Donard, Wicklow

Donard is a pretty village at the northern end of the Glen of Imaal. It is the proud site of the famous Dwyer Mc Allister cottage where the brave rebels fought the British troops and Dwyer dramatically escaped over the mountains. The three- roomed thatched house at Derrynamuck was reconstructed in 1947 with further restoration in 1992 and now houses furniture, utensils and pikes of the 1798 period.

The highest mountain in county Wicklow can be accessed here – Lugnaquilla. The summit is flanked by cliffs and the Glen of Imaal firing range. Thus you would be wise to check for safety restrictions by contacting the Glen of Imaal Army Wardens Office @ 353 45 404653 (24 hours).

Only experienced hikers are advised to attempt the summit as the weather changes abruptly here. For information and advice you can contact Christopher Stacey at Footfalls Walking tours through the www.walkinghikingireland.com Website or you can view our walking page which features safety precautions from the wicklow mountains national park.

The moat farm camping and caravanning park is situated in this scenic area and can be contacted on tel: +353 45 404727 for information on facilities / opening times etc.

There are also interesting places to stay in the area including:
A working farm at Beech Lodge Bed and Breakfast, Donard. Contact Mr & Mrs K Hanbridge on 353 45 404651.
A Farmhouse- Bridge Meadows, offering home grown food and home baking breakfast menu -mmmm scones , jam and cream. Woof! Contact Pat & Lily O’Reilly on tel: +353 (0) 45 404603

For the more spiritually minded you could avail of time spent at Chrysalis: A residential holistic centre which offers a varied programme of workshops, retreats and team building/staff development days all year round. See their website: www.chrysalis.ie for more information or tel Claire Harrison on +353 45 404713

The local gaa club is popular and they have a very informative website which you can check out if your interested in joining / reading up on  www.donardglengaa.com.

There is (check it out!!!) Deer Stalking available in the area with the Croghan Valley Group. The Sika and Sika hybrids of the Wicklow mountains have achieved a worldwide reputation for quality. The Croghan Valley Group controls over 15,000 acrea of carefully managed stalking grounds holding substantial stocks of quality Sika and hybrids. For more info contact John Fenton @ 353 45 404947.

National Monuments. The Dwyer-Mc Allister Cottage. See top of page for info.
Castleruddery stone circle and motte can be found approx 4 km south west of Donard. The stone is 30m in diameter surrounded by an earthen bank whilst the nearby motte guards a river-crossing and is surrounded by a ditch.

On a lighter note, set dancing is in full swing in Donard hall on Monday nights from 9pm.