For the next five weekends in a row I returned to the boat to resume my journey, but the weather changed as soon as I got there, so I gave in and went to look at this Mill. There were a lot of neglected and derelict buildings set in a little sheltered hollow, beside a lake, in sight of the sea and the mountains. It was a lovely setting but I didn't fall madly in love with it. In any case, I was in the Army and stationed in Kilkenny, 250 miles away, in the southeast. Then, through a strange set of circumstances, all my family and personal interests shifted to Donegal, so I bought the Corcreggan Mill property in April '90, from one of Nature's  real gentleman, Tommy Mc Kinley.

The Hostel Story (Detailed photos of the 19 year history can be seen in the Mill House Porch).

    I began by restoring the 'Mill Cottage', which was originally built in 1937, and I started an Independent Tourist Hostel there on 1st June '91. My Dad helped with the running of the Hostel until I left the Army, after 20 years service, on St. Bridget's Eve '92 (31st Jan.). Later that year and well into '93, I was pre-occupied with the renovation of the old Kiln House (where the corn for the Mill used to be dried), which was only a derelict shed. I added on a porch and a kitchen in stone, with lots of old timber features inside, and I used reclaimed slates from the old Courthouse in Letterkenny on the roof. In this way I added a further 12 beds to the Hostel's capacity. The little hostel was now becoming quite popular.

The Organic Garden

   
     In '93/'94 we cleared a field of rubble, rubbish and weeds (right, above) and started the organic garden (left, above). I then built separate kitchen and shower facilities for those campers who were happy to camp on the large lawn in front of the Cottage. For safety reasons I took the roof off the derelict Mill House, which had probobly been built for the Mill owner around the same time as the Mill itself (1789).

     In November '95 I began building a new extension to the Kiln House to replace the hostel accommodation in the Cottage, so that I could make the latter into a home for myself. I wanted to make the new extension interesting, and the Kiln House did, somewhat, resemble a Railway house. So, having found a derelict 120-year-old mahogany Railway Carriage near Dundalk in 1992, I had the solution. I took the Carraige apart over several weekends, brought the pieces by trailer to Omagh, had it stripped of many layers of paint, and then renovated and rebuilt on-site. I built a Railway Station platform onto the side of the Kiln House to shelter the Carriage. From 1996, The Carriage, became the mainstay of our back-packers business having two double-bed compartments and  four three bunk-bed compartments. There are detailed photos of the restoration in the Mill House porch.

It was about this time that our Independent Hostel Owners association amalgamated with Budget hostels while at the same time coming under the approval of Bord Failte (Irish Tourist Board). The reformed IHO began trading as the Independent Holiday Hostels of Ireland (IHH). The market was still expanding but it was also beginning to change. More people were coming, but they wanted more privacy and more comfort, and some wanted meals provided as well. This provided the iniative for the next phase of the business. 

     In 1998 I began making plans to rebuild the Mill House, to add more luxurious and spacious accommodation to the growing Hostel business, and also, to provide residential workshop/conference facilities for the off-season. This turned out to be a huge undertaking, not just because of the size the building and the standard of finish, but also because, in the course of the construction, I decided to make use of the attic spaces. I changed the plans to incorporate a large reception room over the conference room, adding an internal stairs which now leads to a 110-seater auditorium in the roof space of the main building. I also managed to find space over the en-suite bedrooms in the 'West Wing' to provide a small apartment. The Mill House also had to pass Failte Ireland's new criteria to be registered as a Tourist Hostel under the new, more stringent regulations.

In early 2000, I employed a manager for the first time and on 1st July we opened the Mill House to the public, also creating an organic restaurant for that first summer. I lost a small fortune; on top of the serious overspend on the building. In 2001, I rented the Mill House and Cottage to two local ladies who ran a very successful restaurant in the summer, and workshop facility off-season.  Later, I rented the restaurant to someone else, while taking care of the accommodation myself. I was in "overload mode"and I realised that I could not continue like this.

After my Dad, Michael, died on 11th Jan 2004 I went on a short trip to New Zealand. There I found my dream boat, and came home to put the property on the market, for sale by public auction on 28 Aug '04. This was the only way I could foresee repaying my heavy borrowings and be able pursue my long-postponed second dream. To my horror nothing sold, and, I lost my deposit on the boat! I was now in danger of losing the whole property as a result of the heavy borrowings. 

    A week later, a beautiful young lady called Angelique arrived on her motorbike, from Aachen in Germany... and she stayed. We married in a Celtic ceremony, at the Grianan of Aileach, on 23 June '05. From then on Angelique, until recently, ran the 'front-of-house' part of the business while I continued to look after the administration, landscaping, garden and the future plans for the property. 

"All is changed......" (WB Yeats)

In the late Summer of 2005 a man called Desmond Donnellan phoned from Spain, quite out of the blue, asking if the Hostel was still for sale. Eventually, Desmond negotiated to buy the back-packers part (20%) of the total business and he took possession of the Carriage and Kiln House on 1st July 2006, calling his new business "The Carriage Hostel". 

Angelique continued to manage the 'front of house' part of the remaining hostel business from the Mill House, where the tourist sector continues to increase steadily and the workshop/retreat business is enjoying some success at last, mainly off-season. This building provides the full range of accommodation, at very reasonable prices, from luxurious en-suite rooms and more simple private rooms, to dormitory accommodation, and we still provide camping facilities on the Cottage lawn.  

I thought that I might still sell the Mill House in order to restore the Mill itself and the dream of buying that big boat for some extended sailing was beginning to fade. 

Voyage abandoned. .... and then!

In Jan 2007 I finally gave up my dream of sailing the world and I decided to sell The Spinner. In the process of preparing her for sale in Kilrush, Co Clare I found and surprised everyone, myself included, by purchasing a fine, sturdy, 37' trans-Atlantic sail-boat, built in the US in 1992. I re-regestered her in Ireland as the Yacht "Corcreggan", planning to slowly extend the sailing part of the business. However, due to various pressures, Angelique has decided to move away from Corcreggan. I have decided to put the Mill House back on the market (see Investment on website menu) in hope to retire from business in the near future.

Gratitude.

      Since I began this project in 1990 many wonderful people have helped to make all this possible. Some were professional - many were relatives, friends and willing voluntary workers. To all of you I wish to express my sincere thanks, and hope that your experience here was beneficial and joyful. Without your help this could never have been accomplished!

    The voyage continues.....................

Waiting for the next tide!