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County Donegal offers an abundance of things to do with days out and top attractions for the whole family to enjoy.
Our top things to see and do when visiting the region.
Shopaholics will love County Donegal for its eclectic mix of boho-chic boutiques, highstreet staples and quirky independents.
“ The 19th-century Victorian idyll Glenveagh Castle nestles snugly in the Derryveagh Mountains”
Donegal is a foodie’s paradise with a host of fantastic restaurants, cafés and pubs – so make sure you bring a healthy appetite.
Donegal has more than enough to keep you busy, a journey further afield can make for an exciting
We fitted wigs in Wigan Gave grants in Glasgow Taught yoga in Yeovil
And got men talking about cancer in Brixton
Wherever you are, we do whatever it takes to help people living with cancer.
These are examples of services that we’ve delivered. Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland. MAC19926
This wonderful county draws visitors back like a magnet year after year
Welcome, visitor!
Welcome to County Donegal – and may we congratulate you on your choice of destination. It’s not all pretty surroundings and lovely vistas, impressive though they undoubtedly are. County Donegal also has great modern shopping, restaurants, arts and culture, and some of the best places to stay in Ireland.
The county has the richest scenery in the whole of Ireland, featuring a spectacular 300-kilometre coastline with headlands and peninsulas rising to the highest and finest marine sea cliffs in Europe at Slieve League. The rugged coastline and enchanting lure of Donegal is a great example of the experience on offer all along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.
This breathtaking landscape is filled with thousand-year-old history but it also offers many attractions and historic houses, so finding something to do is so easy.
Donegal has ancient beauty, modern enterprise, some fabulous four- and fivestar hotels, fishing, golf, the finest of tweed garments, traditional music, both happy and sad, as this is the land that produced the folk rock band Clannad, and glorious food. And, of course, Guinness so creamy you can’t imagine dairy products were not involved in its production.
All in all, you’ve picked a great time to visit this wonderful county, so please enjoy everything it has to offer! ■
Fanad Head Lighthouse
County Donegal offers an abundance of things to do with days out and top attractions for the whole family to enjoy
Great days out
How could a day out in County Donegal be anything but an embarrassment of riches? It has so much to attract enthusiasts of all tastes, from the fitness fanatic with an eye for the mountains to the child equally determined to conquer the sand dunes; the keen historian drawn by the castles and ancient monuments to the sci-fi buff checking out Malin Head, hoping to feel the ‘force’ after Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie was partly filmed here.
Donegal is the place where the great outdoors holds sway. Its biggest mountain, Mount Errigal, in Gweedore, rises to nearly 800 metres, and, with its Alpine shape and pinkish hue, it’s perhaps the most striking mountain in Ireland. Not surprising, then,
The Alpine shaped Mt Errigal, in Gweedore rises to nearly 800 metres
that conquering it is on many a visitor’s todo list. This is quite a craggy climb, taking you through the slightly sinisterly named ‘One man’s pass’, but no special climbing equipment is required.
Whether you’re on a family day out or a Wild Atlantic Way adventure, Oakfield Park in Donegal is a wonderful place to escape to, and opens from March to September.
Located in Raphoe, this beautiful landscape of parkland, woodlands, lakes and formal gardens is set around a restored 18thcentury deanery. The grounds include walled gardens, ponds, a lakeside Nymphaeum, a hedge maze and sculptures; children can make a wish at Oakfield Park’s Faerie tree,
Donegal’s biggest peak, Mount Errigal, in Gweedore is perhaps the most striking mountain in Ireland
while navigating their way through extensive walks and trails.
Oakfield Park’s crowning glory is a 4.5-kilometre narrow-gauge railway with diesel and steam trains. This is a magical way to explore the park’s gardens, as the train passes through flower meadows, beautiful woodlands, willow tunnels, oak circles, boardwalks, heritage trees, a wooden causeway and sparkling streams and lakes. Visitors can refuel in Buffers Restaurant, which serves a delicious selection of home-baked goodies and dishes, all created with produce from the park’s gardens.
In the stunning setting of Clonmany, in Inishowen, you will find a picturesque village of thatched cottages – what could be nicer? Except that the village in question, on the Isle of Doagh, was a famine village, and a visit there is both a sobering and necessarily unsettling experience.
The frequent guided tours will take you through small, compact houses that were still occupied up until recently, while the narrative of the disaster that was the famine unfolds. In fact, one of the excellent guides lived with his parents and siblings here through the 1960s. More recent history is included, including the use of the village as a sequence of safe houses during the Troubles era, plus a Protestant Orange Hall for balance.
The wonderful haunted house, with its own montage of special effects, has moved down the road, but there is nothing there as frightening as the genuine history Doagh represents. There are guided tours from March to October and a gift shop and café overlooking Trawbreaga Bay for a necessary cup of tea and perspective.
Any visitor to Donegal is immediately aware that this is an ancient landscape. It is dotted with prehistoric stone circles hewn from the surrounding earth. Among the most prominent is the Beltany Stone Circle, near Raphoe, believed to be a bronze-age ceremonial site to mark the Celtic seasons. There are also theories that it is the sacred site of Neolithic monuments, What’s certain is its eerie beauty.
Beltany has an impressive 64 stones within a 45-metre diameter, some of which show signs of bronze-age art and contain chunks of quartz. But it is believed that many more were disturbed or taken as material for local walls and buildings in the 17th century, an unconscious form of vandalism that could just as easily be seen as recycling.
Another significant ancient site is located on the other side of Donegal. The Bocan Stone Circle, near Culdaff in Inishowen, has a mere nine stones currently standing, with l
Oakfield Park, Raphoe
www.portbegholidayhomes.com
Tel: +353 (0)7198 29952
info@portbegholidayhomes.com
Why Portbeg Holiday Homes?
Your home from home
And to ensure the whole family can enjoy the experience, most of our properties are also pet friendly! So you can bring your four legged family members too.
Donegal Town beckons! Choosing a stay?
The Abbey Hotel whispers history from its Diamond-side perch. Traditional charm, lively bar, comfy rooms - a taste of Irish life. The Central Hotel offers a modern counterpoint. Sleek design, poolside relaxation, diverse dining - unwind in style. Both hotels put you in the heart of the action. Explore Donegal Castle, charming shops, and the Wild Atlantic Way’s wondersall at your doorstep. Decide: history’s embrace or modern ease? Your Donegal adventure awaits.
Welcome to Donegal Garden Trail. Our beautiful parks and gardens offer visitors a delightful and unique experience of the magical Donegal environment. At 16 locations throughout the County you are welcome to explore parks and gardens, some open to visitors all year round, others with regular spring, summer and autumn opening.
Check garden profiles for opening times on www.donegalgardentrail.com
donegalgardentrail Donegal Garden Trail
Portbeg Holiday Homes offers self-catering properties in various areas of Bundoran, Ireland’s surfing capital.
Bay, Bundoran
The M.V. Meridian is a 40′ Lochin purpose built for Sea Angling in 2000. Brian is the owner and operator of Killybegs Angling Charters has over 30 years experience in charter angling. Killybegs Angling Charters is based at the Blackrock Pier in Killybegs, Co. Donegal, Ireland. Brian is himself a keen angler and is the current chairman of the Killybegs Sea Angling Club.
The boat leaves daily for full or half day angling charters, sightseeing trips of Donegal bay or longer trips to the majestic cliffs of Sliabh League – the highest sea cliff in Europe. We offer angling charters for Cod, Pollack, Ling, Conger, Brill, Turbot and Blue Shark etc. Bluefin Tuna fishing (catch and release) is also available from September to November.
The MV Meridian is fully equipped with the latest navigational, fish finding and safety equipment. Tea and Coffee served aboard, rod and fishing tackle hire available. Come onboard and have a great day! We can arrange accommodation for you if you wish – Guest House or Hotel.
Fitness and Wellness Journey Begins Here...
