Today we had one final breakfast in falcarragh at our wonderful b&b, with our sweet host, Eileen. She brought out her home-baked bread and homemade jams. She asked us to send her a picture of our kids - she was really impressed about how large our family is.

We headed back in the same direction we finished the day with yesterday, in the general direction of Malin Head. They name pretty much all of the peninsula headlands with that moniker over here. Malin Head is the northernmost part of the main of Ireland.

To get there we were also doing a coastal loop. The day started like normal, overcast, but nice. After we hurried through the relative urbanness of Letterkenny, we slowed down to search out some less well-signposted sites.

First on our agenda was Ned's Point. It was supposed to be a vista area, though in some book or other, a fort was mentioned. There weren't any signs for it that we could see, so we left our so-called main road for a glorified cow-path. After a fruitless search, we stopped and talked to a really nice farmer, who gave some directions.

When we arrived, we saw there was a fort, but it was obviously not open. As we looked through the gate, a worker inside asked if we would like to come in. We said, absolutely! He was there with his young son, who had been scampering across the battlements. He ended up giving us a tour. He and a partner are in the process of renovating it on their own.

It was built to protect the lough from a napoleonic invasion, though by the time it was finished, the little man was dead. It has been unused for many many years, so he and his partner asked the local council for the right to renovate it as a nature-focused center. It was pretty awesome to have that experience, especially since it was not something anyone else would hav been able to see.

After our goodbyes, we went back on the hunt for a church ruin we had seen glimpses of, but wasn't on any map. After finding it, we walked around it and got some pictures. There was even a house for sale right next to it that met all of Pat's requirements for her perfect Irish home - on a cow path, ruin in site, mountain views, ocean or lake views, not too big. I think it was a sign! :)

Next stop was a military museum in another lough fort that was still in use to the late 20th century. It was a great place to build a fort, and we got some great pics (and identified a mysterious structure we had seen across the lough yesterday as another defensive fort).

Heading on, we followed many, many, yes MANY, small coastal roads, making our way yo Malin Head. On the way, we were caught on some construction, and a very unclear process for making it through the one-lane-closed s cation of road. Surviving that, we made it to the head. We went for a whale on the cliff paths, and if it had been clear, it would have been spectacular. Even still, it was amazing.

Next we headed off to make the ferry to Northern Ireland. We had a bit of time to wait, but it was a nice ride. It was a bit of adjustment again, as Northern Ireland displays speeds and distances in miles, rather than kilometers. Unfortunately, our car only shows Km/h, so I kept cursing "Maths!" Every time I had to figure out if I was speeding.

The first big town we entered had a bit of a ruckus going on. As we got closer, we realized our path was being blocked by a parade. Not a, "I love a parade" parade, but one of the kind that can instigate problems even today in NI. This did not put Carrie at ease, especially since the only way we knew to get where we were going was right through the parade route. So, we kept taking the turns we could, and let Apple Maps recalculate, which it did, over and over. Carrie just knew we were going to be at the epicenter of political violence. I did have the thought that at least if something did happen, Bono might write a song about us :)

Leaving the city unscathed, we successfully made it to portrush, our destination. We checked in, walked to dinner, and went to sleep.