Altan Farm, does anyone know the history of this place??

Cul a cnoic

Altan at the foot of Aghlamore (close to Errigal).I have been walking this area for years but cannot find the history of the place. The ruin of a two-storey house with its castle like features and the area around it are referred to as Altan Farm. The land looks as if it was cultivated in the past. Everyone I ask can tell me nothing, well very little of the area at best.

A few of the things I have heard:
+ The band Altan took their name from here (Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh & Frankie Kennedy).
+ Have been told it was a summer residence for Glenveagh (A shooting lodge with a summer house here, doubtful)
+ Maguire & Patterson (the friendly match people) owned it in the 30's. They were using it as a sheep farm but the big snow of '47 wiped out the herd and it lay unused afterwards. They sold it in the 70's to a Swiss industrialist who has never used it, some say that he never sat foot in it

A few images below, I hope, as I have never inserted pictures before!!!!!

I have NOT checked with the land registry or the library; not because I'm lazy, just never get the time.

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks












Its also a popular place for tourists, and the rubbish they leave behind .....

muffler

If its a recorded monument then details can be got in the Library in Letterkenny.

Cul a cnoic

Thanks Muffler, someday I will get around to getting to the Library and doing a bit of research into it. Just thought that some of you knowledgeable Donegal folk would have all the history on when it was build, abandoned, why, etc, etc.

Aligator Farmer

Nice pictures.
What a beautiful spot.
Must win the loterry...

Cul a cnoic

Aligator Farmer wrote: »

Nice pictures.
What a beautiful spot.
Must win the loterry...

You don't need to win the lotto to enjoy it. A 45 min walk will have you there and about an hour+ to get back...:D

Aligator Farmer

I was thinking more of buying it and fixing that big crack up the side.
I'm sure it'd be habitable then
Might be stretching the old DIY skills a bit far though.

Local-womanizer

Aligator Farmer wrote: »

I was thinking more of buying it and fixing that big crack up the side.
I'm sure it'd be habitable then
Might be stretching the old DIY skills a bit far though.

I wouldent fancy mowing its lawn,size of it!

Aligator Farmer

I think that would call for a four legged lawn mower.
The main problem as I'd see it is the distance to the nearest pub

danjo

I would like to visit sometime. Can you post directions please?

Cul a cnoic

danjo wrote: »

I would like to visit sometime. Can you post directions please?

Hello Danjo. Off the R251, about half mile the Letterkenny side of the Errigal car park, and on the same side, there is an old bog road that winds through the mountains and down to Altan farm on the edge of Lough Altan. 2.5-3 mile walk, approx 45 min there and over an hour back. Did it last Sat, a very enjoyable walk.

danjo

Hello Cul a cnoic,

Thanks for the information. I will make a point of visiting there during the summer. The photos are excellent.

danjo

Cul a cnoic

*bump*

josey_whale

cúl a cnoic,

Been down to Altan farm several times myself - it's a magical place. I've always been told that the place belonged to the Guinness's (part of the Dunlewey house estate) - used as fishing lodge. I saw a couple of ads in the local papers looking for information on this place a couple of weeks back. Was it yourself?

I'd say a good place to find out more info on the place would be glenveagh - there are a few people out there that are well up on their local history. Another source of information might be Dunlewey. If you go in to Roarty's garage in Dunlewey - they'd know or they be able to give you the name of someone locally that would know.

Best of luck

Cul a cnoic

josey_whale wrote: »

cúl a cnoic,

ads in the local papers looking for information on this place a couple of weeks back. Was it yourself?

no, not me. A day or two after posting the question, I was talking to a neighbour about the post and was told about the ad in the paper. Looks like someone else is also trying to get to the bottom of this.

josey_whale wrote: »

cúl a cnoic,
glenveagh - Roarty's garage, source of information
Best of luck

thank you, will try them.

Cul a cnoic

I think its time to bump this again

sligopark

forgive my ignorance but is this on google maps folks - where is it?

danjo

See Post #10

retalivity

I have also heard that it was a shooting lodge & part of the glenveagh estate.
Looking at the historical osi maps, there is no further information that I can find.

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I had a question and looking through the forum history I couldnt find any generic 'donegal history' thread so thought i'd stick this in here as it's (tenuously) related.