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Swimming Timetable • Swimming Lessons Aqua Aerobics • Fitness Timetable Gallery • Swim Price List Fitness Suite Available for Birthdays & Meetings Please Book Classes & Swim Lessons at Reception CONTACT US: Tel: 0719852818 | Mob: 0871029966 ballyshannonleisurecentre.ie
Immerse yourself in the amazing scenery of this stunning area in Donegal, Northwest Ireland. The walking tour takes you from the slieve league visitor centre to the sea cliffs. The tour is 2 hours in total and includes tea or coffee. The cost is 25 euro/person www.slieveleaguetours.com Teresa’s tours
allowances for the usual historical pilfering, but there are reliable reports of ancient graves being located there. Plus, there is a theory that the stones themselves lie in a direct line between the nearby mountain, Slieve Snaght, and the Isle of Jura off the coast of Scotland. A must visit at sunrise or sunset on a clear day.
But what Donegal is surely celebrated for most of all is its unique coastline. From Malin Head to the Slieve League Cliffs, it contains much of what is so striking in the newly named Wild Atlantic Way. If you wanted to cover all that in a day, it would be a very long day indeed. It is probably best to be selective.
The county’s coastline is topped and tailed by two peninsulas, Inishowen to the north and Glencolmcille to the south west. Accessibility by car to some of the most spectacular sights, such as the Slieve League Cliffs, some of the highest in Europe, is often limited, so be prepared to occasionally resort to Shank’s pony. In fact, when you take a day trip to these incredible cliffs that stand 600m tall with a breathtaking view of the Atlantic swells below, leave the car in the car park.
The trip to Sliabh Liag Cliffs, to give them their Irish name, may be a few miles, but it’s worth it. Seasoned walkers should venture beyond the viewing point and head for One Man’s Pass, which loops around into
the Pilgrim’s Path. Stand on the edge and breathe in the raw beauty. There is also an archaeological tour, and it’s worth visiting the gift store at the Slieve League Cliffs Centre, not to mention the Tí Linn Café for a restorative cup of tea afterwards.
If you like nature (and who wouldn’t in this special space?), you really ought to make time for a local boat tour, during which you may encounter dolphins.
The beaches around Bundoran provide an opportunity for many such walks, with sights such as the prettily named Fairy Bridges and the Wishing Chair belying the precipitous geography. To the north of Glencolmcille, the landscape becomes much more rugged, with sea stacks, those towering plugs of rock caused by erosion that have become favourites for the more adventurous climbers. These have names such as Pleasure of the Senses and Bloody Foreland, and present a real challenge. Those of us of a more sedate disposition might prefer Bonny Glen Wood, with its picturesque views and waterfalls.
The west coast is littered with offshore islands, with opportunities to study wildlife from above and below the water via diving. Principal among these is Arranmore. Its name Árainn Mhór means large ridge, and it’s the biggest inhabited island in Ireland l
Slieve League Cliffs are some of the highest in Europe
KINNEGAR BREWING
Kinnegar’s roots are deeply embedded in the hilly fields and farms of northeast Donegal. We pair brewing tradition with a contemporary sense of adventure to produce clean, crisp, full-flavoured beers.
Kinnegar is available all across the country, and in France, Italy, Spain and beyond. But lucky visitors to the region can enjoy the best and freshest selection of Kinnegar’s award-winning beers in the brewery’s own Taproom in Letterkenny. Tours are also on offer for anyone looking for a peek into the brewing magic.
Private Guided Tours
at 18 square kilometres. A great idea for a day out is to take your hire car and make the five-kilometre journey from Burtonport to the island via the ferry service.
The island has a way-marked trail leading from sandy beaches to the rocky summit, with views of the mountains on the mainland. The freshwater lakes give you the chance to try to land some brown and rainbow trout.
Sea anglers can hire equipment and a boat and have a go at landing some of the abundant fish in these parts. There are ling, conger eels, turbot, cod and plaice to be caught, not to mention the Irish wrasse, a real rough and tumble fish that needs careful handling. For more traditional seaside fare, Buncrana in Inishowen is popular with day-trippers. John Newton wrote ‘Amazing Grace’ here in 1748, after surviving a shipwreck.
You have to head for the beautiful sandy Lisfannon Beach, or you might try out the oldest nine-hole golf club in Ireland, known as the St Andrew’s of Ireland. For a bit of r’n’r later, there is The Harbour Inn. The town also acts as a convenient base from which to explore local beauty spots. For an experience that is mystical as well as beautiful, try the Mamore Gap, and the holy well of St Eigne, a source of local pilgrimage for centuries.
For a visit to one of the last of Ireland’s mature oak forests, visit Rathmullan Wood, in Glenveagh National Park. The park itself is a joy to spend time in, comprising 170 square kilometres of blanket bog and wooded hillside on the shores of Lough Veagh (Lake of the Birches). It contains the largest herd of red deer in Ireland and thriving pairs of golden eagles. Visit the frequently snowtopped Mount Errigal, and the 19th-century Victorian idyll Glenveagh Castle, nestling snugly in the Derryveagh Mountains.
When you’ve finished all that hiking, diving, climbing and exploring, how about a day out with the family?
For something different and animal related, try Wild Ireland, in Burnfoot. It’s an animal sanctuary, with European wolves, lynx, brown bears and other wildlife, including birds on its lake. They are living together as they would have done hundreds of years ago, and a trip here, with its play park and shop with gifts, acts as a conservation lesson too.
Then, there is the Castle Adventure Open Farm, near Ballyshannon, built on the grounds of the 17th-century Wardtown Castle, now an impressive ruin in its own right. Kids should be accompanied by an adult, and contact with the animals is strictly supervised. One advantage of this attraction is that it is not seasonal; a winter wonderland is promised every year.
Being a largely agricultural area, animals are crucial to Donegal, none more so than the horse. Horses have been co-workers, a means of transport, and more recently, material for the many riding schools, such as Malin Stables in the north or Donegal Equestrian Centre near Tullan Strand. What better way to blow away the cobwebs than a gallop along the Lag Shore? They’ll ask you to muck in as well, which may not endear you to siblings who have to share the car journey home.
Days out in Donegal can often turn to nights out. And what more spectacular way to finish a holiday than with a glimpse of the aurora borealis, or northern lights? Inishowen is the best place to witness this phenomenon, and Malin Head, the northern-most point in Ireland, is the best position.
Clear nights in September, October, March and April are the best time to view, though be careful not to walk across the lenses of overexcited photographers, for whom the place is a mecca. It’s no wonder they used the location for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. ■
L Glenveagh National Park I Glenveagh Castle
DON’T MISS
Our top things to see and do when visiting this picturesque region
1
Beautiful beaches I Melmore Head, known as Ireland’s most mysterious, secluded beach. It can be reached at low tide. You follow the Wild Atlantic Way until you get beyond Downings, cross some fields where you may meet friendly donkeys, then climb to an opening between two small hills. Then stare at the glorious beach loved by adventurous sun worshippers.
2
Visit An island paradise
Take an off-the-beatentrack trip to Gola Island (below), which is atmospheric and two kilometres from the mainland. Ferries run from Magheragallan, the place was uninhabited but is now being repopulated. And as well as the lovely beaches, there’s incredible birdlife with everything feathered including razorbills.
3
Get to a Gaelic football GAA match
These affairs are in the words of a recent star player “clannish”. That is, fiercely fought, and if you are lucky enough to attend the All Ireland final or a county match between rivals, very exciting. Donegal Senior Football team were Ulster champions in 2024, and are worth following.
4
Explore Oakfield park
If you’re in Donegal, put Oakfield Park at the top of your bucket list. The park’s crowning glory is a 4.5km narrow gauge railway with diesel and steam trains. Enjoy a magical train ride through 100 acres of manicured parkland as the train passes through flower meadows, beautiful woodlands, willow tunnels, oak circles, boardwalks, heritage trees, a wooden causeway and sparkling streams and lakes.
5
Take a fabulous walk k
Take a walk to Glenevin Waterfall in Clonmany on the Wild Atlantic Way. It’s amazingly beautiful and is located at the top of a short two-kilometre hike through the woods there. The water cascades down around 10 metres and the Irish name Pohl-an-eas refers to the foam on the water.
