Tory Island — Local services in County Donegal

Impossible to describe our little one day trip. !! Tory Island was on my husbands bucket list and also we met young lovely Tory boyos over in Clare Island that gave us the momentum to visit the island based on the friendliness and pleasantness of the indigenous people. Our trip over and back on the Queen of Aran ferry was excellent. The ferry was on time and staff..Peter ( with a musical voice and gentle blue eyes)and skipper were perfect gentlemen. We felt a little nausea on the outbound trip due to weather but totally wonderful on the return. The island was serene and sleepy. We walked passed peaceful quiet dwellings..not a soul stirred. Perhaps cause we were before season and early on a Saturday March crisp morning. The island is easy to walk,no need for bike or car..Plentiful sheep and more plentiful lambs marched in front of us...lambing season I guess...we came across fabulous cliffs and a tiny pebble beach also hidden by enclosed cliffs...I have since been told there are beautiful caves below!! We were disappointed initially by not meeting any locals but by luck we ended up in the Club social house and were made very much at home with the banter, chat, story telling from Daniel Cullen who served me a fine cold pint of Heineken and my husband a coffee and hot chocolate cake . His shining personality and gentle humour made us regret having to leave in order to catch the ferry back to mainland. Over all..it turned out to be a magical ,romantic ,...

Tory island is the most remote inhabited island in Ireland and it is so worth a visit. Accessed only by a small ferry which is about a 90 minute trip. Luckily I visited with clear blue skies and saw the Island in all its glory. The inhabitants are natural Irish speaking but bilingual and ever so friendly. Up until recently Tory has always had its own king - not sure if this still stands. The local hotel hosts music nights for coeil and craic (music).The wildlife is mainly birds and it is a sanctuary. The scenery is spectacular and dramatic. The air fresh and clean and when you leave the village the only sounds are sea, birds and wind and you can explore at your own pace in perfect peace. There is a bar that serves food and a hotel should you wish to stay overnight. The sad part is that you can see some houses abandoned but it is understandable why people would wish to leave the isolation. It is a truly...

Visited with my dad and 6-year-old boy. Ferry left bang on time, and we were greeted off the boat by the King of Tory. Spent the day exploring the island and wildlife watching. We saw / heard 48 species of bird during our visit, including Corncrakes, Puffins, Little Terns and Chough. Everyone we met was very friendly. We stopped off in the coffee shop for a tea and scone which were very nice and wee lad had a play in the playground near the harbour. A must for anyone...