Current Mission:
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that gives value to survival.
Hot water for shower/bath. Washing machine and tumble dryer if you've been traveling around and need to get your stuff revitalized and cleaned. The kitchen has a fridge and cooker which you can use. Open fire if its winter time and cold outside. Internet access available just ask!. Its a smoking house. I'm not a hostel so be sure to pack a sense of humor and be up for a 'bit of craic'. An open friendly house with good people running around it.
County Donegal attractions/things to do:
Donegal Castle
The centrepiece of Donegal Town is without a doubt O'Donnell's Castle better known as Donegal Castle by the banks of the river Eske. The castle was built by Hugh Roe O'Donnell in 1474 when he also built the Franciscan Order further down the river Eske. It is said that Red Hugh aware of his imminent fate destroyed the castle before leaving. On capture the English were able to fortify such castles and use them as a base to attack the Irish. One Irish poet who lamented the destruction but admired the tactic "to prevent this fortress of the Gael becoming a fortress of the Gall". However this is what happened with the castle being granted to Captain Basil Brooke in 1611 who extended the manor house to the existing tower house. It passed through several generations of Brookes before falling into decay in the 18th century and the owner the Earl of Arran placed the castle in the guardianship of the Office of Public Works in 1898. It is only in recent times that the castle has been restored to its former glory. Theres this stone faced pub across the road from the castle called funnily enough 'the castle' bar and in there you will find one of the creamiest and taste bud pleasing pints of guinness in the town. If that is, all the sight seeing has drummed up a thirst in you.
Surfs Up
Try your hand a bit of surfing in the steaming hot waters of the atlantic (lol) Bundoran just 20 mins from Donegal has excellent surf and lots of adventure clubs where you can rent the gear and get your first lesson, here a link
http://www.bundoransurfco.com/
Slieve League (a must)
The Slieve League (Grey Mountain) cliffs, situated on the West coast of Donegal, are said to be the highest and one of the finest marine cliffs in Europe with a three hundred metre drop straight down into the wild, Atlantic waves below. This creates a breathtaking but extremely scary view. Donegal Bay can be clearly seen as you walk towards the terrifyingly high top of Slieve League and there is a small lake at eye level. A short walk will take you to the right of the amazing cliff face of Bunglas (which literally means end of the cliff) which rises over 306m above the raging ocean. One Man's Path will take you to the summit of Slieve League but the climb must be approached with extreme caution as it is very dangerous.
Glenveagh National Park
It is a remote and hauntingly beautiful wilderness of rugged mountains and pristine lakes. The Park, over 14,000 acres in extent consists of three areas. The largest of these is the former Glenveagh Estate, including most of the Derryveagh Mountains. Glenveagh is the haunt of many rare and interesting plants and animals and is famous for it’s fine herd of red deer. The Park contains the peaks of the two highest mountains in Co. Donegal, Errigal (752m) and Slieve Snaght (683m). Errigal is an easy climb and well worth the effort. The views from on top of Errigal are truely amazing.
Tory Island, off Bunbeg (Go and meet the King the Tory)
Tory Island, with a population of around 200, is the most isolated inhabited Irish island. Tory’s remoteness has enabled it to retain a remarkably rich and unique culture. It is the only place in Ireland which still has the tradition of appointing a king. It is known as the home of a group of 20th century primitive painters whose talents were encouraged by Derek Hill, an English landscape artist. The landscape of Tory is breathtakingly inspiring: most of the island tilted at an angle, sloping down from high sea-cliffs on the northern coast to flat rocky beaches on the southern side. Its bizarre spidery outline is indented with wild coves and headlands, most notably at the eastern end, where the promontory of Dún Bhaloir (‘Balor’s Fort’) ends in a razor-sharp finger of land topped by a group of pinnacles known as Balor’s Soldiers.
Arranmore Island, off Burtonport
Arranmore or Aran Island has been inhabited since prehistoric times and it's likely to have been one of Donegal's first coastal population centre’s. Archaeological sites on the island have been dated to the Early Iron Age (800 BC) and the island was also home to a number of Gaelic chieftains, Manus Óg O'Domhnaill (Manus O'Donnell), a cousin of the Donegal chieftain Aodh Dubh O'Domhnaill, being its most famous. Many of the Gaelic traditions practised by these families are still alive on Arranmore today and can be heard and seen on your visit.
