Day One

After a long journey, I made it to Gleann Cholm Cille, Co. Dún na nGall. It is said here that the town is so remote, the next closest parish is Boston. And as you can see, there are more sheep than people by a wide margin. I have just started classes, and I would like to share a bit of etymology with you, dear reader. First, the name of the town. It is an Irish name comprised of three different words. Gleann is, you guessed it, a glen.  Cholm Cille, however is a bit more unusual. Colmcille was a 6th century saint associated with Scotland and Ireland. He is often referred to now as St. Columba. But his name, Colmcille, is comprised of two Irish words. Colm means dove and Cille means church. So, I am staying in the glen of the dove of the church. There you go. Secondly, Donegal or Dún na nGall means the fort of the stranger. In Irish, Gael means native and Gall means foreigner. Dún, you will have guessed, means fort. Sin é (that’s it) for now.