Overview
For a few years in the early 1800s Urris more or less governed itself, and it did so on poitín. This valley on the western edge of Inishowen is walled in by the Urris Hills and Binion Hill and reached by only two roads, the steep, hairpinning Mamore Gap and the lower pass through Crossconnell, which made it easy to defend and hard to police. That same seclusion is the draw now: sea cliffs, quiet beaches and hill walks a long way from the tour buses, in County Donegal. It is an easy hop off the Wild Atlantic Way from Buncrana or Clonmany.
If you have one thing to do, drive up and over the Mamore Gap and stop at the grotto near the top for the view down the lough.
History
The valley’s isolation runs through its whole story. In the early 1700s it came under Colonel Daniel McNeill, a Scottish planter whose enforcers, the “Yowmen”, held the locals to heel; his rule is remembered in folklore, and he ended up buried in Straid churchyard after a botched abduction at Pollan fair. Later the coast caught the edge of national history: Theobald Wolfe Tone was captured by the Royal Navy off Dunaff Head in November 1798, at the collapse of the United Irishmen’s rising.
The best-known chapter is the Poitín Republic. By the early 1800s the Urris Hills were the centre of an illicit poitín trade, and with only the Mamore Gap to guard, locals posted scouts, built rock barricades and threw up roadblocks at Crossconnell to keep the revenue men out. The self-run spell ended in May 1815, when General Dalziel’s troops moved in and broke up the stills.
Two older layers and one more recent one are worth knowing. Dunaff Bay, at the mouth of Lough Swilly, is the site of a Mesolithic campsite where flint tools and waste flakes of the Early Larnian tradition have been found. The Irish nationalist Sir Roger Casement studied Irish at the local language college in 1904–1905. And on 11 April 1941 a Vickers Wellington bomber crashed on the Urris Hills, killing all six crew; a small cairn marks the site.
What to see & do
Beaches and coast
- Lenan Beach – a small, sheltered sandy beach at the start of the local walks, with a car park beside it.
- Tullagh Bay – a wide horseshoe that catches Atlantic swell and is the established local surf and windsurf beach.
- Dunaff cliffs – a dramatic stretch of sea cliff with a tall sea stack offshore and clear sightlines across Lough Swilly, best in early light.
Walks
Two separate signed routes start from the same area, and they are not alike.
- Lenan Loop – a registered, moderate walk of 1.9 km from the Lenan Beach car park. Follow the green arrows, and leave dogs at home.
- Urris Lakes Loop – a strenuous route that passes the hill lakes with the lough below. Check its map and local signs, wear suitable footwear and turn back if conditions are poor.
Keep to the marked routes and leave farm entrances clear. Higher ground above the loops is unmarked in places, so it needs settled weather and a map; peregrine falcons and ravens nest on the crags.
The Mamore Gap
The narrow pass that is the valley’s front door, with a holy well and grotto near the summit. Steep and winding, and the reason the “republic” held out so long.
Heritage
- Irish college – the modest building where the language revival took hold here in the early 1900s.
- Thatched cottages – several traditional cottages in the valley, a practical window on how it was built and lived in.
Practical information
- Getting there – from Buncrana or Clonmany, follow the R238 to the Crossconnell turn, then climb through the Mamore Gap into the valley. Public transport is very limited, so a car is effectively essential.
- Parking – the Lenan Loop starts at the Lenan Beach car park. Check the Urris Lakes Loop page for its start point.
- Food and shops – there is little in the way of shops or restaurants in the valley, so bring supplies, and check what is open in Clonmany or Buncrana before you set off.
- Best time to visit – late spring to early autumn gives the most reliable hillwalking and surfing conditions. Winter brings storm-washed cliffs that photographers love but that need careful planning.
- Safety – the Mamore Gap road is narrow and can ice over in winter. Hill routes cross uneven, boggy ground and exposed ridges: carry a map, wear waterproof footwear and check the forecast. Keep off the cliff edges at Dunaff in high tides or strong onshore winds.