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CRANFORD

CO. DONEGAL · IE

Cranford
Creamhghort, Co. Donegal

The Wild Atlantic Way
STOP 08 / 08

Creamhghort · Co. Donegal

A crossroads on Mulroy Bay where the blacksmith's forge still stands behind the only pub.

Cranford sits on the road between Milford and Carrigart and knows exactly what it is: a small farming village that does not pretend to be anything else. The name means the field of wild garlic, Creamhghort, which tells you what the people who named it saw here. Fertile ground on the western bank of Mulroy Bay, looking across the water at Kerrykeel. About a hundred and fifty people across six townlands.

The working heart of the village is Logue's pub, and the reason to stop is out the back. In 1920 Paddy Logue came home from Glasgow, where he had learned the blacksmith's trade, and brought his tools and bellows with him. He built a forge here and worked it; a bar was added in 1930. When the forge fell quiet the family left it as it was, and it is now open to look round - the original tools still in place, a horse and donkey harness on the wall, bellows that are among the last of their kind in the country. The pub does fish and chips, shepherd's pie, a pint of Guinness, and on Sunday evenings through July and August there is traditional music and seafood.

The other thread that holds the place together is sport. Cranford has had sports days since 1907 and the Athletics Club, founded in 1962, runs the Bill Hunter Memorial Race every Boxing Day - the morning after Christmas, when most of the country is lying in. The old school closed in 1965, the post office in 2006, the RIC barracks back in 1923. What is left is a quiet crossroads, the forge, the pub, and the bay.

Population

~150

Founded

Rural townland settlement; forge built 1920, bar added 1930

Coords

55.15° N, 7.70° W

01 / 08

At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 The forge

A 1920 blacksmith's forge, preserved exactly as it was left.

Paddy Logue built it in 1920 with tools and bellows carried home from Glasgow. The bellows are one of only a handful left in Ireland and the fireplace is believed to be unique. It is still there, out the back of Logue's pub, with the original tools and a horse and donkey harness in place.

Stories & lore → 02 The place

A small farming village on the western bank of Mulroy Bay.

Cluan Glas Creamhghort, the field of wild garlic. Roughly 150 people across six townlands, looking straight across the water at Kerrykeel. Halfway between Milford and Carrigart on the R245. Come for the forge and the bay, not for a town.

Walks & outings →

02 / 08

The pubs.

None of these are themed Irish pubs, because they don't need to be. A few that earn the trip:

Logue's

The only pub in the village, and a good one

Pub with preserved forge

Owned and run by the Logue family for over a hundred years. Dark wood, vintage photos, memorabilia, Guinness on draught, and a short menu of fish and chips, shepherd's pie and Irish stew. The real draw is the Olde Forge out the back - built 1920, left as it was, open to view. Traditional music and seafood on Sunday evenings through July and August, plus the occasional quiz night and fundraiser. This is the village's pub, its kitchen and its museum in one. Phone ahead in winter, when hours are short.

03 / 08

Where to eat.

Place	Type	€	Local note
Logue's	Pub food, in the village	€€	The only place to eat in Cranford, and it does the job: fish and chips, shepherd's pie, Irish stew. Sunday evenings in July and August bring a seafood-and-music night. For a wider choice of restaurants you are looking at Milford or Carrigart, both under fifteen minutes by car.

04 / 08

Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

Paddy Logue's return, 1920

The forge

Young Paddy Logue left Cranford for Glasgow, learned the blacksmith's trade there, and came home in 1920 with his tools and his knowledge. He built the forge at what became Logue's and worked it; the bar followed in 1930. When the hammering stopped, the family did not clear it out - they left the workshop as it stood. The old bellows are one of only a handful left in Ireland and the fireplace is believed to be unique. Most of the original tools are still in place, along with a horse and donkey harness. You can browse at your leisure or ask for a guided tour. On Sunday evenings in July and August the place fills with traditional music and the past is not quite past.

Bill Hunter Memorial Race

Boxing Day racing

Cranford has run sports days since 1907, and the Athletics Club, founded in 1962, keeps the tradition going. Every 26 December the club hosts the Bill Hunter Memorial Race - the day after Christmas, when most of the world is recovering and lying in. Not here. The village turns out for a run on a cold December morning. It has been happening for over sixty years, which in a place this size says something about who shows up.

05 / 08

Things to do outside.

Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.

The Cranford Walk A signed local walk that starts near the site of the old Cranford School, which closed in 1965. It takes in Loch Anivore in the Towneylought area, climbs Brakeney Hill for the panorama over Mulroy Bay, and crosses Roberts Bridge, passing a string of named local landmarks - Craig, Breagh Face and the rest - that mean more to the people who walk it than to a map. Boots and a willingness to ask directions help; this is a community route, not a waymarked national trail.

Local looped routedistance

Allow a couple of hourstime

The Mulroy Bay shore The village looks straight across the narrows at Kerrykeel, and the shore road north toward Carrigart and south toward Milford gives you the bay at every turn. Low tide and a clear evening is the picture you came for. There is no formal promenade - this is working farmland meeting tidal water - but the lanes are quiet and the light off the water on the western shore is worth the slow drive.

As far as you likedistance

Opentime

06 / 08

When to go.

There is no bad time. There are different times.

Spring

Mar-May

Quiet. The bay opens up and the fields green themselves. The forge is best visited with a bit of daylight and few other people about.

◉ Go

Summer

Jun-Aug

The season for it. Sunday-evening music and seafood at Logue's through July and August, long light over the bay, the forge open to view. The peak window for the village.

◉ Go

Autumn

Sep-Oct

Empty and clear. The light across Mulroy Bay on the western shore is at its best, and you will likely have the shore road to yourself.

◉ Go

Winter

Nov-Feb

Short days, pub hours short with them - call ahead. The Bill Hunter Memorial Race on 26 December is the one fixed point; the rest is farms and silence.

◐ Mind yourself

07 / 08

What to skip.

Honestly? Don't bother.

If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.

Expecting a town

Cranford is a crossroads of about a hundred and fifty people, not a village with a main street of shops. The post office closed in 2006 and the school in 1965. There is one pub, one forge, a community centre and the bay. Scale your expectations and you will not be disappointed.

Turning up at the forge unannounced in the off-season

The forge is behind Logue's and viewing is tied to the pub being open, which in winter means short evening hours. If the forge is the reason you are coming, ring ahead and come in summer when the Sunday sessions are on.

Getting there.

By car

Cranford is on the R245 on the western shore of Mulroy Bay. Milford is about 8 km south, Carrigart about 8 km north. Letterkenny, the nearest large town, is roughly 25 km southwest. Roads are decent but narrow in places.

By bus

TFI Local Link serves the wider Milford and Fanad area of north Donegal; there is no frequent scheduled service through Cranford itself, so check the current Local Link Donegal Sligo Leitrim timetable before relying on it. A car is the realistic way in.

By train

There is no rail in this part of Donegal. The county has no passenger rail at all; the nearest mainline stations are across the border at Derry/Londonderry or further south. Drive or bus.