This cache has been placed near the grave of the towns most famous son - "Paddy The Cope Gallagher".
So, who was Paddy the Cope?
Paddy The Cope Gallagher (Pádraig Ó Gallchóir; 1873-1966) was the founder of The Cope (officially called the Templecrone Agricultural Co-operative Society). A businessman and campaigner for West Donegal, he was born in Cleendra, Templecrone, part of The Rosses, in the west of County Donegal, Ireland.
At an early age he began work as a hired boy working as a farm labourer first in County Donegal and then as a potato picker (or potato gatherer) in Scotland. It was this hard work, with its long hours and poor pay, he was later to say, that inspired him to found a co-operative movement back home in County Donegal. His co-op was opposed by local vested interests and he had to buy his own boats to do his importing. He also helped to co-ordinate the local fishing and textile co-operatives, allowing such workers to swap their produce for goods in his local co-operative shops. He wrote an autobiography, published in 1939, called Patrick Gallagher: My Story.
Gallagher was the grandfather of the politician Pat The Cope Gallagher. An image of Gallagher was featured on an Irish postage stamp issued in 2006.
The cache and grave are located on the grounds of this former church -St Peters, of Dungloe. It is now known as Ionad Teampall Chróine and acts as the local community centre and the official educational and development hub for the town of Dungloe. It houses the community tourist office, the local library, community admin offices and a fabulous little tea room and cafe.
The Church itself was erected on the site of an earlier building dating back to 1760, which was constructed in the penal years. It is a strong secure building and although added to and improved from time to time, in truth, it is the same building that was opened for public worship on the 3rd of March 1856. The Church was built by the local people on a voluntary basis. The first stone on this building was laid on the 2nd of July, 1855, by Rev. John O’Donnell, P.P., of Lettermacaward and Upper Templecrone..
Getting to the Cache: Enter the grounds of the old church and then bare left towards the big cross in front of the church. The co ordinates should lead you to a spot not too far from here. The cache can then be found on the "soil" close to the church entrance. Paddy's grave location is revealed in the cache should you wish to go visit it.