There is no indefinite article in the Irish language. So the absence of the definite article—an or na—indicates the indefinite. I used the definite article in my title for a reason. I am not going to talk about a good day which presupposes the existence of other good days. I am going to talk about the one full day of sunshine I have had here in Gleann Cholm Cille. Luckily for me, it coincided with my only day off. We work from Sunday to Friday from ten in the morning till ten at night. But on Saturday, ligim i mo scíth—I relax. Well, not really. I chose to go for a twenty mile walk as my relaxation. And it was the most incredible walk of my life. I walked along the road 6 miles to the small town of Málain Bhig and its famous beach Trá Ban—Silver Strand.
After Trá Ban, I walked up into the hills. There was no trail, but I knew if I kept the sea to my right—ar mo dhéis—I would eventually link up with Sliabh Líg, the tallest ocean cliff in Europe. I had to trek through some bogs which attempted to steal my boots, but I eventually reached the summit and new favorite place on earth.
Perched atop this rocky outcropping, I ate my lunch and wondered at the beauty of Dún na nGall and Ireland more broadly. From this point, I could see my two favorite mountains Sliabh Líg and way beyond that Ben Bulben. I could even see the distant peaks of Maigh Eo and Gaillimh. But the time I finished Sliabh Líg, I was exhausted and simultaneously rejuvenated. It was the good day.
that…
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.