My house
A truely epic adventure and a must for all couchsurfers coming up Donegal way. lol. No but seriously, we are not so bad..
Billie Anne Johnston 33, Female Kinlough, Leitrim Ireland (Republic of) Friends since August 1981 "Well now i know him since he was in nappies. He is the best brother anyone could ask for." Friendship Type: Close Friend
Tadhg O Tuama 44, Male Donegal, Donegal Ireland (Republic of) Friends since July 1996 "troublesharing" Friendship Type: Close Friend 30+
Matthew Thomas 31, Male Buncrana, Donegal Ireland (Republic of) Friends since June 1993 "Known Robbie for years. Grew up in the smae small Irish Town" Friendship Type: Close Friend 130+3
MAIKE_Berlin 30, Female Berlin, Berlin Germany Friends since February 2006 "met in Donegal a couple of times (sadly not yet in Cologne...), then - last year - spent nearly every weekend at after hour parties in his house (didnt go surfing though...)" Friendship Type: Good Friend I vouched for Robbie Johnston
Margo Riordan 24, Female Berlin, Berlin Germany Friends since July 2008 "barcelona!" Friendship Type: Friend
Malika Sellami 32, Female Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada Friends since August 2008 "Couchsurfing Camp at Burning Man 2008 )'( Oh how I miss this guy...." Friendship Type: Close Friend I vouched for Robbie Johnston 7
Anthony McCrea 37, Male Letterkenny, Donegal Ireland (Republic of) Friends since June 1981 "All my life, we are neighbours" Friendship Type: Good Friend
Hannah Breslin 25, Female London, London England Friends since August 2007 "wee donegal boy" Friendship Type: Acquaintance
Ricky Haga 32, Male Portland, Oregon United States Friends since August 2008 "cs camp at burning man 08!!" Friendship Type: Good Friend I vouched for Robbie Johnston 7
shaz Shah 32, Male Mission, British Columbia Canada Friends since August 2008 "met one night in a dark kitchen" Friendship Type: Close Friend 7
I spent ages thinking of what to put in here.. Mmm.. Just read the references people leave behind and make up your own mind.. I know I'm amazing but I can't rightfully just come out and say that, might end up coming across vain n' stuff!
Quick note on the word 'craic'
First things first: It’s pronounced “crack.”
“Let’s go have some craic” is the youthful cry each Saturday evening the length and breadth of the Emerald Isle. “The craic was ninety on the Isle of Man,” warbles Christy Moore in a well-known ditty (ninety = mighty).
"What is this craic and why is everybody having it or looking for it?” visitors to Ireland often ask with raised eyebrows (their tone suggesting that the entire Irish population should get to a detox clinic as soon as possible).
Craic is a Gaelic word, with no exact English translation. The closest you get is “fun.” There’s the expression “ceoil agus craic,” meaning “music and fun,” probably once used by locals to fortify themselves before heading off over an arduous mountain pass to the nearest ceili. Craic doesn’t appear in standard English dictionaries, but enter it as a search term on Google, and 42,500 listings come up. There’s obviously a lot of craic out there.
Put simply, having craic is having a good time or a laugh. However, due to an unfortunate similarity in pronunciation with a well-known and illegal narcotic substance, not everyone gets the right idea about it. Apocryphal stories abound of unlucky Irish travellers who have had their innocent search for craic misinterpreted. In one well-known example from Paris, two Irish lads saunter down the boulevard, musing out loud on what to do and good places to find some craic. Their plans for the evening are, somewhat misunderstood by a nearby eavesdropping cop.
“Looking for ze crack, mais non,” cries the cop before slapping handcuffs on the unfortunate pair and whisking them off to the nearest Parisian police station where, needless to say, they do not encounter much craic that particular evening.
Now, the craic isn’t ninety when you’re reading a book, watching a comedy at the cinema – or when you’re sitting at home writing about it. Good craic is always social.
You can’t define it. It’s just something which happens. It’s organic. It depends on what is happening, where you are and who’s there.
