Description
Port (An Port), County Donegal, Ireland
As you may have guessed by now, I have an attraction & love for old forgotten dwellings especially those that have remained untouched since first becoming unoccupied. I see beauty in the nature which surround & slowly reclaim these old walls such as ivy, moss, grass & various birds that shelter within them. Most of all its the sheer silence that accompanies these old homes that appeals to me the most. I believe a building can hold memories & that every brick could tell a story. There would be nowhere else for me to unwind if I couldn’t reach these places every so often. They are great for the soul so to speak.
In the extreme reaches of western Donegal lies this little coastal area of Port. Located miles away from civilisation making it one of the most isolated corners in Ireland. Earlier in history Port was a thriving fishing village. It was the first maritime port in County Donegal. You can see all the little hand-built stone walls & the remains of a ‘Ghost Village’ also called ‘The Deserted Village of An Port’. It gets its unusual nickname from the fact that a whole hamlet of houses just seemed to have been abandoned in a very short space of time.
It’s thought that the people who lived here sadly had to leave during The Great Famine (1845-52) after which almost all these houses were left to ruin. Many people left Donegal and the rest of Ireland during ‘The Great Famine’ Sadly in the aftermath the remaining population of Port continued to dwindle. Combined with the isolation of the area the remaining community were made unviable, so it was left to nature’s desolation ever since….