6
Follow a pilgrim trail
Tourism started in a way via pilgrimage so go back to the beginning with a visit to a key spiritual Donegal site, St Patrick’s Purgatory. It’s an ancient pilgrimage site on Station Island, Lough Derg, made famous by poet Seamus Heaney. It’s a cave where the saint who chased away the snakes and Christianised Ireland was reputedly shown the entrance to purgatory by Jesus Christ. Whatever you believe, it’s special.
7
Raise a glass
Take a Kinnegar Brewery tour. Named after Kinnegar Beach, it’s just north of Rathmullan. This independent Irish craft beer producer, part of a flourishing industry, produces great beers that are not filtered or pasteurised and rely on natural yeast fermentation. Tours showing the whole process (and no doubt enabling you to sample the end product!) run from June to September on Wednesdays and cost 10 euros.
Visit Fr McDyer’s Folk Village Museum, aka Glencolmcille Folk Village, in the Gaeltacht or Irish speaking region
8
Absorb some folk history I
Visit Fr McDyer’s Folk Village Museum, aka Glencolmcille Folk Village in the Gaeltacht or Irish speaking region. Here you can enter thatched roof replicas of an Irish “clachan”, the collective term for small cottages. Dating from the 18th-20th centuries, you’ll discover the real texture of life then, its hardships and pleasures. There are guided tours, and the village overlooks the beautiful Glen Bay Beach.
9
Experience a full Irish breakfast
Start your day with a full Irish and make sure you include soda bread, potato farls (a rich potato bread, yummy when fried) and spicy black pudding.
10
Cook Donegal style
Sian and Cindy from Donegal Wild Atlantic Flavours host cookery classes focusing on baking, bread making, and preserves, all the while celebrating the seasonal produce of Donegal. Learn to bake traditional Irish Soda Bread or Wheaten Bread and learn a little about their history; join a beer, bread and chocolate master class; or ferment your own kombucha with cacao husks. ■
SHOPPING
Shopaholics will love this region for its eclectic mix of boho-chic boutiques, high-street staples and quirky independents
County Donegal has around five main towns, the largest being Letterkenny with a population of around 22,000, a lot of countryside and many beautiful villages. While not perhaps the most obvious place to indulge in retail therapy, there are many delightful small outlets, decent shopping malls, art galleries, corner stores and Donegal tweed suppliers to help you spend your euros.
There is also the institution that is McElhinneys of Ballybofey. A truly top-end department store dating back to 1971, it attracts customers from across the county
Donegal boasts many delightful small outlets, art galleries & corner stores
and beyond. The simple reason is that McElhinneys offers luxury goods and clothes, pays attention to customer service and creates an enjoyable customer experience.
Back in the groovy decade, the 1960s, founder John McElhinney earned the money to start his empire by selling domestic products door to door in his Dodge van. He did so well, already espousing the qualitygoods philosophy, that he was able to buy a shop in 1971.
His first shop was on Glenfin Street, but within eight years, Mr McElhinney was
able to move to the store’s current spacious premises on Main Street, Ballybofey. There were challenges, such as the flood in 1985 and the firebombing in 1987, but McElhinneys survived and now employs over 200 staff. Its buyers travel the world looking for exciting new brands and designers to bring back to Donegal.
So, what can the eager shopper expect? Lots of style and labels for men and women, such as Joseph Ribkoff Jacquard designer knitwear, Tommy Hilfiger suits and jackets, dresses by Marella and Kevan Jon.
They have Superdry sportif numbers, as well as glorious parkas and cocktail dresses, catering for all age groups. If retro animal prints, checks or geometric designs are in, and let’s face it, they recur every few seasons, McElhinneys will stock the best examples. Their wares are not always cheap, with dresses over the 120-euro mark, but you’re paying for design, quality materials and a touch of class.
They have kids’ clothes with, at the time of writing, some seriously cute outfits for girls by Agatha Ruiz de la Prada. They also stock men’s clothing, with a wide range of casual wear by labels like The North Face, as well as quality tweed suits, tuxes, occasion suits by Remus Uomo, you name it. Again, these clothes aren’t cheap, but will last and create an image. Homeware isn’t left out either, with super goods by the likes of Sanderson.
Shopping malls
Away from this much-loved store, there’s a whole world of shopping to enjoy in Donegal – malls, for example. Carndonagh, at the northerly end of County Donegal, has a small but perfectly formed example.
The Carndonagh Shopping Centre ticks boxes for the shopper in a hurry, but do check individual retailers’ opening hours first. You can pick up some on-trend, very affordable gear at Global Fashions. It’s perfect for T-shirts, shoes with a nice range of boots, children’s clothes and men’s togs too.
Blank Canvas Cosmetics will help you complete the look, and hosts occasional demonstrations, so you might get lucky and bag a makeover. The Party House sells everything for a fun celebration. There is also a pharmacy and supermarket here. If you want a snack or hot drink afterwards, try the popular Flaming Grill.
Letterkenny, nicknamed the ‘cathedral town’, as it contains St Eunan’s Cathedral, is Donegal’s largest city. It has two shopping malls – firstly the Courtyard Shopping Centre has a range of impressive shops, and one USP is the fact your first hour’s parking in the
car park is free. The range of shops includes a barber’s shop and Atomic Hair Design for women and men. There is The Lemon Tree Restaurant for hungry shoppers; The Bookmark store, formerly Eason’s, for keen readers; and a Polish grocer with deli, U Violki Polski.
Letterkenny’s other mall, the Letterkenny Shopping Centre, also contains a good range of shops. Here you have the fashion outlets Zone and DV8, and Vodafone to upgrade your mobile. There is a branch of Tesco and Penney’s, the Irish name for Primark. If you want to get healthy, there is the well-stocked health-food shop, The Natural Way. And, if you fancy some decent soda bread or scones, there is McGettigan’s Bakery.
For those who want something a little different, you might want to knock on Tweedy’s door, opposite McGrory’s Hotel in Culdaff. This is a home business run by the lady who turns Donegal tweed into super bohemian clothes. She has tweed hats and caps for men and women, ponchos, lovely l
L Visit Magee if you’re after a suit to remind you of Irish style.
j Main Square, Donegal Town
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items for children and a lot of knitted clothes.
If you want a larger specialist tweed shop, Triona Design in Donegal Town not only sells exquisite Aran sweaters and tweed clothes, but actually demonstrates the traditional weaving technique. Remaining in Donegal Town, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to gift or speciality shops. Hanna Hats of Donegal is a legendary purveyor of hundreds of great tweed hats, just the thing for striding out in rain and wind over the landscape, or simply for looking the part. You could also find a deerstalker here if you want to look like Sherlock Holmes.
Another spot to hunt for the perfect tweed outfit is Glendowen Craft Shop, in Clonmany. Using Donegal tweed woven by two acclaimed companies, Magee’s and McNutts, Ann McGonigle creates a range of desirable clothes with a hand-crocheted finish. There are coats, jackets, capes, wraps, tunics, hats, bags and even jewellery made from tweed also available via the online shop, glendowen.com. Taught to sew and crochet from an early age by her mother, Ann infuses the ancient material with contemporary style.
The warmest Irish welcome awaits you at Mc Auliffe’s Craft Shop in the seaside village of Dunfanaghy. For four generations, this much-loved business has been renowned
for sourcing the best of Irish clothing, craft and design. Having celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020, this is more than a gift shop; it’s an entire Wild Atlantic experience, built on a foundation of family, cherished by locals and visitors alike.
Forget Me Not, in Donegal Town, offers classy, locally produced Irish craft items. Drop in here for beautiful scarves and throws made by local craftsmen, Celtic jewellery, household goods, including the posh Annie Sloan range of household paint, and lovely stuff to cart home post-holiday.
Remaining on the clothing theme, Magee Clothing offers a gloriously classy range of men’s and women’s clothes. This is definitely the place to go if you’re after a quality jacket or suit that will remind you of Irish style.
Donegal Craft Village, again in Donegal Town, gathers together some seriously talented craft-producers. If you’re into beautiful glassware, sisters Elaine and Lynsey McGonigle have set up a glass business, and produce eye-catching jewellery, unusual large sculptures and functional plates.
