In Pictures: Beautiful old cottage ‘thoughtfully and creatively’ restored

Scroll down to read the article by Nuala Toland on the beautifully restored stone cottage in the hills of Donegal, and click on the arrows to see her photographs.

A wonderful project has just been completed on an old stone cottage along the Leghowney Loop Walk at Straness, writes Nuala Toland. 

The cottage which was the Quinn family homestead for four generations dating back to around 1850 has been thoughtfully and creatively brought back to life by Energia Meenadreen Wind Farm Operations team.

The renovation project was the idea of Brian Mullen, Head of Energia Renewables Operations, who was driving past the site one day and wondered to himself who used to live there. The remaining walls of the cottage had almost disappeared, swallowed up by nature and time, having been vacated by the Quinn family in 1960.

The cottage was built in the mid-1850s and, thanks to information and old photographs supplied by the Quinn family, visitors can now find out more about who lived in the cottage and life on the mountain before electricity and all the trappings of modern living. 

The only running water available to the household, like many other families along the loop, came from the fresh mountain streams.

Here you can listen to a special podcast, a recorded Interview with Ailish O'Boyle and Mary Dawson, two of the nine children born to John and Mona Quinn reminisce about life in Straness or use the QR Code attached to information boards: https://youtu.be/1qVtiH68BRE

The old cottage has been partially restored, using skilled stonemasons to rebuild walls and parts of walls to recreate the original rooms. 

The old stone hearth has been reinstated to the heart of the home. 

A section has been reroofed to provide a peaceful stop off and shelter for walkers along the 7km Leghowney Loop Trail. This new amenity area will greatly enhance the whole experience of this scenic looped walk through the wind farm, whilst preserving an important link with its history and the local community.

Great credit must go to Energia Meenadreen Wind Farm Operations team and all craftsmen involved in this fantastic project. 

The Cottage was officially unveiled recently on Global Wind Day, June 15.