With or Without Drinks
Now if you think that craic is “having a laugh, cracking jokes, having drinks and falling down.” Your wrong, drinking is not necessary for good craic? From the heft amount imbibed these days in Ireland this would seem to be the case. However, I should point out that the essence of craic is good people, a buzz and the talk – with or without a few drinks.
For me the craic is hard to pin down. It’s not something you can neatly label or put in a box. Try to sum it up and you probably kill it off. But if pushed, I would say the essence of craic is in the talk and banter of good company, a group of people getting together to have a laugh and most of all to take a break from being serious about life. However, it seems there’s no other option but to come over to Ireland and have some craic yourself!
*****************
You are the Hanged Man
Self-sacrifice, Sacrifice, Devotion, Bound.
With the Hanged man there is often a sense of fatalism, waiting for something to happen. Or a fear of
loss from a situation, rather than gain.
The Hanged Man is perhaps the most fascinating card in the deck. It reflects the story of Odin who offered himself as a sacrifice in order to gain knowledge. Hanging from the world tree, wounded by a spear, given no bread or mead, he hung for nine days. On the last day, he saw on the ground runes that had fallen from the tree, understood their meaning, and, coming down, scooped them up for his own. All knowledge is to be found in these runes.
The Hanged Man, in similar fashion, is a card about suspension, not life or death. It signifies selflessness, sacrifice and prophecy. You make yourself vulnerable and in doing so, gain illumination. You see the world differently, with almost mystical insights.
Hosted Martin from Canada
Hosted Shaun and Pat from Canada
Hosted Ana and Tomislav from Croatia
Hosted Elodie and Seb from France
Hosted Yvonne from Switzerland
Hosted Kyunghoon from Korea
Hosted Dahlia and Eric from New York U.S./France
Hosted Irene from Wisconsin U.S.
Hosted Mael from France
Hosted Natalie and Aine from Germany
Surfed with Pedro and Ana in Dublin
Hosted Luce (Cosmic Girl) from Croatia
Hosted Harlan and Jacq from Michigan U.S.
Rehosted Jacq (back for more)
Hosted Anneliese from Kiwiland
Hosted Rico and Emma from France
Hosted Brenda from Canada
Hosted Yoav from Israel
Hosted Hena and Vilhelmiina from Finland
Hosted Gavin from Illinois in U.S.
Hosted Camilo and Maxie from Columbia/Germany
Hosted Tim from Canada
Hosted Rachel From England
Partied with Jan from Germany @ time-warp festival
Hosted Guillaume from France
Hosted Anke from Holland
Hosted Jessica from Germany
Hosted Chris from The Republic of Seattle
Hosted Dale and Cat from Australia
Hosted Bartek and Amanda from Canada
Hosted Orna and Rebecca from Eire
Hosted Jonathan and Kristen from Canada
Hosted Alex from Oz
Hosted Tristan from San Fran in U.S
Hosted Martin from Czech Republic
Hosted Erynn and Ashley from Olympia in U.S
Hosted Pia from Finland
Hosted Kim from Oz
Hosted Martina & Nicola from Italy
Surfed with Kristine in Reno in U.S
Hosted Dima from New York in U.S
Hosted Sarah from Germany
Hosted Keith, Tania and Sinead from Dublin,
More to follow I'd say...
Interests
Travel, Music (Drum n Bass), Stout, Football, Beauty, Tequila, Mountain conquering, Being conquered by mountains, People, Animals(not pets, let them free damn you), Art, Cooking, Stout (again), Festivals, Couchsurfers, Burners, Loads and loads of things really
Philosophy
Karma just about covers it.
Music, Movies, Books
Movies: Just about any movie that has some or all of the following ingredients: a: Ninjas b: Random explosions c: A car driving through boxes or fruit stalls d: hot chick e: good soundtrack. Intellectual movies you know..
Music: Its considered dangerous to expose me to Drum and Bass after midnight (I turn into a crazy person) Love it.. Also I listen to Hip Hop, Techno, Bands n stuff... Artists of the moment: Hot Chip, Digital Mystikz, Modest Mouse, The Postal Service, Cake, Dub Step(bring on the wobble), Easy Star All Stars, Dreadzone...
