Holidaying In Donegal

Donegal sits perched on the most north-westerly tip of Ireland and is considered one of its most beautiful and unspoilt places.  Donegal is typified by its dramatic towering sea cliffs (the highest in Europe), rolling lush hills and stunning beaches. It’s also here that you will find the Gaeltacht regions where the Gaelic language and culture still thrives.  A holiday in Donegal is a chance to truly experience Ireland; its history, heritage and landscape. Whether it’s just the two of you taking a relaxing get away break or the whole family on the annual holiday Donegal is well worth a second look.

Play in Donegal

This is an ancient land and has been settled for thousands of years which means there are plenty of opportunities to experience history. Visit the Grianan of Aileach circular stone fort perched over the Inishowen Peninsula, the Malin More megalithic tombs or the Beltany Stone Circle. Learn more about these early times at the Donegal County Museum where you will see finds from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age and early Christian and Medieval times. In more recent times Donegal was one of the areas worst hit by the great famine with many families forced to emigrate to America. To gain some insight as to what it was like to live and survive at this time take a trip to the Workhouse at Dunfanaghy where these exhibitions recall the desperate days of the famine period and examines what life was like in the Workhouse.

You can’t holiday in Donegal and not get out into the great outdoors. Walking in the lovely Glenveagh National Park and Mountains will take you to loughs, glens, forests and the amazing Glenveagh Castle. If you’re ready for a real hike scale the Errigal Mountain which is one of the highest in Ireland or take a guided walk in the Slieve League and Glencolumkille Peninsula. 

Stay in Donegal 

Once Donegal has worked its charms and enticed you to its shores you’ll need to find the best place to make your holiday home. Just like the scenery, the choice of Donegal holiday cottages, guest houses, hotels and bed and breakfasts is diverse. There are lost of ways to research where to stay – ask friends for a recommendation, carry out a Google search, look on one of the many Donegal accommodation directories or contact the local tourist information centres. But first you’ll need to decide where you want to stay and the type of holiday home you’re looking for. Is it a tranquil, rural retreat, a lively town house, a character cottage, comfortable modern house or a seaside cottage. You need to decide whether you want a home from home, getting away from the crowds with your own self catering cottage or whether you want the convenience of a hotel stay.  Research from Tourism Ireland shows that most visitors to Ireland prefer to stay in rented accommodation such as self catering cottages. It gives them the freedom to stay where they want, even stay in different places as they tour Donegal. It’s a home from home where people can dine when they like, kick off the boots after a hard day’s walk or snooze in front of the open fire. Great for just relaxing.

When you’re looking for a Donegal holiday home you’ll have lots of choice – Imagine Ireland, the leading Irish holiday cottage provider has nearly 100 properties in Donegal alone. If you’re wanting to really experience Donegal why not stay in a traditional thatched cottage. These are often located in coastal areas such as Glencolumbkille, Killybegs or the Inishowen Peninsula. If you’re after a contemporary house with a modern interior and big open plan rooms there’s plenty to choose from. You’ll find this style of house all over Donegal and can expect a high standard of decoration and features. Take a look in Donegal Bay, the Rosquil Peninsula or the seaside resorts of Fanad or Portsalon.  Donegal’s economy was and still is dependent on agriculture and if you want to stay on a farm or in a rural, farmland setting you will find many larger family farmhouses in and around Rossnowlagh, Donegal Town.

Donegal is on the north-westerly tip of Ireland and so some people might think that getting to their Donegal cottage will be difficult. By taking a flight to Donegal or Derry Airport and hiring at car you will be within only an hour or so drive of many beautiful cottages. Clustered around Donegal airport are holiday cottages at Annagry, Burtonport, Dungloe, Crolly, Portnoo, Dunfanaghy, Rathmullen and Malin Head. Alternatively there are regular ferries into Larne and Belfast on the east coast and you can make the journey to your Donegal holiday home part of the holiday, touring through the beautiful counties of Antrim, Derry, Tyrone or Fermanagh.

Whichever way you choose to travel make a Donegal cottage your holiday home from home and experience this beautiful and emotive region of Ireland close up. Take a look at our Donegal Video