Rest night and beautiful music experience checked off in Donegal town, time to check out of the hotel and drive down to Achill Island.
I picked Achill Island because of the many water sports it had to offer. Sadly, the weather just was not in the mood for me to get into any of them. Le sigh. Instead, what I got from Achill Island was very different from my overall expectations.
First,
I felt ridiculously at home here. I blame it on the good people I met at The Valley House, the hostel that I was staying at.
Second,
oddly enough, my food experience at the bar attached to the Valley House was the best I experienced all throughout my time in Ireland, even though I threw some shade at the chef when he asked for my feedback. Some women sha.
The bar also has a pretty good number of local regulars that come by to share a pint with travelers, exchange stories, and fiddle with music instruments while entertaining us with their voices. I loved that I could jump in and add my croaking voice if I wanted to also (I chose to spare them from the torture).
Third,
despite the rainy weather, the island maintained a pretty amazing shroud of haunting beauty. It was so beautiful that I was fine with driving around for about 6hrs just to take it in.
Finally,
there is a deserted village here! I got to walk the path where many used to live before the famine era but had to move out to find food for themselves. All the homes had collapsed, but some of the foundations remain.
Within the short amount of time I spent there, the island sipped into my bones and when it was time to part ways, I dragged my feet until I could no longer.
A note of warning, I should warn that the bathrooms in the hostel needed some serious tlc and do not expect the best of weathers. Instead, be ready to get really comfortable with a the most open hearted community that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
My time there also further cemented the fact that as I get older, I am more drawn to staying in villages or small towns with not too many tourists passing through.
I also managed to record bits of my experience in Achill Island, so press play and enjoy my vlogging efforts.