Books: Takes me forever to read a book, it involves a lot of staying still and like reading 'n stuff. One I have read recently thats deadly is Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. Just finished the Dark Matters trilogy by Philip Pullman.. Epic
Types of People I enjoy
People that use their spare time online doing things like this: www.freerice.com
Teach, Learn, Share
I'll teach you nothing that way you might actually learn something.
One Amazing Thing I've Seen or Done
Been on top of the great pyramids. Scuba dived the great barrier reef(Very funny experience). Stood alongside Jesus overlooking Rio. Went to the Genoa G8 summit in Italy to give a message to the man. Caught the sun setting on Ko Chang in Thailand. Done a rally driving course. Swam with dolphins. Jumped out of a plane. Kissed a crocodile(cute bugger). Went to Burning Man festival 2008 I'm a burner now for life. Sorry but I still count all that as one.
Opinion on the CouchSurfing.org Project
It sucks! No No i'm only messing.. Its a community not a travel website, got to love the whole one love buzz
This summary is not a replacement for reading references; it's a quick summary to help you get started. At a glance, you can see how many references a member has, and how many of them are positive, neutral, and negative.
In the second line, you'll see how many references came from people who hosted this member, surfed with them, and traveled with them. These numbers won't always add up to the total: some references are not categorized, and some may be categorized as more than one thing.
When viewing this summary, don't jump to conclusions! Things that are negative for one person may be positive for another, and vice versa. It's important to read references carefully and evaluate what that information means to you.
From CRAICDRAGON Gerlach, United States Feb 15, 2010
Positive
Watch this one, cause he's the one to watch! Not only has he been my friend and ally over time, but a generous host and dear mate. He is one legend of a man and the craic is strong with this one!...lol
Seriously, he is most welcoming and you would not find a better host in all of County Donegal. I cannot wait to get back here for Patty's Day, although it could get very messy and random!
from letting me beat him at poker, to hanging at his gaff, to midnight walks, damn good cooking; Robbie's your man! Good times are always on order! Oh and I owe him one for cleaning up my snotty wine that I laughed on the floor.
When you arrive... your greeted and in a few hours its all just a daze.... of conversation and mystery and madness and somebody shouting "i dont want to leave, i really like it here" and then having fantastic chocolate pancakes while taking about crazy motorbike taxi races and whiskey and random nothingness and somethingness..... who can complain really!!!!! not i (though i did have to stop the car for a half hour sleep on the road after leaving his place!!!!)
Sarcastic to cynic, amazing eye color, seems to be always happy, wears crazy hoodie jackets, fantastic host and I´m glad to have met him! And he told me to just write down nice things.
Robbie and his flatmates are so much fun. He made me watch football, which wasn't too bad at all, we ate delicious peas-pesto-lime soup and his living room turned into a private drum n bass club. His place his really comfy with the logfire in the living room, the awesome view and I had my own bed to sleep in. He is very friendly, talkative and a little crazy, but in a positive way. I would drop by anytime again.
From Jewbilation Seattle, United States Oct 4, 2008
Positive
Robbie is very helpful and involved in whatever he is passionate about, whether that is the Couchsurfing Project or helping you with your tent or sharing his beer with you at Burning Man. He gives great hugs-I don't know, I just instantly liked him! He's always good for a laugh and can't wait to see him next year (if not before).
I am convinced that Robbie is the Irish Hunter S. Thompson. After staying at his place for 5 days I've found him to be the most laid back, funny, crazy person I've come across on the Emerald Isle. Besides being a seasoned traveler he knows his food and makes some fine late night munchies. My stay in Donegal was awesome thanks to his hospitality, beware of the fairy tree in his backyard, especially if you're a baby or a futbol.
I hope we meet again and you're more than welcome on my couch in NYC or maybe in Asia. Slainte and thanks again.
I'm a very shy person and at BM2008 I met some folks who made me feel very welcome and relaxed. Robbie was one of these great people, always sharing, laughing and helping. Thanks and can't wait til BM2009!
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Melbourne
QUANTITY VS QUALITY....IMPROVING CS THROUGH YOUR SUGGESTION (Archive).
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