For an unique souvenir, Lynn Costello Erskine makes an eco-friendly range of letterpress and linoprint products using centuries-old print practices. All her work is completed, as it was centuries ago, with
Mc Auliffe’s Craft Shop, Dunfanaghy
the help of ‘Florrie’ – the affectionate name given to a rescued and restored treadle-based letterpress platen dating from 1872.
Then, there are the felt works produced by textile artist Michelle McKee. She uses unspun wool to make hand-felted pictures that capture the atmosphere of the region, inspired by the landscape, the dramatic skies and the animals in the area.
If you’re after something unashamedly Irish, head for Giftworld in the centre of town. Here, you’ll be able to browse through green T-shirts, leprechaun-decorated clothing, Aran scarves and so on till your heart’s content.
Buncrana
Another town with a nice variety of independent shops is Buncrana. If you’re into jewellery, you’re in luck, as House No. 35, formerly The Jewel Casket, has a decent range of rings and watches alongside handmade knits and leather goods. And, if shoes are your thing, head to Grants Shoes for stylish footwear. Women can choose from a great range of shoes and boots. They stock labels such as Ara and Tamaris, whose black boots are on trend. They sell bags too. Men will find a Clarks range, including black leather brogues, at a good price, and Morgan and Co’s fine Bron leather lace-ups, plus fashionable Rieker footwear. You may well want to buy some art when you’re in Donegal as a more permanent reminder of your visit than your photos. Selling galleries are dotted all over the county. The Silver Birch Gallery & Studio, not far from Letterkenny, has work by artist-owner Sharon McDaid. She offers her moody, modern, often highly coloured limited-edition prints from 60 to 220 euros. In her Birds Collection, there’s a lovely canvas titled ‘A Crow and Sliabh Sneach’, which shows the big bird and the hazy outline of the great mountain.
The Art House, in Dunfanaghy, has beautiful, quite expensive, modern work by artist-owner Brian O’Doherty. He has moody, misty prints of landscapes, and unusual paintings, such as ‘Monkey Business’ showing a simian figure on bare branches.
Meanwhile, cooperative and studio shop, Local Hands Art Gallery and Craft shop, in Ballyshannon showcases artists and makers from Donegal, Fermanagh, Leitrim and Sligo. Look out for Rossa Byrne’s jewellery made from 2,000-year-old old bog oak and Jim McIntyre’s driftwood carved sea spirits.
In the Falcarragh area of Donegal, An Gailearaí is a gallery focusing on contemporary visual art, showcasing established and aspiring artists with a focus on work that reflects Irish speaking Gaeltacht
culture. Past exhibitions include soundscapes by Donegal composers and a collaboration of artwork reflecting human interaction with the Irish boglands and their folklore, mythology and traditions.
For something completely different, a visit to Inishowen Bogwood Sculptures, in Bocan outside Culdaff, gives you the opportunity to buy a piece of art made from a material that is as ancient as the landscape outside the studio. This material has been carbondated, and is reckoned to be 6,000 years old. Mary Doherty uses various types of bogwood, including bog oak and yew, and the resulting shapely artworks now sell around the world. She sells well in America, and Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, acquired a bogwood map of Donegal. When Derry politician John Hume was joint recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998, Mary Doherty was commissioned to make him a sculpture marking the award. There are shapely bog deal candlesticks on offer, as well as attractive geometric necklaces and large-scale sculptures.
Finally, if you need to do some food shopping, County Donegal has great chains, such as the peerless SuperValu, where you can snap up delicious salmon, among other things. But there is also the great Donegal institution that is the corner shop.
One superb example is McGuinness’, locally known as Bernard’s after the late founder and proprietor, who also owned the wonderful pub next door. It stocks the basics, including excellent gammon and a fantastic range of bread, but also has a nice, affordable range of wine, good groceries, including jars of cloves to go with the ham you’re cooking for dinner, newspapers, buckets and spades for the kids, plus Irish lotto tickets and a decent Donegal welcome. ■
Creatives at work; Donegal Craft Village
EATING OUT
County Donegal is a foodie’s paradise with a host of fantastic restaurants, cafés and pubs – so make sure you bring a healthy appetite
The trend towards using local and seasonal produce makes County Donegal one of the best places in Ireland to find a good restaurant. It’s easy to work out why – the cattle and sheep in the fields provide great meat, while the county’s 1134-kilometre coastline provides the best fish and seafood.
At one of Donegal’s most historic hotels, the Castle Grove Country House Hotel, near Letterkenny, they
do beautiful things with the catch of the day. The dinner menu boasts a starter of ginger soy cured salmon with lemon dressing. Carnivores are well catered for too, with roast Irish beef sirloin cooked with a fresh vegetable remoulade. They also do a big Sunday lunch and cater for vegans.
Moving to Inishowen, there are wonderful local restaurants and gastropubs that follow the same
food philosophy. In the pretty village of Culdaff is McGrory’s Hotel, with its restaurant and legendary front bar, where you’ll be spoilt for choice.
The Evening Standard picked it out as one of the best bars in the world a couple of decades back, and they’d still be right. A few years ago, the family-run outfit was taken over by another branch of the McGrory family, and the menus have been successfully updated. Fish of the day
McGrory’s Hotel, Culdaff
could be sea bass or hake cooked to underline freshness.
If you’re into subcontinental cuisine, i.e., curries, you should check out McGrory’s Curry Night on the last Friday of the month. You need to book, but will enjoy chef Kamal Rai’s blended spices, which create unique dishes based on topclass ingredients, such as Doherty’s lamb, Noone’s free-range chickens and Portavogie prawns.
Café culture has flourished during the pandemic. The village has a popular café, Cul an Ti, whose sophisticated menus are satisfying a growing number of customers. Think Beachwood smoked mackerel and cucumber sushi, or a delectable selection of blue corn tacos.
Superb seafood
A few miles away, Kealy’s Seafood Bar, in Greencastle, is famous for its seafood chowder, described by fans as thick and creamy with decent chunks of proper fish. This family-run restaurant, founded in 1989 by James and Tricia Kealy, who converted his father’s pub, is the place to choose for a special night out. Many people come here for seafood, but on the meat side, try the slow-cooked boeuf Bourguignon with celeriac purée.
The bar food is pleasing too, with Foyle Bia Mara Mussels mariner for 13.90 euros. A dinner for two, with wine, featuring imaginative dishes, such as monkfish sambal baked in banana leaf with coconut rice and mango pickle, will cost around 90 euros.
The Red Door Country House, near Buncrana, overlooks Lough Swilly, and, after a walk to work up an appetite on part of the Wild Atlantic Way, you can dine on a Thursday, Saturday or Sunday in a property built in the same year as the French Revolution, 1789. The à la carte menu contains dishes that arise from the landscape of Donegal including wild ingredients: local meats, wild herbs and wild mushrooms. The mains include barbecued duck breast in hoisin served with raspberry honey glaze. To finish off, if you have room, order a chocolate fondant.
In Carndonagh, Simpsons Bar and Restaurant has been feeding hungry locals and visitors since 1911. The attractive wood-beamed interior is the place to go for big portions of hearty, sometimes-retro food. Try their 8oz gammon steak with pineapple and real (not oven) chips, or their monkfish scampi or buttered cod and chips. Champ is of course available as a side.
Afterwards, there’s a vast Simpsons’ Crunchie Sundae, based on the eponymous chocolate bar, served in a tall glass dish. Simpsons also has what it has described as the most northerly nightclub on the island, with good cocktails.
Sophisticated salads
The Butterbean Restaurant, on The Diamond in Carndonagh, serves a gloriously Donegal mix of hot drinks, a special cream tea, plus all kinds of breakfast options, and a lunch and dinner menu.
