| In ancient Ireland one of the five great highways from Tara ran north to Lough Neagh from where a fork led to Griánan of Aileach and from there another led south to Inniskeel Island. This route ran the length of the Gweebarra Bay and followed the River to the Estuary before leading south overland to Narin and Portnoo. The Court Tomb at Dooey is megalithic in origin and consists of a passage between two entrance stones about .4m apart leading to a narrow chamber 5m long. The presence of this Court Tomb indicates a large population in this area in ancient Ireland. There is a souterrain situated on a south facing slope overlooking the dunes at Dooey. It was a sea cave which houses a .20m passage leading to a chamber 16ft x 14ft x 8ft high which is roofed with flagstones. Also at Dooey is to be found a Bronze Age standing Stone called Croch an Stucain (2.62m long by .31m wide by .23m in diameter tapering to .07m). The Stone stood on a large mound which was excavated in 1959 by the Royal Irish Academy. The nearby kitchen middens in the Dunes on the northern shore of the Gweebarra estuary yeilded some two thousand artefacts to suggest that the area was an important metal working centre in Megalithic Ireland. There are also the ruins of a Medieval monastic site and graveyard associated with Saint Canice on the southern shore of the Bay. Any disturbance to the dunes and adjacent sands and lands would be detrimental to this important archaeological location. |
 Gweebarra Bay, Donegal |
| The Gweebarra Bay is home to a 500 strong common seal population; is an important salmon estuary as well as being an EU Designated Area of Conservation and an area of immense beauty. On July 19th, 1999 the Aquaculture Appeals Board announced their decision not to hear an Appeal lodged by the and the Irish Wildlife Trust against the granting of a License for oyster farming in the Bay. Now the Gweebarra Bay faces destruction - sanctioned by the Irish Government. In Éireann fadó, rith ceann de na cúig mórbhealaigh ó Theamhair i gCo. na Mí suas go Lough nEathach agus ó sin rith forc go Grianán Aileach agus ó sin arís rith forc eile síos go h-oiléan Inis Caoil. Rith an slí seo ar fhád Chuan Ghaoth Barra agus leann sé an abhainn go dtí an inbhear sular leann sé air síos, os cionn talamh, go dtí Na hFhearthainne agus an Phort Nua. Tá tuama cúirte ag Dooey agus tuama le tús meigiliotach atá ann.Tá sé déanta suas de phasáiste idir dhá chloch iontráil, 0.4m óna cheile agus leanann seo isteach go uaimh chuan, cúig mhéadar ar leithead. Tabharfann seo le fios dúinn go raibh daonra mhór san áit seo blianta fada ó shín. Tá uaimh thalún ar dheis an fhánaí ag amharc síos ar na dumhaigh ag Dooey. Bráth leis a bheith ina phluais farraige agus tá pasáiste 0.20 méadar ar fhád ann. Leanann seo go uaimh atá 16tr x 14tr x 8tr ar airde agus tá an díon déanta amach as leac clocha. Ag Dooey fósta, tá seastán déanta as cloch ón aois cré-umha darbh ainm Croch an Stucain (2.62m ar fhád x .31m ar leithead x .23m trastomhas, le caolú de 0.07m). Sheas an chloch ar leacht mhór sular thochail an Royal Irish Academy é i 1959. Chuir na cistíní carn aoiligh atá congarach ag na dumhaigh ar thuaisceart inbhear Ghaoth Barra, stóp le 2,000 de dhéantáin i bhfád ó shín. Insíonn sé seo duinn gur áit le ionad oibrithe miotáila a bhí ann. Tá ballogaí de shuíomh manachúil meánaoiseach anseo chomh maith agus ar dheis an chuan tá reilig ag baint le Naomh Cannach. Chuireadh callán nó cuir isteach ar bith díobhálach ar na dumhaigh, an ghainneamh nó an talamh mar gur seo suíomh an thabhachtach. Is i gcuan Ghaoth Barra áit chonaithe ag 500 rón choitianta. Is inbhear an- thabhachtach é de bhrádain. Chomh maith le seo is áit EU Designated Area of Conservation atá ann agus níl dabht ar bith gur áit álainn é. Ar an 19ú de mhí Iúil 1999 d'fhograí an Aquaculture Appeals Board a mbreitheamh nach raibh siad dul a éisteacht le achainigh ó agus an Irish Wildlife Trust le dul in éadan céadunais le feirmeoireacht oisre a thoiseacht i gcuan Ghaoth Barra. © |
|
|