The Ruins Of Ramelton

We stayed in Ramelton in Co. Donegal last weekend. There's an abundance of tumbledown buildings in the town, and you find yourself wondering if they add to the quaint 'Irishness' of the village, or if they're an eyesore that should be pulled down.

The thing is, just behind where I was standing, there was a row of newly-built shops and apartments. They'd been sensitively done, in keeping with the appearance of the town, but the condition was obviously fantastic. I can't help thinking that these ruins in Ramelton show the disparity between the rural Ireland that tourists presumably want to see and the Celtic Tiger economy that spawned a massive property industry in the south.

Opinions on a postcard of a thatched cottage please.