
Donegal Rocks! – an invitation from Cuidiú
The North West branch of Cuidiú is calling on families and the wider Donegal community to get involved in Donegal Rocks this summer by hunting for painted rocks in your local area or by painting some rocks and hiding for others to find! This is a fun and rewarding activity people of all ages and artistic abilities can take part in and we are inviting everyone from parent & toddler groups, childcare services, summer camps, youth groups, disability groups, art groups, women’s groups, active retirement groups and any other community group to get involved!
What is Cuidiú?
The Irish name Cuidiú means care and support for all parents with bumps or babes, tots or teens. We are a parent-to-parent support charity run by volunteer parents.
Cuidiú North West has set up a Donegal Rocks Facebook page – here’s everything you need to know:
Painting rocks
Use clean dry rocks, a base coat of paint (optional) and then acrylic paints/permanent markers/paint markers for your designs. Always seal your rocks after painting so they are protected from the weather. Please don’t put accessories on the rocks (e.g. sticky eyes) as this could be harmful to the environment or wildlife. You don’t have to be an artist to take part, anything bright and cheerful works. There are tons of websites with lots of tips on rock painting and design inspiration.
Please make sure you write “Post a pic to Donegal Rocks on Facebook. Keep or re-hide me” or if you are short on space “Donegal Rocks” and [F] (Facebook symbol) on the back so people know what to do with their discovery and how to find us!
Hiding rocks
Please be safe and considerate when hiding your painted rocks. Never hide them where they’ll cause property damage or on private property without permission. Don’t hide them in tall grass where lawn equipment could be damaged or where someone could trip over them.
We encourage everyone to post a Rock Drop – a picture of your rocks before you hide them and the general area they will be hidden to let people if there are rocks in their area.
Searching for rocks
You can search the Facebook group for your town/village/beach/park/forest walk to see if anything has been hidden there recently – use the search option at the top of the group page. If you choose to go “rock hunting” please do so with NO expectations of actually finding them. Let it be about the exploration and adventure! If you have small children with you that you don’t want to disappoint maybe carry a few of your own rocks for them to “find”.
Finding Rocks
People love to see pictures when their creations are found, and love to see them move from location to location spreading joy, so if you find a rock please post a photo of it stating where it was found then:
1. Rehide it. You can do this at the same location or move it elsewhere. Be sure to let us know you’ve found it and repost the new location on the group page when hidden
OR 2. Keep it, and leave a comment on the ‘Rock Drop’ post advising its no longer there. We highly encouraged you to create and hide another rock to replace the one you kept.
Join the Donegal Rocks Facebook Group today and spread the word!
*** If you live or are visiting Inishowen check out the Inishowen Rocks Facebook page