Donegal Town Attractions

	Donegal Bay Waterbus To get the full benefit of a visit to Donegal Town, a trip in the waterbus is a "must". The 1.25-hour cruise explores the history, environment and wildlife of this unique estuary, which is renowned for its vistas of mountains and sea. The boat is weatherproof, comfortable and completely safe (and it has a toilet for the inevitable emergencies). The waterbus passes the war-damaged ruins of the Priory, once the home of the chieftain Red Hugh O'Donnell and his saintly wife Nuala, where the first history of Ireland was penned, by the scholars called the Four Masters. You will see the St Ernan's causeway, built as a thank-you to a benevolent landlord who saved many from starvation
	Donegal Castle Built by the O'Donnell chieftain in the 15th century, beside the River Eske, the Castle has extensive 17th century additions by Sir Basil Brooke. The Castle is furnished throughout and includes Persian rugs and French tapestries. Information panels chronicle the history of the Castle owners from the O'Donnell chieftains to the Brooke family. Limited access for people with disabilities to the ground floor. Location: In the centre of Donegal Town. Guided Tours: Available every hour. Max. No: 35. Duration: 30 mins
	Magee Tweeds Magee Weaving nestles gently in the heart of Donegal Town, in the most north-west corner of Ireland. Established in 1866 all of the cloth was originally handwoven. Over the years Magee has developed into a small fast response mill which prides itself on “delivering quality on time”. All of our cloth is woven in Donegal and apart from some of the high-tech linen finishes all of the cloth is also finished here, where the science and alchemy of the peaty waters from the River Eske mixed with a little heat and old-fashioned soap create the softness of touch and handles; synonymous with Magee’s luxurious Donegal Tweed.
	Abbey of the Four Masters (The Old Abbey) Sitting in a peaceful spot where the River Eske meets Donegal Bay, this ruined Franciscan monastery was founded in 1474 by the first Red Hugh O'Donnell and his wife, Nuala O'Brien of Munster. It was generously endowed by the O'Donnell family and became an important center of religion and learning. Great gatherings of clergy and lay leaders assembled here in 1539. It was from this friary that some of the scholars undertook to salvage old Gaelic manuscripts and compile The Annals of the Four Masters (1632-36).
	Donegal Railway Heritage Centre The Donegal Railway Heritage Centre commemorates the operations of the County Donegal Railways Committee which operated two narrow gauge railways in County Donegal from 1863 until 1959. The centre, opened in 1995 and housed in the old station house in Donegal Town, was restored by the County Donegal Railway Restoration Society. Today, it operates as a visitor attraction comprising a museum, information centre and shop. On display are rolling stock, historical artefacts and an audio-visual presentation on the railways’ history.

	Donegal Golf Club (Murvagh) If you have not taken the opportunity to play the magnificent links of Donegal Golf Club you may reconsider putting back the trip to the great wall of China for a few years and heading to Donegal instead.. The links which was originally designed by the late Eddie Hackett has returned to Britain and Ireland’s top 100 courses list in recent years due in no small part to extensive design upgrades by Pat Ruddy who has gained the deserved reputation of “master of links design” world-wide.
	The Bank Walk If you cross Boyce's Bridge on the Killybegs road you will come across the beginning of the Bank Walk to your left. This 2.5 km walk is a delightful way to relax for an hour or two. The Bank Walk follows the west bank of the River Eske as it empties into Donegal Bay and offers a stunning view of the Old Abbey Green Island and Donegal Bay. The walk commences just past the stone bridge on the Mountcharles Road on the left.
	The Diamond The centre of Donegal Town where the fair day took place up until 1967. The layout of the town is credited to Basil Brooke and takes the shape of other market towns in the North - a triangular marketplace flanked on each side by houses with streets radiating from each side. In the centre you will see the 25 ft. tall obelisk which was erected in 1937 to commemorate Donegal Town's 17th Century historians (Michael O'Cleary Peregrine O'Cleary Peregrine O'Duignean and Fearfasa O'Maolconry) who wrote the Annals of the Four Masters a history of Ireland from early times.
	Rossnowlagh Beach Rossnowlagh is one of Ireland's and Europe's best Blue Flag surfing beaches. As the slowly rising beach faces westward into the Atlantic Ocean, and the fact that Donegal Bay has a funnel-like shape, it can increase the size of the waves, especially in winter when some huge rollers are generated and it has been known to have waves up to 7 metres (20 ft) high. Rossnowlagh has good safe facilities and has excellent water quality. Rossnowlagh has many visitors during the summer months and is very popular as most of the beach is accessible by car which is suitable for young and old alike.
	The Bluestack Mountains The Bluestack Mountains or Blue Stack Mountains, also called the Croaghgorms (Irish: na Cruacha Gorma, meaning "the blue stacks"), are the major mountain range in the south of County Donegal, Ireland. They provide an almost impassable barrier between the south of the county, such as Donegal Town and Ballyshannon, and the towns to the north and west such as Dungloe and Letterkenny. The road between the two parts of the county goes through the Barnesmore Gap.