Joe Coyle

2 months ago | independent.ie | Joe Coyle

The odyssey started with a bus from Letterkenny at 1.47amI’m sitting in north-west Donegal. It’s the night before my morning flight from Dublin to Palma. A week in advance, I had learned of a red-eye bus from Letterkenny to Dublin which will get me to the airport a full three hours before my flight. Great, I thought, no need for an expensive overnight stay in Dublin. But I’ll soon pay for my penny-pinching. I log on to get a bus e-ticket, or to learn if I have to download the Bus Éireann app.

Feb 2, 2025 | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Joe Coyle

At once regal and homely, no wonder this five-star retreat has awards coming out of its turretsCenturies before the singer Daniel O’Donnell’s current iron-fist reign over his Donegal shores, the O’Donnell clan ruled the kingdom of Tyrconnell from their ancestral home built in the 15th century on Lough Eske.

Jan 11, 2025 | independent.ie | Joe Coyle

Worth the hype? Joe Coyle lords it up at Lough Eske Castle HotelAt once regal and homely, no wonder this five-star retreat has awards coming out of its turretsLough Eske Castle Hotel is fairy-tale enchantingCenturies before the singer Daniel O’Donnell’s current iron-fist reign over his Donegal shores, the O’Donnell clan ruled the kingdom of Tyrconnell from their ancestral home built in the 15th century on Lough Eske.

Sep 7, 2024 | independent.ie | Joe Coyle

There have been complaints of tourists urinating in gardens and jumping into locals’ pools naked It’s my first evening in Galicia and it’s the first time I’ve felt even a hint of nerves about the journey ahead. I’m facing into five days of walking an average of 22km per day, from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela, to complete the final legs of the Camino Francés in Spain’s stunning north-west region. The problem is, I’m not a very fit person.

Dec 16, 2023 | independent.ie | Joe Coyle

Often unfairly painted as sedate, our writer finds the Mediterranean island full of vim and vigour and bursting with Unesco gemsI’ve been wondering what the opposite of anticipointment might be. You see, I’m not sure what I was expecting from Malta, but I was led to believe by friends and colleagues that it was for the about-to-retire, the already retired, and those who are just tired (I won’t lie, I took the last one personally and I’m still holding a grudge).