Largy Waterfall
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Largy Waterfall is a small
waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...
located in the south-west of
County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
in
Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
, the northern
province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
in Ireland. The coastal waterfall is in Largy, a
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
just west of Fintra Strand, a few miles west of
Killybegs Killybegs () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the largest fishing port in the country and on the island of Ireland. It is located on the south coast of the county, north of Donegal Bay, near Donegal Town. Its Irish name means 'littl ...
.Townlands.ie: Largy. https://www.townlands.ie/donegal/banagh/upper-killybegs/crownarad/largysillagh/largy/ The waterfall is often popularly known as County Donegal's Secret Waterfall or South Donegal's Secret Waterfall.


Location and description

The waterfall is on the southern outskirts of Largy ( Irish: ''Leargaidh'', meaning 'Slope' or 'Hillside'), a
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
and sub-
townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
through which runs the R263, the main Killybegs to Glencolumbkille road. The waterfall, which suddenly became famous in 2017,''Donegal Daily'': 'Couple discover hidden ethereal waterfall in South Donegal' (25 June 2017). https://www.donegaldaily.com/2017/06/25/couple-discover-hidden-ethereal-waterfall-in-south-donegal/ is just south of the R263. The hamlet of Largy is situated between Killybegs and
Kilcar ''Cill Charthaigh'' (anglicised as Kilcar) is a Gaeltacht village on the R263 road (Ireland), R263 Regional road (Ireland), regional road in the south west of County Donegal in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is also a townland of 233 acres an ...
, the hamlet being a short distance west of Fintra Strand. The waterfall is located at the southern end of the
townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
of Largysillagh, the feature being immediately south of the Largy Viewing Point. The feature is inside a largely roofless cave, on the coastline of South Donegal. The waterfall is formed by the Largy Burn flowing over a small cliff inside the cave, with the burn then flowing directly into the sea from the cave. In the
Ulster Scots dialect Ulster Scots or Ulster-Scots (), also known as Ulster Scotch and Ullans, is the dialect (whose proponents assert is a dialect of Scots language, Scots) spoken in parts of Ulster, being almost exclusively spoken in parts of Northern Ireland a ...
, a '
burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), soli ...
' is a stream or small river.Patrick McKay, ''A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names'', p. 31 (see entries for 'Burnfoot' and 'Burntolet River') and p. 150. The Institute of Irish Studies,
The Queen's University of Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is St ...
, Belfast, 1999.
The cave opens out onto
Donegal Bay Donegal Bay () is an inlet (or bay) in the northwest of Ireland. Three Counties of Ireland, counties – County Donegal, Donegal to the north and west, County Leitrim, Leitrim and County Sligo, Sligo to the south – have shorelines on ...
, which is an inlet of the North Atlantic.


Access and safety

Public access to Largy Waterfall is currently not straightforward. Both the waterfall and the lane giving access to it are privately owned; so, ideally, the prior permission of the landowner should be sought before trying to access the site. The waterfall is in a rather secluded location, despite its proximity to the hamlet of Largy. The cave where the waterfall is located is on the coast, and is tidal because of this. Extreme caution should always be exercised by people visiting the waterfall, as one can become trapped inside the cave when the tide comes in.''Donegal Daily'': 'Extreme care advised around "Secret Waterfall" location' (17 May 2021). https://www.donegaldaily.com/2021/05/17/extreme-care-advised-around-secret-waterfall-location/ The waterfall should only ever be visited when the tide is well out. Appropriate footwear and clothing should always be worn by people visiting the waterfall, as the rocks at the entrance to the cave are usually very slippy. While the waterfall is only a short distance directly south of Largy Viewing Point, the easiest and safest way for the public to access the waterfall is via a nearby privately owned lane. The entrance to this narrow lane is a short walk (around 273½ yards or 250 metres) north-east (towards Fintra) from the small carpark at Largy Viewing Point. However, this necessitates people walking along a short stretch of the R263, the main Killybegs to Glencolumbkille road, in order to reach this lane. At this point, the R263 is on what locals would call a 'brae' (the
Ulster-Scots Ulster Scots, may refer to: * Ulster Scots people * Ulster Scots dialect {{disambig Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...
word for a steep incline), this stretch being a bendy and extremely busy road, with no footpaths running alongside it. Again, extreme caution should be exercised by people walking along the verges of this stretch of the R263. Cars and other vehicles should ''never'' be parked along the verges of this stretch of the main road; vehicles of visitors should only be parked in the small carpark at Largy Viewing Point. The lane giving access to Largy Waterfall does not lead directly to the waterfall. This lane runs down a steep 'brae', which brings visitors to the bottom of some low sea cliffs. The entrance to the cave where the waterfall is located is a short distance south-west from the bottom of the lane. Visitors must scramble across the rocks at the bottom of these cliffs in order to get to the cave. The cave can only be accessed on foot when the tide is out.


Possible 'promontory fort'

The remains of an ancient 'enclosure', which may have been a fortification, are located right beside Largy Waterfall. Brian Lac ''
et al. References Notes References Further reading * * External links * {{Latin phrases E ...
'', ''Archaeological Survey of County Donegal'', p. 140 (Fig. 73e) and p. 325 (monument number 1870: Largysillagh).
Donegal County Council Donegal County Council () is the authority responsible for Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local government in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The ...
,
Lifford Lifford (, historically anglicised as ''Liffer'') is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland, the administrative centre of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken as holding this ...
, 1983.
This 'enclosure' is marked as being a '
promontory fort A promontory fort is a fortification, defensive structure located above a steep cliff, often only connected to the mainland by a small neck of land, thus using the topography to reduce the Rampart (fortification), ramparts needed. The oldest kno ...
' on the current O.S.I. ''Discovery Series'' map of the area. Not much now remains above ground of this 'enclosure' or possible fortification. The roughly
rectangular In Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is a rectilinear convex polygon or a quadrilateral with four right angles. It can also be defined as: an equiangular quadrilateral, since equiangular means that all of its angles are equal (360°/4 = 90 ...
site is located at the top of a low sea cliff, immediately to the east-south-east of Largy Waterfall, the enclosure being at the southern end of the
townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
of Largysillagh. The site of this coastal enclosure is privately owned, with strictly no public access without the landowner's prior permission. The remains of the 'enclosure' are in a dangerous cliff-top location, with extreme caution being advised for anyone who has gained permission to visit it.


References

{{coord missing, Ireland Waterfalls of Ireland