A painting of a bygone Horn Head homestead has returned to Donegal, thanks to the power of the internet and a kind-hearted woman. The journey began in London with Emma Gilheany, who felt a connection to the painting of an Irish cottage in a charity shop. As her own family hailed from Dundalk, the image resonated with her late father’s Irish heritage.
Driven by curiosity about the artwork’s origins, Emma embarked on a quest to identify the house and its story. Last September Emma decided to take a picture of the artwork and post it on the Wild Atlantic Way Facebook page. This soon reached Dunfanaghy man Moses Alcorn and other helpful locals who pointed her in the right direction.
He revealed it belonged to the McHugh family, also known as “Shan’s old house,” before its renovation. The current Horn Head Lodge now occupies the site and can be booked for holiday lets. Horn Head painting News of the search reached Donegal Daily and eventually landed in the inbox of the lodge’s owners, Pauline and Patrick Hunter, who live in Ards, Creeslough.
The Horn Head cottage was inherited from Patrick’s side of the family. His wife Pauline, a retired special needs teacher and trainer, is originally from Cork and calls Donegal her second home. Patrick’s grandparents were Brian and Sarah Mc Hugh, and a young John Hunter, Patrick’s father, used to cycle all the way to Dunfanaghy to court their daughter Margaret McHugh (known locally as Maggie Shan).
Touched by Emma’s efforts,.
