Tar and tourism ...Doochary residents are stuck in a dilemma

Building up tourism infrastructure in a tiny village in west Donegal may seem easy. You've got the scenery, the mountains, history and culture and of course, the people.

But try making sure the visitors stop without getting their shoes stuck in mounds of tar dumped along the roadside is an altogether different challenge.

Believe it or not, that's the dilemma residents in the picturesque village of Doochary are facing at the moment.

The hard-working local Development-Tidy Towns committee has literally left no stone unturned over the past year or two in their efforts to improve the attractions they have. It's not an easy task, blink, as they say, and you are through it but, as the locals point out, blink and you miss their unique and most hospitable offerings too.

They now have impressive murals on the walls of buildings, classes and entertainment to suit all tastes, craft and yoga classes and that's only a few of the interesting ways you can spend your time here.

They have recently decided to honour the village's colourful history in the form of a sculpture and heritage signs. The group marked the 100th anniversary of the execution of a son of Doochary, Joseph McKelvey (above).

The sculpture, which is situated at a lane below the family homestead, was created by John Gillespie and the heritage sign by Signworx, with text written by a relative of McKelvey, Seamus Coll.

They have also plans for three other heritage signs in the area. One will be situated at the famous Corkscrew road detailing areas of interest in the locality.

The second will tell the story of the Derryveagh Evictions by the landlord, John George “Black” Adair and the third retelling the story of two tragedies at Owenamarve (Abhainn Na Marbh-River of the Dead)) where soldiers were ruthlessly massacred by Sir Charles Coote and his Cromwellian cohorts following the Battle of Scarrifhollis in June 1650.

The second tragedy here occurred on a dark night, in the late 19th century. A large wedding party consisting of men and women returning to the Doochary area attempted to cross the river. The river at the time was swollen and the party in their attempts to cross were all swept away and perished.

But despite all these plans, locals fear illegal dumping of tar will frustrate their efforts.

"Unfortunately, we have issues with the dumping of tar by private contractors. An area of historical importance at the Owenamarve is being marred by private contractors. We have been to the council to try and stop this and have it cleaned up. But even more was dumped after these complaints," said a spokesperson for the Doochary Development-Tidy Towns Committee.

She added local councillors Noreen McGarvey and Micheal Choilm Mac Giolla Easbuig have been assisting them in this.

"We were hoping to have these signs up for the 2023 tourism season, but that's dependent on the area being cleaned up and the dumping stopped," she said.