There’s a fry for every appetite from the ‘Mini’, something of a rarity in Ireland, with a single sausage, one rasher of bacon, cubed potatoes, eggs and beans for 8.95 euros, to the ‘Belly Buster’. There are also wraps and paninis, sophisticated salads, plus an open prawn sandwich on wheaten bread for 12.95 euros. In the evening, the Butterbean serves 50/50 burgers (steak and chicken), a chicken stacker and a retro chicken Maryland at 16.95 euros
Ballyliffin is not only known for
its world-class golf course; you can eat well here too. Nancy’s Barn, which looks the part and dates from the 19th century, offers world-class seafood chowder. That’s official, as in 2017, chef-proprietor Kieran Doherty and his team won the World Chowder Championships, against stiff competition from American outfits in the home of chowder. Their lunch menu does what it says on the box with sandwiches, paninis, baked potatoes and the like, while also offering ‘Nancy’s Ultimate Seafood Platter and a few good vegan options such as Nancy’s own Kerala spiced cauliflower burger. Families might be amused by their kids’ menu, which consists of ‘I’m Not Hungry’ (chicken goujons) and ‘How Much Longer’ (a ham and cheese toastie).
Old world charm
Moving away to Moville, the Inish (as in Inishowen – not a typo!)
Fusion Wine Bar and Bistro now opens Wednesday to Sunday, and offers casual dining with a certain flair. They can accommodate 40 diners in the main restaurant and 25 in the lower dining area. They run promotions, and offer an early-bird menu, with two courses for 19 euros and three for 22 euros. From the à la carte menu, you can start your meal with another chowder, this time Aunt Lily’s Greencastle seafood version, served with Irish scone bread. As you l
The Red Door Country House, Buncrana
Lurgybrack Open Farm is a special place where all the family can spend the day together seeing the animals and having fun. There is ample space to play safely, wander by the riverside, walk or just sit back and unwind with a tasty snack from our tearoom or have your own family picnic.
Admission fees: €10 Per Person. (2) Adults & (2) Children €38. Booking not essential.
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Sourcing all of their products in Donegal their locally roasted Columbian coffee bean is going from strength to strength and with a wide choice of espresso based coffee, teas and fresh bakes available all you need to do now is sit back and enjoy the view!
Find us at the only place to be, the mighty Killybegs, in Co. Donegal!
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KILLYBEGS SEAFOOD SHACK
Enjoy freshly cooked seafood from the Killybegs Seafood Shack located on Main St in Killybegs. Takeaway fish & chips & a variety of delicious seafood options, all cooked to order in Irelands premier fishing port.
WE ARE OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 12:30PM TO 7:30PM IN OUR COURTYARD.
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might expect, there is steak as a main dish, but the Inish also provides chicken Maryland, cooked traditionally and served with champ. Desserts are a strength here, with Belgian waffles on the menu, plus the cheesecake of the day and the oh-so-delectable calorie-fest that is the chocolate fudge cake.
Further south in Glen Village, the Olde Glen Bar is one of Donegal's oldest (Circa 1768) and most famous bars and restaurants, brimming with old world charm. The bar, still lovingly known as ‘Mary’s of The Glen’ after prior proprietor Mary McLaughlin who owned the premises from 1970-2010, is woodclad with low ceilings and an old flagstone floor; it boasts a generous gin and whiskey list and local beers on tap. To eat, you have a choice of a chic restaurant with a fourcourse menu for 75 euros (booking recommended) or the Bia Box, a wooden shack in the garden serving delicious soups and sandwiches.
The Traveller’s Inn is a wayside pub in Milford that ticks many of the country-pub boxes. Its welcome relies on the staff and the pub grub. Their most popular dishes include a warm chicken salad and delicious pizzas for around 12 euros. In the pudding department, there is a home-made cheesecake flavoured with the unique Donegal non-alcoholic fruit
Letterkenny in East Donegal has several very good restaurants
drink, Football Special.
Letterkenny, Donegal’s largest town, situated in East Donegal on the River Swilly, has several very good restaurants. The Brewery Bar and Restaurant, which is open seven days a week, has a modern interior, and its philosophy is to enable clients to enjoy a good meal without breaking the bank.
You can enjoy three courses for around 35 euros. Start with the shredded salt and chilli chicken or, you guessed it, a seafood chowder. The main menu, which changes from season to season, will include fish – possibly an oven baked salmon. For pudding, there is a chocolate brownie with all the sweet trimmings, and a selection of ice creams.
Buncrana, Inishowen, also boasts quite a few decent restaurants. If you want to go Indian, try the Sherpa Indian & Nepalese Restaurant on the town’s Main
Street. It proclaims that its menus provide a fusion of traditional dishes with a European twist. There is certainly an interesting range of possibilities, with familiar and not so familiar culinary offerings. On the early-bird menu, starters include vegetable pakora and chicken and aloo tikkas. Followed by a choice of korma, bhuna and gorkhali, with three three courses for 25.90 euros.
So far, so familiar, but on the dinner menus you get Tareko jhinga machha, a yummy Nepalese speciality of deep-fried tiger prawns cooked in a crispy batter, and aloo kerau chatpat, spicy potatoes and peas with fresh chillies, spring onions, ginger and coriander served in a spicy papad bowl next to the ubiquitous onion bhaji. Or you could try a shared Nepalese starter, the Momo with Achar, which is dumplings with a choice of chicken or vegetable fillings served with barbecued tomato and coriander chutney.
Then, you could move on to tandoori offerings, including a glorious mixed grill with chicken and lamb tikka, chicken tandoori and sheesh kebab. There are also biryani dishes, a long list of curries and some great traditional desserts, such as the gajar ka halwa, a traditional Nepalese dessert made from carrots, milk and cinnamonbased masala, served with ice cream.
Further north, overlooking the wild Atlantic at Malin Head, is the Seaview Tavern. Specialising in seafood sourced from the local pier and from Greencastle Harbour and meat from acclaimed local butcher, Ronald Boggs of Malin Town. Starters include baked crab toes with garlic butter, or, of course, a creamy seafood chowder with wheaten bread. The mains include a range of chicken dishes, some good steaks and burgers, and fish and chips plus Donegal mussels and a crab linguine dish (which has been mentioned on local radio!). There are vegetarian options and a children’s menu too. The pub is white painted, and is, of course, near the magnificent ocean – a fitting place to leave Donegal’s dining scene. ■
The Seaview Tavern, Malin Head
Only here for the weekend? Fear not! Here are some ideas for a memorable short break
WEEKENDER
DAY ONE
The most famous tourist route hereabouts, the Wild Atlantic Way, stretches up Donegal’s magnificent west coast and on to Malin Head, famous as one of the locations in the Star Wars movie The Last Jedi It’s 90 metres high with views of Scotland on a good day. So begin your 48 hours here and feel the force. For a snack before your trip, sample cafés nearby, including Caffe Banba in Carndonagh or buy their tray bakes and coffee at their popular van on Malin Head itself. Afterwards, drive to the even bigger Sliabh Liag or Slieve League, sea cliffs measuring 600 metres. The best place to get a photo is from the Bunglass Viewpoint. This is serious hiking territory and the Slieve League Tours bus hire operator make the ascent a doddle for visitors who want to explore but can’t get there by coach. They run a guided shuttle service to the viewing point from the car park at the Slieve League Visitor Centre.
The cliffs are also great if viewed from the sea, so check out the Sliabh Liag Boat Tours (April to October). The Nuala Star boat is often joined by dolphins and seals. After the adventure, you’ll need some ballast, so pub lunches can be found a short drive away. There’s Mrs B’s Coffee House and The Rusty Mackerel, a traditional Irish bar serving Seafood Crumble and Catch of the Day in their flag-stoned bar with fish caught at night and delivered fresh to the door every morning. A good overnight base is Donegal Town. If you make the hour or so trip in the afternoon, you could fit in a few holes of golf. There is an excellent links course at Murvagh.
You’ll build up an appetite so head to an eatery like Quay West which overlooks Donegal Bay and has a locally sourced menu. Try an Irish starter like Killybegs haddock smokies with Cheddar herb crust, then for your main a steak or maybe fish again with a wild Atlantic hake. Afterwards, you have to find a local pub for a nightcap. The Reel Inn is a good option to catch some traditional Irish music and has a great atmosphere.
DAY TWO
The next morning, there is lots to do in the area. For example, you might take another boat trip, this time round Donegal Bay. The Donegal Bay Waterbus tour is deservedly popular with families but be warned, the guide’s jokes are cheesy.
For lunch, a good option is somewhere like the Olde Castle Bar and Red Hugh’s Restaurant. The afternoon’s activities should
include a trip round Donegal Castle. This is right in the centre of town, was constructed as a fortress by the O’Donnell chieftain in the 15th-century and has 17th-century additions. Unusually for a castle, it’s furnished with Persian rugs and lovely tapestries.
