Largy Waterfall is a small

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

located in the south-west of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

, the northern

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

in Ireland. The coastal waterfall is in Largy, a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

just west of Fintra Strand, a few miles west of Killybegs.Townlands.ie: Largy. https://www.townlands.ie/donegal/banagh/upper-killybegs/crownarad/largysillagh/largy/ The waterfall is often popularly known as County Donegal's Secret Waterfall or South Donegal's Secret Waterfall.

Location and description

The waterfall is on the southern outskirts of Largy ( Irish: ''Leargaidh'', meaning 'Slope' or 'Hillside'), a

and sub-

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

through which runs the R263, the main Killybegs to

Glencolumbkille ''Gleann Cholm Cille'', anglicised as Glencolumbkille or Glencolmcille, is a small district on the Atlantic coast of southwest County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Named after Saint Colm Cille (Columba), it is also a civ ...

road. The waterfall, which suddenly became famous in 2017,''Donegal Daily'': 'Couple discover hidden ethereal waterfall in South Donegal' (25 June 2017). https://www.donegaldaily.com/2017/06/25/couple-discover-hidden-ethereal-waterfall-in-south-donegal/ is just south of the R263. The hamlet of Largy is situated between Killybegs and

Kilcar ''Cill Charthaigh'' (anglicised as Kilcar) is a Gaeltacht village on the R263 regional road in the south west of County Donegal in Ireland. It is also a townland of 233 acres and a civil parish in the historic barony of Banagh. The village it ...

, the hamlet being a short distance west of Fintra Strand. The waterfall is located at the southern end of the

of Largysillagh, the feature being immediately south of the Largy Viewing Point. The feature is inside a largely roofless cave, on the coastline of South Donegal. The waterfall is formed by Largy Burn flowing over a small cliff inside the cave, with the burn then flowing directly into the sea from the cave. In the

Ulster Scots dialect Ulster Scots or Ulster-Scots (', ga, Albainis Uladh), also known as Ulster Scotch and Ullans, is the dialect of Scots language, Scots spoken in parts of Ulster in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.Gregg, R. J. (1972) "The Scotch-I ...

, a ' burn' is a stream or small river.Patrick McKay, ''A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names'', p. 31 (see entries for 'Burnfoot' and 'Burntolet River') and p. 150. The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, 1999. The cave opens out onto Donegal Bay, which is an inlet of the North Atlantic.

Access and safety

Public access to Largy Waterfall is currently not straightforward. Both the waterfall and the lane giving access to it are privately owned; so, ideally, the prior permission of the landowner should be sought before trying to access the site. The waterfall is in a rather secluded location, despite its proximity to the hamlet of Largy. The cave where the waterfall is located is on the coast, and is tidal because of this. Extreme caution should always be exercised by people visiting the waterfall, as one can become trapped inside the cave when the tide comes in.''Donegal Daily'': 'Extreme care advised around "Secret Waterfall" location' (17 May 2021). https://www.donegaldaily.com/2021/05/17/extreme-care-advised-around-secret-waterfall-location/ The waterfall should only ever be visited when the tide is well out. Appropriate footwear and clothing should always be worn by people visiting the waterfall, as the rocks at the entrance to the cave are usually very slippy. While the waterfall is only a short distance directly south of Largy Viewing Point, the easiest and safest way for the public to access the waterfall is via a nearby privately owned lane. The entrance to this narrow lane is a short walk (around 273½ yards or 250 metres) north-east (towards Fintra) from the small carpark at Largy Viewing Point. However, this necessitates people walking along a short stretch of the R263, the main Killybegs to Glencolumbkille road, in order to reach this lane. At this point, the R263 is on a 'brae' (a steep incline), this stretch being a bendy and extremely busy road, with no footpaths running alongside it. Again, extreme caution should be exercised by people walking along the verges of this stretch of the R263. Cars and other vehicles should ''never'' be parked along the verges of this stretch of the main road; vehicles of visitors should only be parked in the small carpark at Largy Viewing Point. The lane giving access to Largy Waterfall does not lead directly to the waterfall. This lane runs down a steep 'brae', which brings visitors to the bottom of some low sea cliffs. The entrance to the cave where the waterfall is located is a short distance south-west from the bottom of the lane. Visitors must scramble across the rocks at the bottom of these cliffs in order to get to the cave. The cave can only be accessed on foot when the tide is out.

Possible 'promontory fort'

The remains of an ancient 'enclosure', which may have been a fortification, are located right beside Largy Waterfall. Brian Lac '' et al.'', ''Archaeological Survey of County Donegal'', p. 140 (Fig. 73e) and p. 325 (monument number 1870: Largysillagh).

Donegal County Council Donegal County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Dhún na nGall) is the authority responsible for local government in County Donegal, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for hou ...

Lifford Lifford (, historically anglicised as ''Liffer'') is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland, the administrative centre of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken as holding this ...

, 1983. This 'enclosure' is marked as being a '

promontory fort A promontory fort is a defensive structure located above a steep cliff, often only connected to the mainland by a small neck of land, thus using the topography to reduce the ramparts needed. Although their dating is problematic, most seem to da ...

' on the current O.S.I. ''Discovery Series'' map of the area. Not much now remains above ground of this 'enclosure' or possible fortification. The roughly rectangular site is located at the top of a low sea cliff, immediately to the east-south-east of Largy Waterfall, the enclosure being at the southern end of the

of Largysillagh. The site of this coastal enclosure is privately owned, with strictly no public access without the landowner's prior permission. The remains of the 'enclosure' are in a dangerous cliff-top location, with extreme caution being advised for anyone who has gained permission to visit it.

References

{{coord missing, Ireland Waterfalls of Ireland