Things To Do in Donegal Bay Coast
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Donegal Bay Coast Attractions
The rugged coastline around Donegal Bay is wild and beautiful. The rocky land careens toward the dark blue Atlantic, where the roads end just short of the icy water. Roads corkscrew so tightly that it will almost make you dizzy, and the main speed limit is the one you impose on yourself, as speeds much above 55kmph (35 mph) are dangerous. That’s just as well, since the spectacular views will cause you to stop again and again to take in the rolling hills, jagged mountains, bright green fields, and crashing seas.
The richest pickings on Donegal Bay are all to be found to the north of Donegal Town; to the south, the attractions are certainly fewer. However, a couple of villages are worth stopping by, plus a sandy beach or two. Sporty types, however, are much better served—some of the best surfing in Ireland can be found in the southern part of the bay, as can some of the best golf courses in Ireland.- Neighborhood
Ballyshannon (Béal Átha Seanaidh)
The first proper town you’ll come to on a drive south of Donegal Town is this busy, pretty little town, built on a hill, with a 15th-century town center. Some claim (rather dubiously) that Ballyshannon is the oldest town in Ireland, in part because traces have been found of permanent… - Neighborhood
Glencolumbkille (Gleann Cholm Cille)
An extraordinarily beautiful outpost overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Glencolumbkille is sited in a lush green valley, west of the dark boglands. It is said that St. Columba established a monastery here in the 6th century and gave his name to the glen (its Gaelic name—Gleann Cholm… - Natural Attraction
Slieve League
It’s surprising that these towering sea cliffs aren’t better known, because they’re almost three times the height of their far more feted southern cousins, the Cliffs of Moher, and arguably even more spectacular. Needless to say, given the remote location, they also get a tiny…
Donegal Bay Coast Nightlife
Southern Donegal Bay After Dark
In summer Rossnowlagh is a hub of social activity. People flock to the Sandhouse Hotel on the beach for the nautical atmosphere of the Surfers Bar.
Farther south, the Thatch Bar at Dorrian's Imperial Hotel, Main Street, Ballyshannon, County Donegal (tel. 071/985-1147; www.dorriansimperialhotel.com), holds nightly sessions of Irish traditional music in summer. It also has one of those straight-from-a-postcard Irish exteriors that are impossible to pass without stopping to take a photo. Inside, you can stay in one of the chintz-draped bedrooms for around €85 a night for a double.