The history is satisfyingly bloody and will make you think about Anglo-Irish relations. If the fighting makes you crave a bit of peace, satisfy your spiritual side with a short walk to the Abbey of the Four Masters nearby. Now ruined, this
17th-century Franciscan monastery was where four scribes, the four masters, set down the holy history of Ireland. In the afternoon, for rail and history buffs, there is the Donegal Railway Heritage Centre with all kinds of kit commemorating the two narrow gauge railways that used to operate here.
Indian food is popular here, so try the Chandpur Restaurant in town. To finish off, how about a bit of a hooley somewhere like The Abbey Hotel’s Abbey Bar with jazz or a good cover band. ■
Culture vultures assemble! County Donegal offers the perfect mix of galleries, museums, exhibitions and festivals
Culture Club
For a fairly sparsely populated part of the world, County Donegal has a robust arts scene and sense of culture. There is a strong live-music tradition; the visual arts flourish here, partly because of the beautiful landscape available to painters; and the county where the great playwright Brian Friel chose to live has a real literary tradition too.
Festivals are the place to go for a flavour of the arts here. Mr Friel’s legacy continues after his death with imaginative events such as the Festival of Lughnasa Glenties, an exciting new arts festival that
ties in the old pagan Celtic festival of Lughnasa, which marks the beginning of the harvest season, with performances of Friel’s play Dancing at Lughnasa in his native Ballybeg.
Summer also brings the enchanting Mary from Dungloe International Arts Festival, a community based festival which has been held annually since 1967. It hosts a parade featuring colourful floats, Irish dancing, art workshops and activities for families and a pageant with contestants sharing their talents in traditional Irish
music, rock or modern pop. The winner, crowned ‘Mary From Dungloe’, acts as an ambassador for the festival and Irish culture for the following year.
Arts Festival
The Earagail Arts Festival is a big event, or as it’s described, ‘16 days of music, theatre, visual arts, film, literature, circus and carnival’. Its programme is also very eclectic. You can tap your feet to the Donegal Female Fiddlers, or Mna na bnFidleacha, as this is a bilingual English/Irish festival. There are
Balinese statue guarding the entrance to Glenveagh Castle in Glenveagh National Park
all shades of folk, with Donegal’s own duo, Without Willow, are regular performers. Recent performances include a Catalan street artist Joan Català who builds an extensive sound installation with the participation of the audience; the captivating harmonies and innovative musical arrangements of Malin sisters The Henry Girls; and an Afro-Brazilian Dance Masterclass.
If you like rock, you’ll really enjoy the annual Rory Gallagher International Festival. This rock and blues shindig is a tribute to the brilliant guitarist from Ballyshannon, who died too young, and features his kind of music, with groups like Band of Friends. Rory Gallagher beat Eric Clapton to Melody Maker’s Top International Guitarist one year. But he started out in one of the Irish show bands that flourished from the 1940s to the 70s. They covered early pop, and brought glamour to town and village halls around Ireland. A recent photographic exhibition in Donegal County Museum conveyed the flavour of their entertainment.
Celtic melodies
Possibly the best-known group from these parts is Clannad, which means family in old Irish. Formed in 1970 by members of the Brennan family in Leo’s Tavern in Meenaleck, they
If you like rock, you’ll really enjoy the annual Rory Gallagher International Festival
created a commercially successful sound. A folk-crossover band, they were the first group to sing in Irish on Top of the Pops.
Their haunting Celtic melodies became internationally known when they provided the soundtrack to the TV drama Harry’s Game (1982), which dealt with the Northern Irish Troubles. Latterly, members of Clannad, including singer Moya Brennan, who has had a solo career, can be found jamming some weekends in Leo’s Tavern, their father’s bar where it all began.
Music is in the air in Donegal. International singing star Daniel O’Donnell, one of Ireland’s bestknown performers, was born and brought up in the village of Kincasslagh, in the scenic west of County Donegal.
In McGrory’s Hotel, Culdaff, there used to be a recording studio, and the famous Backroom has long been a venue for top gigs. Ralph Rolle, best known as the drummer from Chic, gave a masterclass in rhythm here. There is a regular lineup of concerts, plus live traditional music in the front bar.
There is also the music of language, and Ireland has always been associated with great poets. Glebe House, a Regency-style rectory, 18 kilometres from Letterkenny, in the parish of Gartan, a regular haunt for W B Yeats, hosts regular arts events, and recently presented Donegal poets Moya Cannon and Annemarie Ni Churrain in an event sponsored by Poetry Ireland. Moya Cannon has a contemporary take on things, but celebrates beauty in the Irish manner. In ‘Two Ivory Swans’, she describes a small ivory carving in the British Museum, made long ago, traded “before they were dropped down time’s echoing chute/to emerge, strong-winged/ whooping…”.
Glenveagh Castle, in Glenveagh National Park, is another mustvisit. The architect appears to have imitated the style of earlier Irish Tower-houses adding an air of antiquity to the castle. Its construction in a remote mountain setting was inspired by the l
Rory Gallagher International Festival. Overleaf: Balor Artys Centre, Ballybofey
Victorian idyll of a romantic highland retreat.
If you want to go to the theatre, Letterkenny has the answer. The An Grianán Theatre, a 383-seat venue, opened in 1999, and offers a terrifically varied programme. You get drama, music and dance, plus there is The Coffee House in the theatre foyer Café, where you can go and discuss the performance afterwards. They’ve had an evening with Jake Carter, singer, and brother
of Nathan Carter, who won Dancing with the Stars.
In terms of straight theatre, the one-woman show titled What Good Is Looking Well When You’re Rotten on the Inside? by Emma O’Grady did well. The play honoured her late grandfather, who left a patchwork of stories and poems, dealing with everything from love to leprechauns, on cassette.
Playwright Brian Foster’s new adaptation of his critically
acclaimed Maire A Woman of Derry has also played here. Recently, audiences enjoyed Arthur Riordan’s vibrant adaptation of James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. For the youngest members of the audience, there was a theatrical event recently called I am Baba.
A night at the opera
There is opera, too, at the An Grianán, with Tales of Hoffman being performed by the Irish
National Opera. By contrast, the popular show Oh, What a Night celebrates the uncut talent of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. There are also drama classes for children, and the theatre hosts conferences – most recently on a perennially hot topic, the prospect of a United Ireland.
At the Balor Arts Centre, on Main Street, Ballybofey, you get two strands of programming – one community targeted, the other
commercial. The theatre puts on shows like Irish actor and standup Conor Gallen’s health-service comedy Off Your Trolley. Carry On lives! They also feature Hairspray and The Elton John Show.
Well, the old joke has it that there are only two kinds of music in Ireland – country and western. This is the newest purpose-built arts centre in County Donegal, and their arts philosophy is inclusive. They cater for everybody. So, you might be tempted by drama from the great Irish playwrights, with JM Synge’s Playboy of the Western World on the programme or the Frances Browne Literary Festival.
On the other hand, if you’re a Queen fan, you might prefer the performance by Flash Harry fronting a tribute band to the never-knowingly understated Freddie Mercury. The arts centre’s community work involves initiatives like their Youth Theatre programme, introducing young people aged from five to 14 to the excitement of stage work.
Though the Donegal Youth Musical Theatre Group has unfortunately gone, there are crossborder initiatives, such as Staged Beyond, which, though based in Derry/Londonderry, reaches out to many actors based in Donegal. It specialises in getting adults with learning difficulties involved in theatre, and had a cleverly reimagined social-media-era production of Hamlet broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Dance is well represented in this part of the world. If fast and furious folk dancing is your thing, there are regular Scottish ceilidh nights at Harvey’s Point hotel, outside Donegal Town. Their Burns Night celebrations have become something of a tradition. The Gary Blair Ceilidh Band provides suitable jigs and reels, there’s a Burns Supper for 69 euros, and it all takes place in the Garden Suite.
