The
ancient territory of Inishowen is now a barony of the County
of Donegal, and in it is Malin Head, the most northern point
of Ireland. Inishowens length is 26 miles, and greatest
breadth about 25 miles. It comprises an area of 197,860
statute acres, or about 309 square miles.
On its northern shores is the Atlantic Ocean; Lough Foyle
forms its eastern boundary, and Lough Swilly its western.
It is connected with the mainland on the south, and is,
therefore, not an inis, or island, as its name implies,
but a peninsula. Its southern limit, however, is not so
well defined; some say it was formed by a line drawn from
Lough Swilly through the present town of Manorcunningham
to Carrigans, on the river Foyle; while others suppose it
did not extend so far south.
Regarding
its southern boundary we learn, by the Ordnance Survey that,
"about half the parish of Templemore, or what is generally
called the northern liberties of Londonderry, was comprised
in Inishowen, before the formation of the County of Londonderry,
as is evident from an inquisition taken in Derry in the
seventh year of the reign of James I., from which it appears
that a jury composed of resident English and ancient Irish
natives, of the principal septs of the district, 'did upon
their oaths find and present that the ancient and known
meares of the country of Inishowen, alias O'Dogherties
 Leaving
out the promontory of Malin Head, lnishowen has something
of a triangular shape, with the base turned to the north.
A ridge of mountains runs along each of the sides of this
triangle, leaving a comparatively narrow margin on the
cast and west sloping down to the water.
The western chain is the highest and most precipitous,
and includes the Fahan, Desertegney and Clonmany mountains,
and terminates at Culdaff. On the cast are the Iskaheen
and Moville mountains, sloping off gently to lnishowen
Head.
The north is enclosed by the Glengad and Malin ridge,
running from east to west, and terminating at Pollin Strand.
This chain is not quite continuous, a link having apparently
been snapped by some violent convulsion of nature, separating
the Isle of Doagh from Malin, with which there is sufficient
reason to believe it was once connected, and permitting
the waters of the Atlantic to enter in the breach, and
to form the gulf or rather inland lake of Strabreagy.
From the apex of the triangle above-named a central range
runs northward, with spurs that shoot off cast and west,
towards Glenaganon on the one hand, and the high lands
of Cooteross and the Clonmany mountains
A set out tourist route taking in the main areas of interest
is sign posted and is 100 miles around the peninsula.
( The Inishowen 100 )
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