Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
an solution to the spiraling problem of Ireland's rapidly multiplying poor. Authorities at
the time thought that poverty stemmed from laziness and should be punished. So, to mo-
tivate those lodging at the workhouse to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, conditions
were made hard. But the system was unable to cope with the starving, homeless multi-
tudes who were victims of the famine.
The harsh workhouse experience is told through the true-life narrative of Wee Hannah
Herrity, a wandering orphan and former resident of this workhouse. During the famine,
more than 4,000 young orphan workhouse girls from across Ireland were shipped to Aus-
tralia as indentured servants in an attempt to offset the mostly male former convict pop-
ulation there. But Hannah's fate was different. She survived the famine by taking meager
refuge here, dying at age 90 in 1926. With the audioguide, you'll visit three upstairs rooms
where stiff papier-mâché figures relate the powerful episodes in her life.
Cost and Hours:
€4.50, includes audioguide; June-Sept daily 9:30-17:30, shorter
hours off-season, call to confirm winter hours, good bookstore and coffee shop, tel. 074/
913-6540,
www.dunfanaghyworkhouse.ie
.
• Now continue into the town of...
Dunfanaghy (Dun Fionnachaidh)
This planned town, founded by the English in the early 1600s for local markets and fairs,
has a prim and proper appearance. In Dunfanaghy (dun-FAN-ah-hee), you can grab a pub
lunch or some picnic fixings from the town market. Enjoy them from a scenic viewpoint
on the nearby Horn Head loop drive (described later).
The modest town square, mostly a parking lot, marks the center of Dunfanaghy. The
postofficeisatthesouthernendofthevillage(Mon-Fri9:00-17:30,Sat9:00-13:00,closed
Sun). Groceries are sold in the
Centra Market
(Sun-Thu 7:30-21:00, Fri-Sat 7:30-22:00)
on the main road opposite the town square.
Irish Fishermen Feel the Squeeze
ThebiggestfishingportinIrelandisKillybegs, about30kilometers (19miles) west
of Donegal town. But today, fishing is a sadly withering lifestyle. When Ireland
joined the EU in 1973, Irish farmers and infrastructure benefited most from gener-
ous subsidies that helped transform the country a generation later into the “Celtic
Tiger.” But as the country reaped over €35 billion from the EU in its first 25 years
of membership, the Irish fishing industry suffered. With the Mediterranean over-
fished, other EU nations set sail for rich Irish waters that were newly opened to
them.Someestimatethat40percentofthefishcaughteachyearinEurope—valued
