valley below the head takes its name from St Colmcille (Columba), born in Donegal around AD 521, who founded the monastery on Iona and did as much as anyone to carry Christianity into northern Britain. His link to this valley is set down in Manus O’Donnell’s 16th-century Life of Colum Cille.
Every year on his feast day, 9 June, the Turas Glencolmcille sees pilgrims walk fifteen penitential stations around the valley. The stations mix early Christian devotion with far older sites; the first is a reworked megalithic tomb, Christian ritual laid straight over Neolithic stone. Check local listings for the current arrangements before planning around the pilgrimage.
One station sits in Baile na nDeamhan, the Village of the Demons. The story goes that demons St Patrick had driven off Croagh Patrick fled here, cloaking the glen in mist and turning the river to fire, until Colmcille and a band of saints hurled a spear into the fog and drove them into the sea, where they became red, one-eyed fish. It is the kind of tale that still clings to this landscape. A ship called the Sydney was lost off this coast in 1870, and the loss is remembered locally.
Practical information
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Route | Blue-waymarked Glencolmcille Tower Loop, listed at 7.6 km by Sport Ireland |
| Entry | Free |
| Dogs | Not allowed on the route; leave dogs at home |
| Accessibility | Exposed coastal route; check Sport Ireland’s trail information before you go |
| Children | Better for older children given the cliff edges |
| Parking | Check local signs and Sport Ireland’s trail information |
Getting there and local amenities
Follow the signs through Glencolmcille and use the published Sport Ireland trail map to find the start. For a visit without a car, check current Local Link Donegal services between Donegal Town and Glencolmcille, and plan your return before you set out.
Glencolmcille is a Gaeltacht village and home to Oideas Gael, the Irish-language and culture centre, with shops, pubs and a fiddle session never far off. Time your visit for early June and you catch the Turas itself; come in the shoulder seasons and you will likely have the cliffs to yourself, but dress for the wind either way.