Of course, there’s Irish dancing too, with its characteristic stillupper-body choreography. You might catch a Ceilidh dance as well as great sounds at the annual Ballyshannon Folk and Traditional
Music Festival that takes place over a weekend in August.
For the fancy version, you should look out for a feis or arts event, including competitions. At the Dominican Academy and Four Master’s Feis, held in various Ballyshannon locations, you’ll get a glimpse of the Irish dancing tradition at its most theatrical and fun, with the wigs, dresses and energy.
St Patrick’s Day
It’s definitely worth catching one of the local St Patrick’s Day parades, with floats and costumes, across the county from Bundoran to Letterkenny if you’re around on March 17.
To complete the picture, we must not forget the Donegal artists. You’ll find Irish artist Stephen Bennett’s work on show (and for sale) at his studio near Ardara. His oil paintings can be rich, loose landscapes with no fear of a bold palette. But, like many previous Irish painters, including the great Jack Yeats, he also does figures, including studies of that recurring figure, the Irish fiddler. You see other musicians painted in pubs, including Deirdre Devine’s distinctive work in Inishowen.
For the really modern stuff, return to Glebe House, where ceramicist Con Lynch produces refined work in the ancient Japanese style. Patrick Scott had his last show here, called Image Space Light, with marvellous abstract motifs, like floating gold circles.
The house, for 30 years the home of noted artist Derek Hill, is now run by the Office for Public Works, and boasts a mind-blowing collection, including work by Picasso, Kokoshka, Stanley Spencer and Cornish artist Alfred Wallis. The art is informally arranged and definitely worth a visit to Gartan.
And finally, for traditional craft and a sense of the big ocean, a guy called Willie Doran from Inishowen captured it all in massive, beautiful canvases. See them in McGrory’s Hotel, Culdaff. He also made small, decorative, typically Donegal turf houses, which sum up the culture hereabouts. ■
The night-time economy in the city is thriving, packed with clubs, pubs, bars and live music venues
After dark
Nightlife in County Donegal can be defined by where the after-eight fun takes place. Club nightlife is thriving, for those who want a bigdecibel night out, and that often ties into the cocktail culture which exists here, as in the rest of Ireland.
Then, there is the pub culture, more traditional, often involving a pint of stout, i.e., Guinness, or the fashionable craft beers created by local breweries. It may also involve some live music of the traditional Irish kind. And anybody who’s spent a night listening to, and maybe even dancing to, glorious jigs and reels
won’t quickly forget it.
Why not begin, though, with the cocktail bar definition? There are plenty of nightclubs around in this not-overpopulated, large Irish county, where the residents – and lucky visitors – certainly know how to party. Starting near the northerly point of Donegal, Simpsons Bar and Restaurant, in Carndonagh, has a club, Tul Na Ri, which is geographically top of the island, and in the groove every Saturday night. There’s an eclectic music programme, including hip hop and Prince, plus a dance floor that lights
up your moves.
Expect the usual great sound and light systems. Plus, if you’re celebrating a birthday, they have a room for 300 guests to make merry in. In Letterkenny, the biggest town and therefore club central in Donegal, there’s the Voodoo Venue for great cocktails and mighty craic.
If you support Donegal and can get hold of a shirt proving it, you might get a free Donegal shot in one of their promotions. Voodoo Vintage nights get good reviews. Expect traditional décor, nice service, smiley bar staff and decent
Pulse Venue club, Letterkenny
music. The drinks also star, with the wide-ranging cocktail menu. Hen parties are welcome here.
At the big on-trend Pulse Venue club that’s making Letterkenny’s night-time happening, you have the choice of six rooms, nine bars and lots of styles to enjoy, and the evening starts at 11pm. You might head for the Living Room for wine and cocktails. Or you could head for the Pizza Shack for great Italian food and a chilled time away from the big sounds. DJs include Laid Back Luke, and Ireland’s favourite genre, country and western, is well represented by the likes of Johnny Brady. Sister Sara’s won the Regional Atmosphere award, and has a terrific party vibe, promising action until late. It’s the perfect place for hen and stag dos. Doors open at 11pm.
For bespoke cocktails try Warehouse Bar + Kitchen. Guided by the mantra ‘high-end, low-key’ this intimate cocktail bar, owned by McGettigan’s Hotel, has several varied food menus ranging from street food (ribs, sliders and wings)
to salads and burgers, with good gluten-free and vegan options. The bar opens late and hosts DJs playing a mix of soulful funk and party classics to live bands playing rock, pop and everything in between, in a smart industrial space. The music line-up at weekends is special, and The Blizzards have guested.
Bundoran is also notable for its annual Sea Sessions Surf & Music Festival, one of Ireland’s most highly respected festivals, and widely recognised as the country’s premier music, camping and surfing lifestyle event.
A different definition of the great night out comes via County Donegal’s more traditional bar and pub culture. Nancy’s Bar, in Ardara, is a perfect example of the genre. Undeniably Irish, the bar boasts a celeb endorsement from back in the day when James Joyce loved the place. Today’s drinkers and diners repeat the compliment, with reports of oysters and Guinness still hitting the spot. Described as homely and quirky, the seafood gets top reviews,
with a faultless prawn sandwich.
At The Reel Inn, Donegal Town, you’ll get the full Irish pub experience bar none. There is live Irish traditional music here seven nights a week all through the year. Recently in new hands, it was created by musician John McMenamin and his partner Denise Doherty; John still comes back to play the best of Irish tunes, jigs and reels. Expect the bodhran (drum), accordions, fiddles aplenty and real joie de vivre. Once winners of the Best Pub in Ireland award, they have a refreshingly old-school approach to what makes a good night out.
There is no TV – people won’t be distracted by big screens – but there is music and conversation that “runs the length of the bar” in Ms Doherty’s words. And, if you have the skill, you can pick up an instrument and join the band making music.
The Corner House, in Ardara, has a similar philosophy and proud history. Older than The Reel, it has a lineage of great landlords, running l
The Warehouse Bar & Kitchen, Letterkenny
from Francie Canon, who also owned the corner shop, through the Sharpe family, to current landlords Peter Oliver (who also runs the Central Bar) in partnership with Eamon McNalis and Stephen McCahill.
Musicians come here to play trad-Irish music from all over the world. It’s the place to savour a drink, a chat and the sounds of musicians, like Paddy O’Rourke on the fiddle and mandolin. Reviewers talk of the special atmosphere, and it’s mentioned quite a bit as the best night people can remember. Anybody who can carry a tune is welcome to join in for a few bars or so. This is one to put on the list.
Then, there is The Rusty Mackerel, in Teelin, just outside Carrick Town. Situated at the foot of Slieve League Mountain, this is such a traditional Irish bar, with music and everything you’d expect, the social media accounts repeat the adjective quite a few times. Expect open fires, that indefinable quality, character, and the sort of friendly service and more-than-decent food –
especially seafood – that gets people using exclamation marks. A couple of tourists who had completed the local pilgrims’ path declared themselves total converts. It’s the sort of thing Ireland does well.
Bundoran boasts a range of different bars. The Chasing Bull has a good reputation, and is the ideal place to catch up on the football scores or who’s ahead in the Open.
The nicely named Kicking Donkey & George’s Bar looks traditional from the front, but these pubs offer something slightly different. There are all the characteristics of a decent Irish bar – the drink, customer service and so on –but on Thursdays at 10pm, The Kicking Donkey, well, kicks off. On Trenchtown Thursdays, you’ll hear not fiddles but guitars, and will get a night of roots, rock and reggae.
As one enthusiastic local said, “It’s some spot”. It also hosted comedy nights, mid-week Jam sessions and trad music. Recently, it welcomed the first Donegal Bay Pride after party with drag performances.
Leo’s Tavern, in Crolly, is the spiritual home of the Irish music that, via the super-talented family who grew up here, took over the world. The original pub, now modernised, was bought and opened in 1968 by Leo and his wife, Maire Brennan. They ran a serious musical pub, and when their offspring showed abilities, you could have heard the originators of that mystical Celtic Clannad sound trying out some songs here. From time to time, you still can, and Moya Brennan returns with other members of the family.
