Bridge of Sorrows

Nearly every person who left this part of Donegal during the Irish Diaspora passed over The Bridge of Sorrows. This small stone bridge is nestled in the Derryveagh Mountains on the west side of Muckish Mountain.

During the Irish Diaspora thousands of people passed this way on their way to Derry port in search of a better life in Australia, America and beyond. Many who bid farewell to their friends and relatives on this bridge would also eventually leave from this very spot a year or two later.

The name, The Bridge of Sorrows, has come down through oral Irish folklore. In the local Falcarragh area it is known as The Crying Bridge. In Irish the name is Droichead Chaointe (Droichead meaning a bridge and Chaon, to cry) or Droichead na ndeor (na ndeor meaning, the tears).

The Bridge of Sorrows, is a more recent translation for this bridge which lies on the main road from Falcarragh to Kilmacrenan and Letterkenny. There is parking space for people wanting to climb Muckish Mountain near the bridge.