County Donegal

Donegal is linked to the rest of the Republic by only a narrow strip of land, almost entirely surrounded by the Atlantic and Northern Ireland. If you're planning a trip to County Donegal, you'll find some of Europe's highest sea cliffs, deserted beaches, and villages where Irish is the everyday language. The Irish themselves call it "the forgotten county."

Landscape and Towns

The coastline is deeply indented with bays and peninsulas such as Inishowen in the north, where Malin Head marks the northernmost point of the island. Inland, the Derryveagh Mountains rise up, topped by the cone-shaped Errigal. Letterkenny is the economic center, with a cathedral and shopping streets, while the small town of Donegal, on the river of the same name, has a restored castle of the O'Donnells. Bundoran in the south is one of Ireland's best-known surfing spots, with powerful Atlantic waves and a long seafront promenade.

Sights in County Donegal

The cliffs of Slieve League (Sliabh Liag) drop roughly 600 meters into the sea, considerably higher than the better-known Cliffs of Moher. Glenveagh National Park encompasses lakes, moorland, and a castle with gardens, and is home to red deer. To the west, the beaches of Portsalon, Marble Hill, and Narin offer wide stretches of sand, often with no other visitors in sight. In the Gaeltacht around Gweedore and Glencolmcille, you can hear Irish music and language, and at the Folk Village in Glencolmcille you can see reconstructed cottages. Donegal tweed is still woven in Ardara today.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Donegal's small airport near Carrickfinn has flights from Dublin and Glasgow; more often, visitors use Derry (LDY) or Belfast and cross the open border. There is no train service, so a rental car makes sense. The best time to visit is between June and September; in winter, surfers head to Bundoran, and on clear nights you can see the northern lights at Malin Head. Local food includes seafood from Killybegs, Ireland's largest fishing port. If you're staying several days, you should drive the Inishowen Peninsula on the Inishowen 100, a loop road of about 160 kilometers, and spend the night in Buncrana or Moville. From Burtonport, a ferry crosses to Arranmore, an inhabited island with cliff paths. In summer, many villages host music festivals and regattas, and in the pubs of Letterkenny and Gweedore, bands play late into the night.