Mayflies
Two small granite-fed north Donegal spate rivers — the Tullaghobegley (running through Gortahork) and the Ray — draining the quartzite uplands of the Derryveagh Mountains to the sea on the north Donegal coast. Remote, wild, and firmly water-dependent. Sea trout and grilse run on summer floods; the rivers can be low and quiet for weeks between. Local clubs manage access. The landscape is exceptional — north Donegal blanket bog at its most austere. An angler who knows how to read spate rivers will find genuine fish on the right day; anyone expecting a dependable schedule will be disappointed. For 2026 this is a catch-and-release fishery under the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme — all salmon and grilse must be returned.
EPA monitoring on the Tullaghobegley/Ray confirms mayflies, a notably robust stonefly assemblage — including the larger Dinocras cephalotes and Perla carlukiana — caddis, chironomids and blackfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp and hoglice are all present, though this is kick-sample presence evidence rather than a record of hatch timing.
- Granite