Turas Cartha

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Turas Cartha

Hello I'm Nicola, a native of Co Donegal Ireland. Bord Failte approved, tour guiding in my fully licensed VW 8 seater transporter.
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Happily showcasing beautiful Co Donegal. Booking Essential for more information
Email Nicola: [email protected]

27/06/2024

The lovely Brown family all the way from searching for today alas we couldn’t find it.

24/06/2024

On the road to Malinmore where the ocean meets the shore…..

11/06/2024

Hi Everyone,I’m so excited to announce 📣

🔜🔜🔜 COMING VERY SOON 🔜🔜🔜

turas Cartha is going on adventure..🚐🚐

Please like 👍 and share❤️ my post,
as I make my final preparations to finally getting on the road(literally) with my VW transporter showcasing beautiful Co Donegal and beyond

turas Cartha is now open for business and taking bookings for private tours
Max 8️⃣ people

Booking essential
Contact Nicola
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 0870556708

10/06/2024

Over the past few months I have gained some new followers on Facebook and instagram so I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and also update my followers ❤️

I have been a professional bus driver transporting people on the highways and byways since 2009.🚌
I have been a tour guide since 2019 and founded
Offering guided walking tours of the beautiful village of kilcar and surrounding areas where I live in,south west Donegal.❤️

This year over the winter I have added to my toolkit by gaining a taxi licence and purchasing a VW transporter to become a private Chauffeur guide.

This summer I’m excited to offer private day tours around beautiful Co Donegal and beyond.
I’m looking forward to meeting new people and returning friends and exploring together my beautiful county,
Showcasing endless scenery, history,culture, stories and craic along the wild Atlantic way all in the comfort of my VW transport.

Booking essential
Max 8️⃣ people

To book a private tour Contract Nicola
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 0870556708

Thanks for reading Nicola
Please like 👍 and share ❤️ help grow a small rural tourism businesswoman

09/06/2024

Celebrating the feast day of Colmcille today June 9th

06/06/2024

Finally got around to watching

It’s been over two years since Hollywood came to kilcar.
Remembering fondly meeting with Liam Neeson and Ciaràn Hinds in the green room aka Kilcar house.

I was very flattered naturally when they insisted that they get a photo with myself and Donnacha (well it would have been bad manners to refuse 😁)

Explore more Book a tour with Turas Cartha
Email Nicola: [email protected]

30/05/2024

There’s a grand stretch in the evenings now
More time to saunter around..

Explore more book a tour with Turas Cartha

Email Nicola: [email protected]

Wild Flower season kilcarExplore more book a tour with Turas Cartha Email Nicola: turascartha@gmail.com

28/05/2024

Wild Flower season kilcar

Explore more book a tour with Turas Cartha

Email Nicola: [email protected]

Selfie on Slieve league With spectacular views Book a tour with Turas Cartha to explore more..Email Nicola: turascartha@...

24/05/2024

Selfie on Slieve league
With spectacular views

Book a tour with Turas Cartha to explore more..

Email Nicola: [email protected]

23/05/2024

May has mostly looked like this….
Bluebells, hawthorns and blue skies galore

Why not Book a tour with Turas Cartha to explore more..

Email Nicola: [email protected]

17/05/2024

We had the best day with my archaeology friends with Mary Harte

01/05/2024

Drimnafinagle sunsets 🌅 Kilcar mayday2024

30/04/2024

Sunshine and showers and rainbows 🌈
I had a lovely day exploring Inishowen yesterday, more to see, will be back 🙂

28/04/2024

Enjoying a stroll to the Cliffs

31/03/2024

Happy Easter everyone! 🐣 🐣 🐑 🐑

It was my pleasure to meet Megan and her son Rohan all the way from New-Mexico USA staying locally here in Kilcar.

They both love walking and are very interested Irish culture, spending time outside exploring and off course admiring our beautiful outstanding scenery.

So with this in mind and with my son joining us we set out on a wee loop walk taking in St. Cartha’s old church ruin,over the old road Curris, Passing the battle of Derrylaghan landmark (Rohan was very interesting in the story of the battle of Derrylaghan)stopping for refreshments on Porta’chablaigh beach and back into Kilcar village in time for St.Cartha’s pipe band.

Enjoy the rest of your visit and thanks so much for taking the time to explore Kilcar and the surrounding areas.

22/03/2024

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭👏
Today we introduce you to member Nicola Garvey – Owner of Turas Cartha

We asked Nicola a couple of questions…

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨?
I'm a Bord Fáilte approved national and regional tourist guide/driver guide, and a member of the Approved Tourist Guides of Ireland. I am passionate about Co. Donegal, and in particular, Kilcar in South West Donegal, where I live and work. Showing clients around the Slieve League peninsula is such a pleasure for me. I provide an itinerary which is built around my clients' needs so they can relax and enjoy exploring Kilcar and surrounding areas.

𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞
My advice: book the tour. Come and stay a while, and let me be your guide. You haven’t lived until you’ve been to visit my neck of the woods!

Be sure to give Turas Cartha a follow on Instagram and Facebook! Find them at Turas Cartha for updates and more. Let's support their journey together! 📸👍

15/03/2024

On the Occasion of the 90th anniversary of St. Cartha’s Pipe band, I invited Martin Hegarty to share with us the history of St. Cartha’s Pipe Band.

My 30th year in St. Cartha's Pipe Band - Martin Hegarty

Q. Hi Martin, can you tell me about the band uniform and the founding of the band?

Ok, so the uniform currently worn by the band, could be referred to as a number 2 dress uniform or dinner jacket and kilt typically worn by all the bands nowadays, it replaced the much heavier tunic and shawl. The number 1 highland dress uniform which we had up to the mid 2000's emerged from the original highland dress uniform worn by the highland regiments of the Napoleonic wars up to the current day. Many different tartans were worn by various regiments. The tartans were originally representative of clans, similar in this function to 'family coats of arms' These were specific to Scotland only. The kilts worn by the Irish were Green or Saffron, there were other colours, but majority were either of these two, tartans in Ireland were not common.

The current St. Chartha's uniform in colour hasn't changed, but traditionally we had the Green Tunic and saffron kilt in highland dress uniform. What we have today is a green jacket with saffron kilt, cream socks with green flashes. This mirrors the colours of the Irish army pipe bands formed after the foundation of the state. The Irish guards and Irish rangers, British regiments, also had the same colour uniform. The hat is referred to as a 'Glengarry'.
The original band of 1934 dressed out in a white shirt and tie with trousers, so it was a year or two before funds became available allowing the kilt and tunic to be purchased.

The drums from the old fife and drum band that existed in Kilcar from the early 1900's, 1905 or so were used initially by the pipe band.
My grandfather Con 'Andy' Hegarty Crowkeragh was one of the original donors and founding members as was his brother Andrew. They both died realtively young men, Con in 1949. There were many from the Parish who helped in setting up the band, and some were also affiliated with the AOH at the time, a fine banner exists to this day. It was carried by the band on many outings. The AOH in Ireland are now almost non existent but remain strong in the U.S and Canada. 15th August, the feast of the assumption was once a traditionally major event of demonstration for AOH in the 60's & 70's, but this is now confined to small pockets, mostly in Northern Ireland.

Q. Could you tell me about the various members, their roles in the band and who plays pipes and drums?

The man at the front leading the band is referred to as the 'Drum Major', the job or position known locally was always referred to as the 'Leader' but Drum Major is the correct title and that person carried the staff. The staff is in fact referred to in the pipe band world as the 'Mace'. In my time starting out in the band, and I'm 30 years in the band this year, I remember well my Dad's first cousin, James Pat Cunningham, a fine tall man leading the band, and he led it with distinction for many years. James Pat was from Curris, and his three sons were all members of the band in the past, James Thomas is still piping strong, Fintan was a drummer for many years and Terence led the band for a time after their father passed away. There were other men in the role, Arthur McNally was before James Pat's time, Martin Gillespie of Muckross and in most recent years Patrick McShane. Patrick's father Willie was in the band as a drummer in the 50's/60's.

Q. When did you join the band, was there music in the family and who taught you?

My first year in the band was 1994. I was the last piper Francie Byrne from Coguish taught. Francie had retired & was a former pipe major in the band, (lead piper) had a great love of music, sang in the church choir for years. My brother Paddy also played the bass drum and tenor for a few years. My father started the chanter with Johnny Byrne, (Johnny Byrne was Francies brother and a guard in Rathfarnham in Dublin, now passed on). My father didn't keep up the chanter, the football took over there but he was good on the mouthorgan. My great uncle Andrew Hegarty b.1897 Crowkeragh actually started on the chanter after returning home from California. He settled in Longford, where his wife was from. Both he and my grandad Con 'Andy' Hegarty b.1893 were among the founding members of the pipe band. Andrew's son is Dermot Hegarty of the former showband Dermot Hegarty & The Plainsmen. He had a No.1 in the Irish Charts in 1970 with '21 years', and a second no.1 in the Irish Charts in September 1974 with 19 Men. As a by the by, Andrew was a prominent figure in the cause for Irish Independence. General Sean MacEoin, 'The Blacksmith of Ballinalee' TD & former Government Minister and Dr. McNamee are pictured with a young Dermot at his father's graveside. My paternal great grandmother was Anne McGinley from Loch Inse, Glencolmcille, she was from the famous McGinley family of fiddlers and blacksmiths, so the music is in the DNA I suppose.

