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Beauty of Co Donegal captured in stunning set of photos

When Donegal native Kate Slevin’s husband passed away in 2014 she turned to photography as part of her healing process, drawing inspiration from the wild, natural landscape around her

The island field of Illancreeve is situated near Assaranca Waterfall and Maghera Beach.
The island field of Illancreeve near Assaranca Waterfall and Maghera Beach, near Ardara (Kate Slevin in Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness)
By Jenny Lee

With the longest coastline of any county in Ireland, Donegal boasts stunning scenery and some of the world’s finest beaches.

From Malin Head to Killybegs, from Ardara to Arranmore and from Bundoran to Dunfanaghy, the county is a photographer’s dream canvas, steeped in history and heritage, with a wealth of flora and fauna.

The N15 road north from Donegal town runs through Barnesmore Gap in the Bluestack Mountains. The raw, wild landscape is a feast for the eyes. Just one of the photographs in Kate Slevin's book Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness
The N15 north from Donegal town runs through Barnesmore Gap in the Bluestack Mountains. The raw, wild landscape is a feast for the eyes (Kate Slevin in Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness)

Growing up in the countryside outside Stranorlar, and later moving to Barnesmore in southeast Donegal, Kate Slevin has always been surrounded by Donegal’s rugged beauty. However, it wasn’t until her husband’s death that she began photographing it.

A view of Dunlewey Lough from the doorway of the old Church of Ireland, Dunlewey.
A view of Dunlewey Lough from the doorway of the old Church of Ireland, Dunlewey (Kate Slevin in Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness)

“Our favourite way to enjoy a day off was to travel the length and breadth of the county. John passed away suddenly in 2014 and it was then that photography and its invitation to explore the raw, natural beauty around me helped clear the head and mend the heart a little bit,” she explains.

Lough Eske is one of the jewels in the Donegal crown, in an exquisite setting of tree-fringed shores and surrounded by a horseshoe of mountains. It is timeless but ever changing, with the shifting moods of the mountains and the sky at sunrise.
Lough Eske is one of the jewels in the Donegal crown, in an exquisite setting of tree-fringed shores and surrounded by a horseshoe of mountain (Kate Slevin in Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness)

“Somehow it rekindled my creativity and became a part of the healing process, so our journey together continues through my photographs.

“Bereavement became part of my life again recently with the death of my beloved nephew Stephen.”

The act of taking the photographs was, says Kate, “a blessing that drew me back into the creative healing journey of photography”.

Donegal photographer Kate Slevin
Donegal photographer Kate Slevin. She says that, following bereavement, taking the pictures in her book, Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness was “a blessing that drew me back into the creative healing journey of photography”

Whether it’s the windswept slopes of Errigal or Slieve League’s wave-pummelled cliffs, the vast plains of Bloody Foreland or the secluded beach of St John’s Point, Kate has captured the county’s wild beauty in her book Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness.

Her captivating photographs are grouped into five areas: Donegal Bay; The Bluestacks to Ardara; The Rosses and Gweedore; Sheephaven Bay to Fanad Peninsula; and Inishowen Peninsula.

The Hand of Doagh, a scultpure created by artist Danny O’Donnell, is a poignant work of art, which represents all that is good about the human hand. It is situated in the car park opposite Doagh Famine Village, which traces the changing times of Ireland from the 1800s to the present day.
The Hand of Doagh, a scultpure created by artist Danny O’Donnell, is a poignant work of art which represents all that is good about the human hand. It is situated in the car park opposite Doagh Famine Village, which traces the changing times of Ireland from the 1800s to the present day (Kate Slevin in Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness)

“Exploring Donegal at different times of the day and in different seasons is what inspires me and rewards me with those special moments of being a photographer,” she says. “It is a feast for the senses.”

A unique little house on Arranmore, complete with a bog oak sculpture in the garden.
A unique little house on Arranmore, complete with a bog oak sculpture in the garden (Kate Slevin in Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness)

“I believe in creating photos by choice and yet there is a magic in finding a photo opportunity by chance. Add a sunrise or sunset, and the land, sea and sky collide in a kaleidoscope of colour.”

At Bundoran, the roar of the ocean whispers to surfers of all ages to accept the challenge to ride the waves, in stunning coastal scenery.
At Bundoran, the roar of the ocean whispers to surfers of all ages to accept the challenge to ride the waves, in stunning coastal scenery (Kate Slevin in Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness)
Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness by Kate Slevin is published by The O’Brien Press and is out now.
Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness by Kate Slevin is published by The O'Brien Press
Donegal: From Waves to Wilderness by Kate Slevin is published by The O'Brien Press