Downings' most colourful front door, wide open
We took the family down to the Old Sea Dog in Downings, and it did not disappoint.
If you're staying with us at Ruby's Cottage and you're looking for somewhere to spend an hour on a bright day, Downings village is only a short drive down the road from us here above Mulroy Bay. We made a family trip of it recently, and the Old Sea Dog — or An Sean Bhadóir, as its Irish sign has it — was the one everyone wanted to visit first.
Sandra, Ruby, Sam, and Rae had all been in just ahead of me, so I caught them on the way out and asked what they'd found. The answers came quickly: shells made into jewellery and purses, local pottery, Irish books, tweed, paintings of the Donegal coast, and what Sandra described simply as nice local art. Sam, for his part, had made a beeline for the fake crab — which, by all accounts, looked very much like the real thing.
The treasure chest that stops you in your tracks
Before you even get inside, there's a battered old trunk sitting open on the pavement, full to the brim with shells — whelks, scallops, conches, all sorts — priced at €3 each or four for €10. A chalkboard above it reads 'All hands on deck! 10–5 daily', which sets the tone pretty well. It's the kind of display that small children find irresistible, and I'd be lying if I said adults weren't stopping to look too.
Local craft, knick-knacks, and things worth finding
The inside of the shop is compact and packed in the good way — boat-shaped shelving units holding felted sheep ornaments, lighthouse figurines, driftwood pieces, and seagull prints. There's a wall of Irish books, pottery, and Donegal-made pieces alongside the sort of gifts that are genuinely worth bringing home rather than leaving at the bottom of a bag.
Sandra picked up Inis essential oils — she said the shop smelled so good when she walked in that she bought a bottle to take the smell back with her. Looking at the shelving unit of Inis products stacked neatly against a map-papered wall, it's easy to see why. It's the kind of scent that does smell like somewhere specific, in the best possible way.
A crab that looked completely real
Sam was very clear about what he liked best: the fake crab. He held it up for a photo and looked quietly proud of it. Whether he was more impressed by the crab or by having spotted it first is hard to say. The shop has enough of that kind of thing — objects that make you look twice — to keep younger visitors busy while the adults browse.
Woolly hats and the difficulty of choosing just one
Ruby went straight for the knitwear. She tried on a rust-coloured cable-knit hat and held up a green one in one hand and a red one in the other, grinning. She did not appear to be any closer to a decision. The hats are hand-knitted, the kind of thing you'd actually wear through a Donegal winter rather than shove in a drawer.
Shells turned into something you'd actually keep
Ruby was drawn to the shells-as-jewellery and the decorative pieces near the doorway — polished shells arranged in a ceramic dish, several of them mounted with small gold clasps to be worn, the kind of thing that looks like it belongs on a windowsill at home. She showed me the dish near the door, the open street and a busy summer pavement visible behind her. That spot by the entrance, with the yellow doors open and the light coming in, was one of the nicest corners of the whole visit.
Inis oils and the smell of somewhere good
Sandra's recommendation was the Inis range — oils, hand cream, lip balm, and body products on a full white shelving unit just inside the door, alongside Donegal Soap bars and The Black Pepper Company soaps stacked neatly below. It's open 10 to 5 daily, which is handy if you want to pop in on your way back from the beach at Tra na Rosann or after a walk around the headland.
The Old Sea Dog is a short drive from us in Carrigart, and it's the sort of place that makes an easy half-hour feel like longer — if you'd like to use Davey John's Forge as your base for exploring that bit of Donegal, we'd love to have you.