I went to College in Dublin in 1995 and joined St, Maur's Pipe Band in Rush in 1999. They had won the world championships in Glasgow only a few years earlier & got promotion to grade 2. My piping tutition started back again on the chanter scale learning all the embellishments under Pipe Major Noel Harford. Noel taught me then after that until I finished and moved home in 2017. Noel played in competition with St. Laurence O'Toole's in Dublin. O'Toole's won the Grade 1 World Champs in 2010, the year of their 100th anniversary. Noel competed at senior solo level. He came second to Fred Morrison (Scotland) in Lorient France one year, with Richard Parkes, (Pipe Major of world senior champions on numerous occassions Field Marshall Montgomery Belfast finishing third). Noel and his brother Eddie Harford, another cracking piper, were Skerries men and out on their own as pipers, two gentlemen. They were taught by Tom Anderson. Other notable pipers in St. Maurs were Dubliner's Dave Rickard, a music composer and pipe reed maker from Cabra, and Gerry Tully from Lucan, again both former St. Laurence O Toole pipers and another two gentlemen.

Q. Tell me about the current & past players in the band?

The current longest serving members are James Thomas Cunningham, Curris and Mickey McCloskey, Curris & Bogadh. Both have given admirable service to the band and we'd have no band only for the dedication of those two men, the late 70's when they joined. Also Peter Carr, Bavin joined at a young age and has given many years of service. It's great to see Peter playing this year, a great fiddler also who has given many years of service to the parish as church organist. Can't say who's older! It must be said that Mickey Cannon was the backbone of the band for many years, the glue that kept it together, he was the lead drummer, the outings organiser and treasurer, he did serious work in keeping the band going for I suppose the best part of 50 years, and certainly without Mickey there for those decades, the band would have not been in existence today. Those men are owed a huge debt of gratitude, Mickey Cannon in particular. There were always a number of Cannons in the band and a considerable presence there for a number of decades, John James, Charlie Hugh and Michael.Mickey followed, and many of the Cannon family. Michael Oliver, Mickey's son was a fine drummer, now living in Mountcharles, he had a great passion for drumming and the band itself. Steven Gallagher is current Pipe Major but before that when I joined the band, James Martin O'Donnell was Pipe Major. Also another family with multiple members in the band was the Carr family of Meenacannon where four brothers played in the band for years - Trevor was a base drummer, Christy and Gary were snare drummers while Declan was a piper.

Q. What tunes do the band play on St. Patrick's Day?
The tunes we play, and these are only a few, but always played on the day; Wrap the Green flag round me boys, The wearing of the green, Rose of Allendale, The Minstrel Boy with silver threads among the gold, Faith of our fathers, Scotland the brave with the Rowan tree, Battle of Waterloo and Molly....these are just a few.

Q Who are the Current pipers & drummers?
Myself, Conal Diver, Mickey McCloskey, James Thomas Cunningham, Steven Gallagher, his son Steven and Daragh McGinley. I've been teaching Daragh since November 2023, he is a cracking piper after only a short time. Daragh already has the band repertoire learned in 12 months and will be a fantastic piper if he sticks at it. Peter Carr, Bavin who has been in the band a long number of years also and great to see Kevin Gallagher just back. We also have a guest piper this St. Patrick's day, a Scots man living in Kilbeg, Angus Adamson from the Isle of Arran who has very generously composed a beautiful 3/4 march called 'St. Carthas Pipe Band' for our 90th anniversary. He composed this last year on 20th March 2023 after he heard us playing on the main street last St. Patrick's Day, he took inspiration from the tunes played and thoses melodies formed the basis for this march. We have two additional young lads learning pipes at the minute, a grandson of Mickey Cannon's, Daithi Cannon and Cathal Sweeney.

The drum corps; The drummers, Aisling McBrearty is leading tip, (head drummer) Shane McHugh on the Bass Drum (the
big drum) and Laura McHugh on the snare, (Frank McHugh a long time piper in the band, now deceased being their grandfather from Muckross) also on the snare is Aoife Cunningham Coguish and her sister Annie Cunningham is playing the Tenor Drum. Also on Tenor are Claire and Cora Diver. Aiden Deane, Tommy's son, is also learning snare at the moment

Thanks Martin, I really appreciate you sharing the history of St Cartha’s Pipe Band,you are a wealth of information.