Does anyone know anything about Mellons (sp?) Public House that is listed on old maps at the junction of the back of errigal & muckish roads? I've driven this road for years and the ruins of a house are still there, but I thought it was always just a house, never realised that it was a pub.

It must have been one of the remotest places in Ireland back 100 years ago before cars, in that lonely part of the donegal mountains!

Patthecat

The pub/house you mention is known locally as "The Slashers. It was supposed to be a resting or halfway house for people travelling from west Donegal on their way to Letterkenny, Derry, America etc. Legend has it that people that stayed here were filled with Poteen and during their drunken sleep were robbed of their belongings.

retalivity wrote: »

I have also heard that it was a shooting lodge & part of the glenveagh estate.
Looking at the historical osi maps, there is no further information that I can find.

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I had a question and looking through the forum history I couldnt find any generic 'donegal history' thread so thought i'd stick this in here as it's (tenuously) related.

Does anyone know anything about Mellons (sp?) Public House that is listed on old maps at the junction of the back of errigal & muckish roads? I've driven this road for years and the ruins of a house are still there, but I thought it was always just a house, never realised that it was a pub.

It must have been one of the remotest places in Ireland back 100 years ago before cars, in that lonely part of the donegal mountains!

muffler

Patthecat wrote: »

Legend has it that people that stayed here were filled with Poteen and during their drunken sleep were robbed of their belongings.

Ah, sure they're still doin that in Kilmacrennan

Firblog

Cul a cnoic wrote: »

Hello Danjo. Off the R251, about half mile the Letterkenny side of the Errigal car park, and on the same side, there is an old bog road that winds through the mountains and down to Altan farm on the edge of Lough Altan. 2.5-3 mile walk, approx 45 min there and over an hour back. Did it last Sat, a very enjoyable walk.

Have been thinking of heading down to see this the next good weekend, any chance someone could give directions from letterkenny? (Dunno where this Errigal Car park is...)

Managed to get to Glenveagh fornight ago without getting lost

retalivity

Errigal car park is here, on the right hand side of the road from glenveagh to dunlewey, between the turn off to falcarragh & dunlewey itself. Can't really miss it, there's not much else on that road!

The actual lodge is here

GRAHAMR32

Any ideas if that would be good place to pitch a tent and have a wee fire, hope not too boggy or prone to a flood at this time of year ? Myself and the girlfriend are looknig somwwhere nice round that area and poisioned glen to set up a wee tent and spend an evening relaxing in the great outdoors there. Is car safe to park nearby overnight ?

smallwonder

I found this on a local walking website...walkingdonegal.net

History of Altan Farm…
John Obins Woodhouse , Formerly a solicitor in Dublin, Had purchased this property in 1844 along with other properties in other counties in Ireland, but in Donegal he bought town lands in Kerrykeel, Altan, Meenaclady, and Tory with the other two islands of Innishdowey and Innishbeg.
Altan is in the parish of Tullaghobegly in the barony of Kilmacrennan.
Woodhouse had said that his intention was to build a cottage in this very romantic spot as a summer residence, he had rented out his land, which was 1,500 acres, at Altan to a man named Mc Swiney or Sweeney and that he had to be paid to leave the land as he had claimed squatters rights , this tenant Mc Swiney had lived in a one roomed house and he had his cows, sheep and goats all in the room with himself,
After Mc Swiney had left this house it had taken two men , three days to throw out forty loads of manure….this was in the year 1848.
A road had been built and the land at Altan was then leased out to a man called Mr Foster , then to Mr Seaver, the land was then advertised for let in the Gweedore Hotel on the 22nd of September.

The land was then leased by a Mr Wright and in the following September he had from 800 to 1,100 sheep grazing in the mountains and they were said to have been remarkable fat as there was sufficient grazing for them,
John Obins Woodhouse had said that he had purchased the land from Mr Thomas Olphert.
On the 10th of December 1856 the shepherd in the town land of Altan was attacked, His name was Sillicoe, A Scotchman from the Western Islands, …. His house was attacked, and they robbed him of his watch and ordered him to return to his own country and that they would let no more of his country men come here.
A Mr Hunter had then taken over the farm at Altan.

