Overview and location
Crossconnell is a working farming townland – 115 hectares (284 acres) of pasture, dry-stone walls and low hills in the Urris Valley, in the northwest corner of the Inishowen Peninsula. Be honest about what it is: a scatter of houses and fields rather than a sight in its own right. What brings people is around the edges – the climb up Raghtin More behind it, a couple of old buildings, and the coast a short drive west at Tullagh Bay. It borders Binnion to the east, Straid to the south and Tullagh to the west, and contains the subtownland of Crocklacky. As a base in County Donegal it’s quiet and close to the sea, off the busy routes.
Name and early history
The Irish Crois Chonaill means “Cross of Connell” – cros usually marking an early boundary stone or a wayside cross at a crossroads, Connell a traditional Gaelic personal name. The townland is old on paper: it appears on the Parsons Hollar map of 1662 as ‘Rosconnel’, and Griffith’s Valuation recorded 21 households here in the 1850s, a tight farming community that thinned over the following century.
One bad day made the record. On 28 May 1892, after freak rainfall, Crossconnell flooded badly, with heavy loss of crops and livestock.
Heritage and architecture
A 1928 national school still stands in the townland, a plain example of early 20th-century rural schoolhouse building. It served local children until numbers fell away and it closed in the late 1960s.
Nearby, on the road between Clonmany and Urris, is the thatched cottage at Bunacrick, built around 1820. Its walls are random rubble stone and the thatch is held down with latticed ropes and cast-iron stays – the practical Donegal answer to Atlantic wind. Both buildings are visible from the public road; neither is open inside.
Walking and the coast
Raghtin More (also called Slieve Keeroge) rises to 502 metres behind the valley, with a megalithic cairn on its summit and the long views over Inishowen that come with the height. The usual climb starts from the Mamore Gap; a 10 km out-and-back from Clonmany is moderately challenging and best tackled between March and May, on a dry, clear day rather than a wet one. This is a proper hill walk, not the gentle stroll the low fields below might suggest.
A short drive west, Tullagh Bay is a sandy strand for coastal walks, rock-pooling and quiet picnics, with a pier anglers use for shore fishing. The low-traffic lanes suit cyclists, and with little light pollution the valley is a dependable spot for stargazing on clear winter nights.
Practical information
Getting there – Crossconnell is reached by car on the regional roads through the Urris Valley. Most visitors fly into Donegal Airport or City of Derry Airport and hire a vehicle.
Parking & access – Free roadside parking along the local lanes. The old buildings are viewed from the road; uneven surfaces and narrow steps mean accessibility is limited for wheelchairs or mobility aids.
Local amenities – The townland is residential and agricultural, so most people pair it with a nearby village. The family-run Rusty Nail bar and restaurant, beneath Raghtin More near Tullagh Bay, is the obvious stop for hearty home-cooked food, and it allows overnight use of its car park – handy for campervans. Ballyliffin, a short drive away, has cafés, a Blue Flag beach and the Ballyliffin Golf Club.
Planning your visit – No fixed opening hours or entry fees. Check tide tables before heading to Tullagh Bay, and allow extra time for rural roads that narrow and lack lighting.
Time it for a clear spring morning: the climb up Raghtin More in the cool, then a plate of something hot at the Rusty Nail after.