Looking forward to St.Patrick’s Day in Kilcar.
Hope to see you all at this very special event.
Best wishes for the future St. Cartha’s Pipe Band.

Photos courtesy Aislann Chill Chartha, Martin
Hegarty, Nicola Garvey

28/02/2024

Badge arrived this morning ATGI - Approved Tourist Guides Ireland
Looking forward to the tourist season now
The stamps are beautiful also.

19/02/2024

Joined my friends from the rosses yesterday.
We took the red ferry from Burtonport to Inishkeeragh.
Enjoyed a beautiful walk around the island.
Thanks to the musicians who played while we ate our lunch in the sun on a glorious Sunday in February

14/02/2024

❤️ love is all around me ❤️

❤️ for the day that’s in it..❤️

❤️ Happy Valentines everyone ❤️

Turas Cartha Love Donegal Wild Atlantic Way

09/02/2024

I love looking at these old photos of Kilcar ❤️

Turas Cartha Twisted Limbs & Crooked Branches

04/02/2024

We got a grand evening for a wee field trip to Shalwy court tomb with friends from kilcar heritage committee.

Within the Parish we have Three court tombs or ‘Court cairns’. They are situated in the valley called Clochar or ‘ the graveyard’. This extends from the Bavin road to the beach at Shalvey. The earliest ordnance survey maps record them as follows: Muinnear in Shalvey, Pontebane in Croaghbeg and ‘Diarmuid and Gràinne’s Bed’ in Bavin. The latter was incorrectly recorded.

We visited Shalvey which is an impressive megalithic structure, which has a large court or gallery, within which there is an entrance to a two chambered tomb.

The Neolithic community were an agrarian people who came to Ireland, some 3500 to 4000 years before the birth of Christ.

Taken from St Cartha’s Sacred Sites in the Parish of Kilcar, Co Donegal. Author: Catherine Campbell O.P.

Turas Cartha

01/02/2024

Là Fhèile Brìde
St Brigid’s Day

We celebrate St Brigid’s day on the 1st day of February since last year, we also get a bank holiday in honour of St. Brigid on the 1st Monday in February.

My husbands mother Mary knocks on the door, saying a prayer in Irish as she enters the kitchen, while we repeat in Irish 3 times a welcome, the rushes are blessed with holy water and then the weaving of the st. Brigid’s crosses begins.
This is part of the st. Brigid’s eve tradition in my husband’s family home.

Brigid 1500 Turas Cartha

17/01/2024

The Old Road Curris this morning with a little snow for effect ❄️❄️and Slieve league in the distance.

14/01/2024

After all the wind and rain over the Christmas and early New Year, this week we enjoyed some lovely dry cold weather.

Ideal for walking and off course around here you’re spoiled for choice for every road taken , hill climbed and around every corner you’re rewarded with the most beautiful panoramic views.

There’s a wee stretch in evenings too 😊

In the photo below ⬇️
Looking towards Crownarad from the far road/ high road

21/12/2023

Winter Solstice 2023,Kilcar

09/11/2023

Early November kilcar 8/11/23

Whirly Swirly winds gust.
shower gathering.clouds then sunshine,showers and rainbows 🌈 you fill my day with endless colour.
Leafs 🍁 of every variety once high on trees, fall.
Colour,Beautiful colours everywhere

21/10/2023

Sydney Opera House 1973-2023
Celebrating its 50th anniversary
this year.

Remembering our trip to Australia 🇦🇺 August 2023
They even lit up the opera house in the Donegal colours in honour of our visit 💚💛

Sydney Opera House
Referred to by the locals as “nuns in a scrum”

Sydney Opera House
Sits on Bennelong Point.
Bennelong Point was named after Woollarawarre Bennelong a senior Eora man at the time of the arrival of British Coloniser’s in Australia 🇦🇺 in 1788

Designed by Jørn Utzon from Denmark 🇩🇰
Irishman Structural Engineer Peter Rice played a central role in creating Sydney Opera House.
Work commenced in 1959 and took 14 years to complete.

Sydney Opera House was added to UNESCO’s
World Heritage List 🌍 in 2007

An Posthave a new stamp to celebrate 50 years of Sydney Opera House and Peter Rice Irish Structural engineer.
Sydney Opera HouseAustralia - Sydney Opera House🇦🇺
For more information www.sydneyoperahouse.com/our story

28/09/2023

It was a pleasure meeting these wonderful people from the USA 🇺🇸 today and showing them around their ancestral home of Kilcar

24/09/2023

Enjoying a Sunday afternoon stroll despite the rain with Seamus Doohan and friends in Glencolumbkille

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