This top part is actual fact … taken from a court case

The house and farm, was abandoned in the 1800s. It is said that Maguire & Patterson, "match manufacturers", owned the farm in the 1930s; it was used for sheep farming. The "Big Snow" in 1947 wiped out the herd and the farm was sold to a Swiss industrialist, who it is said "never set foot on it" (unsubstantiated). Aghla More mountain , Elevation 584 metres (1916 feet). From Altan Farm, Elevation 148 metres (485 feet) to Aghla More summit, a walking distance of 1.2 miles, a rise in height of 436 metres (1431 feet). The views are magnificent.

Firblog

Firblog wrote: »

Have been thinking of heading down to see this the next good weekend,

Still waiting for that good weekend.. :mad:

Cul a cnoic

smallwonder wrote: »

I found this on a local walking website...walkingdonegal.net

History of Altan Farm…
John Obins Woodhouse , Formerly a solicitor in Dublin, Had purchased this property in 1844 along with other properties in other counties in Ireland, but in Donegal he bought town lands in Kerrykeel, Altan, Meenaclady, and Tory with the other two islands of Innishdowey and Innishbeg.
Altan is in the parish of Tullaghobegly in the barony of Kilmacrennan.
Woodhouse had said that his intention was to build a cottage in this very romantic spot as a summer residence, he had rented out his land, which was 1,500 acres, at Altan to a man named Mc Swiney or Sweeney and that he had to be paid to leave the land as he had claimed squatters rights , this tenant Mc Swiney had lived in a one roomed house and he had his cows, sheep and goats all in the room with himself,
After Mc Swiney had left this house it had taken two men , three days to throw out forty loads of manure….this was in the year 1848.
A road had been built and the land at Altan was then leased out to a man called Mr Foster , then to Mr Seaver, the land was then advertised for let in the Gweedore Hotel on the 22nd of September.

The land was then leased by a Mr Wright and in the following September he had from 800 to 1,100 sheep grazing in the mountains and they were said to have been remarkable fat as there was sufficient grazing for them,
John Obins Woodhouse had said that he had purchased the land from Mr Thomas Olphert.
On the 10th of December 1856 the shepherd in the town land of Altan was attacked, His name was Sillicoe, A Scotchman from the Western Islands, …. His house was attacked, and they robbed him of his watch and ordered him to return to his own country and that they would let no more of his country men come here.
A Mr Hunter had then taken over the farm at Altan.

This top part is actual fact … taken from a court case

The house and farm, was abandoned in the 1800s. It is said that Maguire & Patterson, "match manufacturers", owned the farm in the 1930s; it was used for sheep farming. The "Big Snow" in 1947 wiped out the herd and the farm was sold to a Swiss industrialist, who it is said "never set foot on it" (unsubstantiated). Aghla More mountain , Elevation 584 metres (1916 feet). From Altan Farm, Elevation 148 metres (485 feet) to Aghla More summit, a walking distance of 1.2 miles, a rise in height of 436 metres (1431 feet). The views are magnificent.

Thanks smallwonder for posting. Was down there about three weeks ago and its still as nice a walk as ever.

Nearly~November

*bump*

...2 years later..ha!

...and a hello. I grew up in Falcarragh & Dunlewey and have done the "Altan Walk" round the lake stopping at the Lodge a fair few times both with groups and alone...it's truly gorgeous here. Planning on taking my bf there to show him - maybe camp a few nights too.

I laughed out loud when I read:

"Patthecat: mention is known locally as "The Slashers. It was supposed to be a resting or halfway house for people travelling from west Donegal on their way to Letterkenny, Derry, America etc. Legend has it that people that stayed here were filled with Poteen and during their drunken sleep were robbed of their belongings."

- this was a "spooky story" that we were told when we were wee; and that the ghosts of people bumped off for their pennies in the night were seen once year. It's still standing - just; after they re built the road round it. When I was last living there I stopped and looked around it for the first time.

I live in England currently - and have decided I miss home too much and plan on trying to split my time between there and here, living simply and get reacquainted with the lay of the land...and see if I can scrape enough together to buy a wee bit, too!

NIMAN

Never knew about this place, I would love to take a walk up to that some day - looks fantastic.