ANCIENT ROADWAYS OF DONEGAL l1aibou:ri2r an1h:a1bl~Lliilg the p1aris!h was obJiig:ed to give s1:x-d:a.ys labour at road-makli1ng eiveiry yea1r. 'Ilh~s syst.em havmg prov.e:d iin:adsqua:te an act of 1711 allowed Grand Juries to present mom.y towards making and repairing the hi·ghways in addition to Statute L1a.bour. Botih together having proved i1ns.utncient tlhie· T:urnpCk:2· sys:-tem wa~ jmtr:o1du:ceu ~.n 1730, but owi1I11g to laick of t,raffi-c thJis sys:t.e:m did not thr-ve either. 17th CEINTURY ROAD3 IN DONEGAL· Fro1m ·reports of t.he pi2T::od it would ~eem truat bh1e: eiarliler sy.s·tems weT12· no :more successful in Doneiga:l t1h1an ets1ewhier·2·. Two em,i:ne:nt h~1.stor1anis: have stated tJla1t 1i,n 1650 amid lian:g 1a.ftsr :th!eTe ex·:s.ted no ~oa,,d in Do1roe1giaa except the· roughly l:a.id thoxouigh-fare for .siol:diers between Ba.L:iy<!1hranrriun1 and Lifford. 'I:hie· V~car Ge1rn2:raa 01f :the dfo-ce-.se of Raiphoe w1riJ0:1ng to t.he CaTdin:al-Sie.creta.ry of PTroip1a;giand.a 1a:bout 1671 rcf:ers tQ the roads of the diocese as "those· rugg.ed pa:this truly llike ,to those of the Alps or :he Ap- !JK::tnin es ". OUR ROADS IN THE 18th CENTURY E:ve1n: 'bh'e next hundred y·ears brciught ]ltUe ·Cihaiilige- except in· a f<:.w ciLstdc~;. To· .the· ~ndustry am:d obE1ervatioin Qf Re:V. Dr. - Pococke who travelled in Donegal in 1752 we an: ind·ebt·ed for 1a. de~cript[on of many of oiurr voac:Ls. Re giv1es s:pec:tal praise to Mir. Wray 'Of A:rdes for ''th!Q~·:e· fi:ne roaids whi.ch a.re made over Loug:h Salt moun:t:a'i::tlr, and fin other parts, laid OU t SO as to be fini.E1hed ri.n a:bout se:ven years: by 1allioting s.wch :a. measure of road yoa:rly to .ieaich house, a:ccor1cUnig to the value, of the' la·nd ·they ho1d: they are twenty-one fe2<t broad, wi tJh a margin on e1a.ch side o!f green turf about two Je1et wide; they are first raiis1ed w(th: the e.arth tha:t is t:hrow:n up to ma.l~e a fOSEic:3-··-cn €iach slide, then -they by a coat of 1br.oken qua•rry stones:, on: th ac. some 121arth and gr.a vel a:t the top. 'I!F1Jes;e' roads constdering th.e· chea;pn1e:SLSi of carr1a.ge on l'ittle ;trucl{S driawn by one ·horse .almost answe·r the· end of wacer carr1:aige, for tihey w.ill dra::w· a hogshead of winE., ·Or anything not iex1.=.:eect:ng 600 lbs in wedghL, .and o:ne m:an WiH at:tend three DT four o:f them. 'They commonly feed theL.r 'hoT&;;s on the gra.s.s :they find on the road . . . ,, In the n1eiighbourhood of KHmacreninan lh.e s1aw ani 12xtraord:_n.ary old roiad ibuHt 1alonig thei edge o-f a precipice ,with .a deep lake directly ur.der it. The boggy nature· of the -road from Fialcarragh w:e:s:tward was.. a gr.ea:t h\indrance to h~s proig·r2ss, but hie, 1encountered hJs mos:t :sicr~0:us diiffi,culty 1n1 tQ)e Glas:begg~n M,ill area of 'Iic::mple·crone. 'I!he r oad.. wai.S_.Rbso~utely tmpas:E1aibtl!e, but · "the gu;id~· we:nt to tihe ma1 and bro1uigh t a. boa.rd and an ox:e's s:kin. So l:aiying sod.s and :hE!a:th on the s;k;:n, and th€ b{)lard <Jin tihat, and sods. oin ea>cihi s~de of a .to keep the· horsies from sliipp(ng dn, we crossed on them safely and p;a:ss~ng on st:ll over bog. Wh€n1 we: ·carne to any narrow passe·s the horses leaped them . .. " On the way to Let.t.ermaraward he "chose to go on the edges of hanging gr(Junds and over rivlets or Loiw p.Ja.c:es wh~1ch are dd;es.t". Ha:v!lng crossed Gwe1ebar:ra Bay on a. ourragh while hi.is hor15>e:s swam over he c:am.e in two -m:il-2s t·o the. Rectory of I:nni.s.- keel, "the first hialf Oin! tb1e s·trand, and the· remainder w.'..th1jn ·the sandbanks". Evidenrtly -there· W!as 1110 roadway. While ·hiere he wa:s to[d of a h~ghway that had be·en built frc.~n near Lough Finn to Stra,baJli2'. H~ 480 ..
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