KILLYBEGS, IRELAND - The people we met while eating lunch in this neat little seaport town, where the fish we were enjoying came off one of the trawlers tied up at the busy dock just a few hours earlier, told us the history of Killybegs.

One man said: “The name Killybegs comes from the stone buildings believed to have been built here by monks centuries ago. The buildings were known as the ‘Little Cells’ and although they were never officially discovered, three buildings uncovered when we were making the new pier looked very much like three cells.”

Another injected: “St. Catherine of Alexandria - martyred in the 4th century - is the patron saint of our town. She never stepped foot in Ireland but being the Patron Saint of Seafarers, she was the one we selected.”

We had moved on to desert when the town’s historian told us: “Killybegs played an important role in the Spanish Armada back in 1588. In fact, many of the sailors who swam ashore here after their ships were sunk were killed all along our coast. Just outside our harbour, two Spanish wrecks sit with lots of gold in their bellies but they have never been found.”

Above: The stunning cliffs are the highest in Europe.

Over coffee, a lady listening at the next table told us: “If you’ve come all this way, you have to visit the Glencolmcille Folk Village. It’s just up the road. It has lots of thatched cottages and it gives you an idea of the struggles our ancestors faced trying to farm this land.

“Oh,” she continued, “you must stop at the cliffs at Teelin.”

“And hold onto your hat when you’re up there,” said the historian. “The winds at Slieve League are very strong.”

Slieve League, we later discovered, is the official name of cliffs formed half a billion years earlier. They rise 900 feet from the sea, making them the highest cliffs in Europe.

The meal and tourism lesson over, we decided to stroll along the narrow streets of old Killybegs, where the buildings are painted pastel colors and the salty sea air brushes against your face. The town sits in Donegal Bay and is one of the prettiest you’ll see in Ireland.

Returning to our car or motor as they say here, we started out on the N56 road in search of the cliffs, passing baron fields of black peak moss along the way. As per instructions, we turned off onto the R263 at Carrick and followed the rollercoaster road until we reached the entrance of Slieve League (Grey Mountain).

At this point you have a choice. Walk up the long, winding road that clings precariously to the rocky cliff or drive on a one lane road and pray you don’t meet a oncoming car. Our prayers were answered and soon our car was perched on top of the cliff where sheep nonchalantly grazed, oblivious to the sheer drop to the sea.

One step out of the car the words of the man in Killybegs rang true – the hurricane force winds almost knocked me over. My partner hung onto the car, refusing to venture close to the edge for fear of being swept into the sea.

Above: Sheep find comfort grazing on the cliffs.

I inched ever closer to the edge and was treated for my efforts with an awesome view – one that rivaled the much more famous Cliffs of Moher outside Lahinch for jaw dropping beauty. Mighty waves crashed against the rocky shoreline below and the view one gets of the Sligo Mountains from that point is truly breathtaking.

A sheepherder approached us and said a walk along “One Man’s Path” would lead us to even better views but his warning of “the climb must be approached with caution because it is very dangerous,” persuaded us to return to the car and continue our journey.

An attendant at the entrance told us of some old Christian ruins and a watch tower that sit along one of the paths leading from the cliff and suggested to turn around and see them.

We told him we’d be back on a day when the winds were less severe.

“I guess we’ll never see you again, then,” said the man with a smile.