Local Tourism Attractions

Letterkenny is a busy town with many traditional craft and art shops as well as a large selection of modern shops and shopping centres. The restaurants and pubs vary from the traditional to impressive night clubs playing all the latest sounds. Here you will also find the An Grianán Theatre, cinema complexes, leisure centres, museums and parks.

Letterkenny plays host to a number of major events. The Earagail Arts Festival, features international music, drama, art and children’s events, and takes place in July each year with over 100 events in more than thirty venues through North Donegal. The Donegal International Car Rally takes place in June each year.

Glenveagh National Park is a 20 minute drive from Letterkenny. It has a 14,000 hectare deer park in a dramatic setting of mountains, lakes, glens and woods. It has a visitor centre with audio-visual displays and restaurant. Here also is the 19th Century Glenveagh Castle surrounded by one of the finest gardens in Ireland. There are guided tours of the Castle and tea rooms in the castle.

Glebe House and Gallery is a Regency house built in 1828 set in woodland and decorated with William Morris textiles, Islamic and Japanese art. Here is housed the Derek Hill Art Collection, including over 300 works of art by leading twentieth century artists, including Picasso and Kokoshka.

Newmills Corn and Flax Mills are on the Glenties Road out of Letterkenny and here you can see one of the largest working waterwheels in Ireland. There is a 1km millrace powering two separate millwheels, one for flax and the other for grinding oats and barley. The latter was made by the Stevenson Foundry of Strabane in 1867.

Colmcille Heritage Centre. The Churchill/Gartan area is the birthplace of Saint Colmcille. This heritage centre houses an illustrated display covering the life and times of St Colmcille.

The Fanad Peninsula stretches from Milford, The Gateway to the Fanad Peninsula, through Kerrykeel to the West, Fanad Head in the north and Rathmullan and Ramelton in the East.

Portsalon, on the Fanad Peninsula, has an 18-hole Golf Course and Ballymastocker Bay beach which was once voted the second most beautiful beach in the world.

Rathmullan also has a Blue Flag Beach and, located near its harbour, is the Flight of the Earls Heritage Centre. The Flight of the Earls exhibition illustrates the the life and times of the Earls, and the aftermath of their flight, which took place in 1607 at Rathmullan.

Ramelton is home to the Donegal Ancestry Centre which is the official family history research centre for County Donegal and was established to help people trace their Donegal ancestors. The Ramelton Story is told through illustrated storyboards, artefacts, a scaled model of Ramelton town, an audio-visual display and other exhibits.

Inishowen peninsula is within a half-hours drive of Letterkenny and also offers dramatic scenery and many interesting and historic attractions.

Buncrana is the largest town on the Inishowen peninsula. The town has a leisure centre, tennis courts and basketball pitch. There are a large variety of restaurants and shops. Buncrana is host to the Buncrana Music Festival which takes place in July each year.

Fort Dunree Military Museum, in Buncrana, houses military memorabilia and an array of large guns from the twentieth century. The history of Fort Dunree is explained and recreated through a number of fascinating audio-visual displays.

The Inishowen Maritime Museum is located in the old coastguard station beside the Greencastle – Magilligan ferry in Greencastle harbour. It has magnificent views over Lough Foyle and County Derry. The themes of the Museum themes include: the Rocket Cart, Malin Head Radio Station, Sea Captains, The Drontheirm Boat, Irish Navy Service, Emigration, Shipwrecks and Greencastle Ferry.
The Museum has a Planetarium with shows illustrating the mariner’s ancient art of navigation and astronomy. Laser Light shows are also performed live, accompanied by recorded Traditional and modern Irish music.