Description
The Abandoned Village of Glentornan & Errigal Mountain, Dunlewey, County Donegal, Ireland
This little mysterious ruined village of Glentornan consists of around 10 homes. Hidden away from virtually everyone & everything, between a scattered forest on the opposite shore of Dunlewey Lough in the shadow of the Mt Errigal.
Through some research I’ve learned that around 50 people on average lived in this small village between 1841 to 1911 when it was left almost totally abandoned! The reason the people who once resided in this village had to leave was a case of “moving with the times”. The younger family members either moved to the opposite side of the lake or emigrated seeking work etc which left the remaining elderly on their own. Sadly without their youth to care for them & maintain the village they also had no option but to migrate to the opposite end of this lake to survive. I believe a few folk may have returned here & remained until the 1960’s but nowadays Glentornan is only a “ghost in the shell” of its former glory ?
It must have been devastating for those folk to move away from their village even if it was only a mere mile across the lough. Imagine how their hearts must have felt each time they looked out of their windows to see Glentornan being slowly returned back to nature. I only wish I was born a century earlier & lived here. Id sit all day in my garden just staring across at this view of my favourite lady ‘Errigal Mountain’ for the rest of my days ?
