In my post about my trip to Sligo, I mentioned in the caption of the map that Sligo is in the north, but not as far north as Carndonagh. Well, now I’ve been to Carndonagh as well, and even further north to Malin Head, on the Inishowen peninsula.
In addition to being the northernmost location in Ireland, Malin Head has received recent acclaim as a filming location for the next Star Wars movie. So, naturally, I had to go.
It’s a five hour bus ride from Dublin to Carndonagh, and then you have to catch a local bus (which is really just a repurposed mini van driven by a sassy local lady) that will, on request, drop you off right at the hostel. I say “the hostel” because there’s only one, Sandrock Hostel, and I can’t say enough in their favor. I’ve never been to a hostel that felt so homey, complete with a pot of tea and cookies (ok, biscuits) served by the large windows overlooking the ocean, where you can occasionally spot dolphins and basking sharks. Yeah, it’s real life.
The next morning I set off on a circuitous walk around the peninsula. The whole walk is on quiet “back roads” (but, they’re the main roads for the area) with alternatively sunlight- and fog-drenched views of ocean and rolling green pastureland.
It took me about half an hour of walking to get to the area where they were recently filming Star Wars. It was on private property, so you can’t get to the exact place, but it’s a small area and it was easy to see most of it.
The residents and establishments of Malin Head have an interesting relationship with the newfound celebrity of their home. In general, they seem to be proud of their small town, and also pleased with the tourism that the notoriety is bringing (unlicensed souvenirs abound), but their comments are tinged with just a hint of annoyance at that notoriety, as well as the fact that Malin Head is gaining popularity for something entirely unrelated to what it offers on its own terms.
On my way up to the “Star Wars hill” (for lack of a better description), a car slowed down and an older man rolled down the window to tell me all about the seagull colony on a small island that can be seen from the shore. “You can’t get down there any more, because of Star Wars,” he added nonchalantly. I never figured out what he meant, because that area is private property anyway. But that was a great example of how they love to casually name-drop while at the same time complaining about it.
Still, let it never be said that they’re not making the most of it…
Finally tearing myself away from Star Wars scenery, I walked on to Banba’s Crown, Ireland’s most northerly building (pretty much everything in Malin Head is “Ireland’s most northerly something”), named after Banba, the patron goddess of Ireland. From Banba’s Crown, you can see the word “Eire” (the Irish name for Ireland) laid out in white stones on a grassy field below, supposedly to allow aircraft to identify the area they were flying over, to prevent bombing of Ireland in WWII.
Circling around to the other side of the peninsula, you pass a “curiosity shop” filled with kitschy antiques and the friendly proprietor, Peter, who, on finding out I’ve been living in Dublin immediately responded, “Ah, ye poor thing, Dublin’s nay good.”
There is also a beach covered in semiprecious stones, but unfortunately I couldn’t figure out how to access it. Most of the area is pastureland, and I was explicitly told by the hostel manager not to cross any fields in this area, as one of them is home to a nasty bull, and even the Shetland ponies will bite. Not that I would anyway, but that was definitely a good warning! I’d already had enough of the overly “friendly” livestock in Malin Head, anyway.
That night I went to Farren’s Bar, the northernmost pub in Ireland, owned and operated by the same family for six generations, if I remember correctly, and the preferred watering hole of the Star Wars cast and crew while they were there.
The next day (after a power outage at the hostel and getting to know my Latvian, French, and German roommates) I was off for more walking, this time to the Wee House of Malin. On the side of a hill by the ocean there is a small, natural cave, said to be the refuge of St. Muirdhealach (no, I don’t have the faintest idea how to pronounce his name). Legend has it that no matter how many people entered the cave, it would never be full. There are also the ruins of a small church near the site, with a natural spring in front.
Despite the time commitment required to get to Malin Head, it is definitely worth experiencing. The landscape is stunning, and the whole area manages to be at once completely remote and populated only by farms and locals, and at the same time set up for a bit of a tourist industry. And for Star Wars fans, this is your new mecca.
Going Out Your Door 
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