Inishowen Geography
Inishowen is a peninsula of 884.33 square kilometres (218,523 acres), situated in the northernmost part of Ireland. It is bordered to the north by the Atlantic Ocean, to the east by Lough Foyle, and to the west by Lough Swilly. It is joined at the south to the rest of County Donegal, the part known astir Connail, and by County Londonderry. Historically, the area of Derry west of the River Foyle also forms part of Inishowen, the Foyle forming a natural border. Most of Inishowen’s population inhabit the peripheral coastal areas, while the interior consists of low mountains, mostly covered in bogland, the highest of which is 'Sliabh Sneacht' (from the Irish, meaning Snow Mountain) which is 619 metres (2,030 feet) above sea level. Other major hills are located in the Malin Head peninsula, as well as the Urris Hills in west Inishowen. Due to its geography, Inishowen usually has soft weather conditions, with temperatures slightly lower than other parts of Ireland in summer and slightly warmer in winter, especially during cold spells.
Inishowen has several harbours, some of which are used for commercial fishing purposes, including Greencastle, Bunagee and Leenan. A seasonal ferry service crosses the Foyle, connecting Greencastle with Magilligan in Derry, while another crosses the Swilly, connecting Buncrana with Rathmullan. The village of Fahan has a privately built Marina. There are several small outlying islands off the Inishowen coast, most notably Inishtraull and Glashedy islands, both uninhabited, although the former was inhabited until the early twentieth century. Inch, located in Lough Swilly is technically no longer an island, as it has a causeway connecting it to the mainland at Tooban, south of Fahan Lough Swilly is a fjord-like lough, and was of strategic importance for many years to the British Empire as a deep-water harbour. It is also famous as the departure point of the Flight of the Earls. Lough Foyle is important as the entrance to the river Foyle, and the city of Derry, but is much shallower than Lough Swilly, and requires the use of a guide boat to guide ships to and from the port of Derry.
Malin Head is the location of one of Ireland’s most important weather stations. In 1870 the first weather reports were recorded, and in 1902 the first wireless commercial message was sent from Malin Head to the ship S.S. Lake Ontario.
The most northerly tip of Malin Head, and of Ireland, is known as Banba’s Crown. In 1905, Banba Tower was built as a signal station and was a very important news link between America and Europe before modern communication technology made it redundant. There is also a bird watching observatory built at Malin and it is a very popular spot for bird watching. Due to the sheltered nature of the bay and inlets around Malin, it provides a safe habitat for many species of birds. Examples include Eider Duck, Buzzard, Peregrin Falcon, Barnacle Geese and the rare Corn Crake. Tory Island and Inishtrahull Island are visible from Malin Head. On a very clear day, it is even possible to see Scotland from Banba’s Crown.
A large area of land, most of which now forms part of Grianán Farm, one of the largest farms in Ireland, was reclaimed from a shallow area of Lough Swilly, stretching from the village of Burnfoot to Bridgend and Burt. The outline of this land is plainly visible due to its flatness proving a marked contrast to the more mountainous area surrounding it.
