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It's Irish. Really Irish. That's because Donegal, on the island's north coast, is remote. Even when run by the Brits, English influence was minimal -- apparently the English thought Donegal too wild, too remote. Much of the island was deforested long ago, but County Donegal still holds on to some of its forests. It is surrounded by water on three sides, so the sea defines the place. Fishing villages dot the coast, which often has cliffs rising to 1,000 feet with mountains behind them rising above 2,000 feet. People know Donegal most, though, for its centuries old weaving tradition. Donegal tweed, known around the world, is still turned out by hand in thatched cottages. The Falls of Assaroe, near the town of Ballyshannon, are one of the country's oldest pagan sites. Today it is in the middle of a cross-border effort to restore salmon. And if you're feeling as if you need to restore yourself, you can make a pilgrimage to the small island called St. Patrick's Purgatory. It's on Lough Derg, and is famous for penitential pilgrimages. There are worse places on the planet to pay penance.