Planning a trip to Donegal Town
Visitor Information
The Donegal Discover Ireland Centre is on Quay Street, Donegal Town (074/972-1148). The seasonal Ardara Heritage Centre (074/954-1704) is on the main road through Ardara; it’s closed from November to Easter. Admission costs €2.54, €1.27 seniors and students, and €0.63 children 13 and under.
Town Layout
The town is laid out around the triangular central mall called the Diamond, where the roads from Killybegs, Ballyshannon, and Ballybofey converge. Main Street and Upper Main Street, which form the prime commercial strip, extend northeast from the Diamond.
Fast Facts
In an emergency, dial tel. 999. Donegal District Hospital is on Upper Main Street (074/972-1019). The local Garda Station is on Quay Street (074/972-1021).
Donegal County Library, Mountcharles Road (074/972-5329), is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 3 to 6pm, and Saturday 11am to 1pm and 2 to 6pm. Internet access is free (for the time being), but there is a limit of 1 hour per session. Book ahead.
The Donegal Post Office on Tirconnail Street (074/972-1024) is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm.
Getting Around
Easily walked, Donegal has no local bus service within the town. Taxis park in the Diamond, or call Jim Johnston (tel. 074/972-1349) or Brendan McBrearty (tel. 074/972-3420).
There is a pay parking lot along the quay beside the tourist office and off Main Street.
A booklet outlining the signposted walking tour of Donegal Town is available at the tourist office and most bookshops.
Getting There
By Bus -- Bus Éireann (www.buseireann.ie: 074/912-1309) operates daily bus service to Donegal Town from Dublin, Derry, Sligo, Galway, and other points. Buy tickets in advance online for the best price.
By Train -- Trains in this part of the country are extremely scarce. Donegal Town no longer even has a train station. You can catch a train as far as Sligo and then switch to bus, but it’s easiest to take a bus all the way.
By Car -- The only practical way to get around the remote attractions of County Donegal is by car. If you’re driving from the south, Donegal is reached on N15 from Sligo or A46 from Northern Ireland; N56 is the main road from Donegal Town circling around the rest of the county.
By Plane -- Donegal Airport, Carrickfinn, near Letterkenny (www.donegalairport.ie; 074/954-8284), also known as Carrickfinn Airport, is very slowly growing as a budget airline hub. Currently a couple of scheduled flights connect per day with Dublin, and about one flight per day with Glasgow in the U.K., all operated by Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com; 1890/800-600).