The youngest son, her brother Bartley, owns the pub now, and it’s still first class. Come and down a jar or two, and you’ll know what the Irish bar is all about. It’s an institution; nothing like the bars abroad, which change something special into a bit of a caricature.
It’s been said the best place to solve all the world’s problems is over a pint, preferably a Guinness. That’s true in these places. This is why people come to Donegal. ■
The Rusty Mackerel, Teelin
Although County Donegal has more than enough to keep you busy, a journey further afield can make for an exciting new adventure
Time to explore
If you’re staying in County Donegal for more than a couple of days and want to venture further afield, you should first head south to explore the rest of Ireland.
You can fly or hire a car and drive but however you get there, Dublin is a fantastic city to start with. Compared to some capital cities, it’s compact but that means you can explore it easily on foot or via the useful, green liveried trams. Its history is vivid, spanning Viking invasions, a lot of rebellion, civil war and much else. It is a city of stories and writers too, with James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and Maeve Binchy having nailed its identity.
The four-star Trinity City Hotel, with its quirky décor and courtyard restaurant, overlooks Pearse Street. It’s near St Stephen’s Green, a lovely space with wildfowl and swans that saw the brave, doomed stand by Irish freedom fighter Constance Markievicz and her men against the English. To complete the picture of the Easter Rising, you should also see the Post Office in O’Connell Street, complete with bullet holes.
Step back in time
Kilmainham Gaol is the place some of the rebels were incarcerated and killed. It’s got a slightly sinister atmosphere and afterwards, you may want to shake off the oppressive hand of history by dining in local restaurants with a good vibe like URBAN8 or Cinnamon. Nearby is the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Guinness Storehouse on the River Liffey which offers tours and tastings.
Temple Bar sometimes gets a bad rap as a tourist trap or party hotspot, but there’s more to this trendy Dublin area than meets the eye. Visit the Irish Film Institute,
an art house cinema, or the Project Arts Centre, a multidisciplinary venue that’s home to theatre, dance, music and visual arts. Sip some cocktails at the Vintage Cocktail Club or pop into the Dollard & Co Food Market (reopening soon after refurbishment) a trendy dining spot on Wellington Quay.
If you want some retail therapy, you could drop by the 19th-century George’s Street Arcade which is a hodge podge of shops and snack bars. It’s worth buying a sausage roll at Lolly and Cooks then you could look for some unusual gifts at Designist.
Many other cities will give you an authentic Irish experience: Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway. Galway has a hipster hotel called the g, owned by milliner and local boy Philip Treacy. The décor is unique, with silver balloons, ceramic animals, pink rooms and chic ornaments, but it’s a very comfortable place to stay. And Galway offers pubs, music, an arts festival, everything you’d expect. As you tour the place, you may well be mentally playing Ed Sheeran’s version of hit Galway Girl.
County Kerry is another possibility for anybody who loves nature and a good time. The famous Ring of Kerry is a must-see. It’s a 179-kilometre-long circular tourist route in County Kerry, SouthWestern Ireland.
Ring of Kerry
Clockwise from Killarney it follows the N71 to Kenmare, then the N70 around the Iveragh Peninsula to Killorglin – passing through Sneem and other beautiful spots. Scenic majesty doesn’t get much better than this and there are guided tours revealing the ancient sites to visit.
County Kerry is another possibility for anybody who loves nature and a good time
Plus there are adventure activities like kitesurfing in Rossbeigh, to indulge in along the way.
In Killarney see Muckross Abbey and chill as you look at the spectacular views and three lakes at Ladies’ View, where Queen Victoria’s ladies in waiting did the same thing. You can also hire a bike and cycle your way through Killarney National Park.
If you head to the west of Ireland, you may want to visit Sligo and get poetic. William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), probably Ireland’s
best-known poet, although there are a few contenders, spent childhood holidays here. He also wrote the place into our imagination via poems like the Lake Isle of Innisfree. You probably know the opening – “I will arise and go now/And go to Innisfree” – and those beautiful lines about the bee-loud glade. Well, if you engage with this landscape, you’ll be channelling all of that. In terms of tourist activity, it’s good for kids here with the Happy Days Adventure Play Centre and the Irish Raptor Research Centre where l
Killarney National Park, County Kerry
you can learn all about the eagles that still fly above the mountains. There are plenty of places to stay including the attractive Waterfront House, Enniscrone.
Game of Thrones
If the natural grandeur and the big birds have put you in the mood for some ancient storytelling, head up North. Game of Thrones by George RR Martin is the gold standard of mock-medieval violence, passion and generational conflict, almost up there with Shakespeare if you’re a fan. The TV series was partly filmed in the dramatic Northern Irish landscape of County Down, County Antrim and County Londonderry. So it’s worth taking the trip back up North to Ulster to find out more.
You can get to Belfast by air or road from Dublin. Then you have a variety of tour operators who cover the Game of Thrones locations. Winterfell Tours offer a range of exciting journeys to the territories of the frozen North.
Castle Ward near Strangford is
the 18th-century National Trust property that features in a lot of the action. The Stark family home, Winterfell, was recreated here and you can visit the medieval-style set, but as a health warning, watch out for the White Walkers. In fact, you can re-live Mr Martin’s epic tale in various ways. For the adventurous, there is an Archery Movie Set Experience.
You get to stand on the exact spot on set where Jon Snow and Robbie Stark taught young Bran the ancient art of archery, dress up in costume and enjoy the thrill of firing live arrows. There are cycle tours of Game of Thrones locations and if you book a Glamping Overnight Mini-Break you get the bike tours and the archery thrown in.
Other tour operators explore the fantasy world, including Game of Thrones tours who offer coach trips to the area with, as promised, Stark and Iron Born cloaks, swords, shields and helms available for use at no extra cost. This is also the real Westeros experience.
Tourist hotspots
You could also try out McCombs Tours. They are award-winning and are the people who transported the actors on and off set and make a good pitch, offering five-star tours. You get costumes and props, a view of the spectacular Dark Hedges in Ballymoney aka The King’s Road, the Cushendun Caves, plus Giant’s Causeway and the scary enough Carrick’a’rede rope bridge. Private deluxe tours can be arranged. And their selling point includes the fact Kristian Nairn, Hodor in the show, once joined some excited tourists on the bus.
When you return from Westeros, it’s worth checking out Northern Ireland’s capital. Belfast is burgeoning and has a lot to offer in terms of entertainment, food, drink, bars and of course, a fair few Titanic attractions. This is the place that launched the magnificent ship that tragically sank and the Titanic Belfast, set in the very boatyard where the great ship was built, is very impressive.
Having got the full, moving tale of Titanic, you should step aboard the sister boat, the SS Nomadic. This was the White Star Line’s ferry, built by the same ship builders and with the same architectural detail including a staircase like the Titanic’s. Once on board this miniature version, you’re standing in the same place as the ill-fated passengers who boarded the supposedly unsinkable liner from Cherbourg.
If you need a drink afterwards, why not sample the quality of the beer at the Crown Bar, one of the few pubs that is also owned by the National Trust. This famous Victorian gin palace with its oldfashioned booths, local food (the Irish stew is authentic and filling) had a starring role in Odd Man Out, the 1947 noir movie featuring James Mason. Opinions vary as to whether they filmed there or built a set based on the real bar: either way, there’s history.
Before heading home, it would be good to check out Derry-
L Derry City Walls, DerryLondonderry j Game of Thrones Studio Tour, Belfast
Londonderry, dubbed Strokestown because of its dual Irish-British identity. This will teach you a lot about the Troubles and the way the island of Ireland became divided although once you cross the river Foyleside, heading up from Belfast, you happily encounter a sculpture symbolising Peace, the Hands across the Divide monument.
There are good bars here, including Blackbird, a very popular eatery with drinks near the bus station. You should wander round the famous and complete 17thcentury Derry City Walls with their cannons, one named Roaring Meg. Built as a defence against Donegal raiders, they achieved fame when the apprentice boys defied the plan to surrender to Catholic King James, triggering the Siege of Derry which eventually put the Protestants on the winning side. Actors re-enact scenes from Derry’s lively history near the city’s Guildhall. Take a tour, enjoy the views and then if you take a cab or bus north, you are back where you started, in beautiful Donegal ■
