Ward’s Folly
That they chose a scenic oasis I so loved and championed for years was confirmation of the fact that my grown-up dreams were not so far-fetched – one of my many hair-brained ideas from my time up in Malin Head was to have an amphitheatre as an attraction to the area, much like the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. It got me dusting down a rather dated, forgotten promo I made back in 2009 and sent to Failte Ireland, the Irish Sports Council, Inishowen LEADER, Donegal County Council, the Arts Council, the Abbey Theatre and anyone else that might consider bringing the wonder of that place to life. Think Borat with a brogue and bit of a gut, since gone(ish). My posh neighbour at the time sniffly called it ‘Ward’s Folly’ and in truth it was a stretch, but hey, what’s wrong with dreaming out loud? The amphitheatre part in the promo above appears around the two minute mark.

Ether
I’d like to think my good vibes about bringing the headland to life and getting it the recognition it so richly deserved did not just go into the ether, but were picked up somewhere by proper storytellers. The site of the Seashell Amphitheatre in the video would become the spot where the Millennium Falcon would land according to the papers’ pictures above (it doesn’t!) and so my borrowed ‘build it and they will come’ creed is not too far fetched in hindsight. Well, something Star Warsy was there and that’s still a Royal Flush in my book. Unfortunately, the amphitheatre idea fell on deaf ears, as did all of my efforts to get an eco park going along that beautiful coast – I did manage to get shortlisted for a national award by Failte Ireland for my efforts in promoting the area, but that story and the reasons I finally sold up and left Malin Head in 2015 are for another day! And yes, please note that the land is now private property – best to observe it from the tower at Banba’s Crown and get yourself a world-class coffee from Caffe Banba before lunch at nearby Kealy’s Seafood Bar.