20 Attractions to Explore Near Caves of Maghera

A beautiful white sandy beach located beneath Slievetooey mountain and some are accessible at low tides from Maghera Strand. There are over 20 caves, 8 arches and 5 tunnels which can be visited, ideally by Kayak or other small craft, and would be enough to sate the appetite of any explorer.

A majesitc irish waterfall located 8km from Ardara. The waterfall, named Eas a’ Ranca in Irish, is set in idyllic surroundings close to Maghera Beach and is one of the real gems in County Donegal. Even during periods of beautiful weather the waterfall continues to flow but it is on a rainy day that the true beauty of Assaracana Waterfall comes to light.

This is a winding section of road which links Glencolmcille to our beautiful Ardara. The route is a very popular road to take on your way back from Slieve League. If you’re in search of scenic drives while visiting Donegal, you’ve found a mighty one here. Over the course of your spin, you’ll encounter quiet open countryside, plenty of green fields, narrowish roads and sheep.

The Kilclooney Dolmen is a portal-tome or dolmen, prominent on the skyline north-north-west of Ardara. It well displays the classic features from which this type of monument derives its name. The monument comprises a huge capstone approximately four by six meters, supported by two 1.8 meter uprights, known as portals and a back stone on which the capstone rests. A notable feature of the back stone is the chocking stone.

Inishkeel is a small tidal island and a townland off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland. The closest village on the mainland is Narin. The island is located in Gweebarra Bay around 250 m from the coast. A sandy tidal bank connects, with low tide, the island with the mainland.

The Glencolmcille Folk Village is a reconstruction of the historic homes and dwellings of the Glencolmcille area in South West Donegal. It is a cluster of several small cottages, called a ‘clachan’, perched on a hillside overlooking the sandy curve of Glen Bay Beach in the Gaeltacht of South West Donegal. Designed, built and maintained by the local people, the Folk Village is one of Ireland's best living-history museums.

This a very impressive beach just a few kilometers outside the fishing port of Killybegs on the south-west coast of County Donegal. In summer this makes a good destination for a family day out with plenty of opportunity to play beach games, build sandcastles and splash around in the waves. The sandy beach is backed by dunes and grassy hills and provides a vast open space.

A hidden gem of a beach that is easy to miss travelling from Glenties to Dungloe in Co Donegal. Long sandy beach with sand dunes. There is a surf school here called Wild Atlantic Surf School.A blue flag beach at the heart of Donegal. Nearly 2km of golden sand, sand dunes of special significance, safe for swimming, surfing and bathing.

The Slieve League Cliffs are located about an hour's drive west of Donegal. It is one of the outstanding natural wonders of the Wild Atlantic Way. With a height up to 600 metres, these steeply sloping cliffs are one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. Slieve League is often photographed from a viewpoint known as Bunglass. It can be reached by means of a narrow road that departs from Teelin.

This stack sits off the right-hand side of the sliver strand beach by Malinbeg. This beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Donegal. Access to the stack is by a wee bit of coasteering for as far as you can from the right-hand side of the beach. A high tide approach simply paddle out direct from the beach.

Mountcharles Pier is set within a small expanse of flat land, densely populated on the rising ground immediately behind it by a dense field structure. The area was originally known as Tamhnach an tSalainn. This refers to a salt mine in the area. It was renamed Mount Charles by the local 17th century landlord Charles Conyngham after himself. Charles Conyngham was a direct ancestor of the current Lord Henry Mountcharles of Slane Castle in County Meath famous for it’s music festivals.

The Fintown Railway is the only operational railway in Co. Donegal. Set amidst spectacular highland scenery overlooking Lough Finn. It is the only operational narrow guage railway in County Donegal. The railway nestled deep in the heart of spectacular mountainous scenery steeped in tradition, myth and folklore, and running along the crystal clear waters of Loch Finn is a million miles from the constant rush of every day life.

Bluestack Mountains, also called the Croaghgorms, are the major mountain range in the south of County Donegal, Ireland. They provide a 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. It is one of the iconic attraction in this area and also offers beautiful views too.

Donegal Castle was once one of the most important strongholds for one of Ireland’s most powerful clans. The castle consists of a 15th-century rectangular keep with a later Jacobean style wing. The complex is sited on a bend in the River Eske, near the mouth of Donegal Bay, and is surrounded by a 17th-century boundary wall. There is a small gatehouse at its entrance mirroring the design of the keep.

Donegal Railway Heritage Centre is considered one of the county’s hidden gems andToday, it operates as a visitor attraction comprising a museum, information centre and shop. This fascinating museum which has just been refurbished, celebrating Donegal’s railway heritage, is based in one of the few remaining original station houses, which opened in 1889.

This old graveyard known as the Famine Graveyard and also the Paupers Graveyard is the site of the burials of victims of the Great Irish Famine 1845-1849 and of the poor generally. There are no marked graves. There are probably hundreds of people buried here, possibly a thousand or more. It lay nearby the old Donegal Town Workhouse. A lone cross and a few plaques commemorate the burials.

Cruit Island is one of the main islands of the Rosses, now joined to the mainland near Kincasslagh. The island resembles a harp just enough to allow the more poetically minded to opt for that derviation. Cruit is one of only two inhabited islands in the Rosses, the other being Arranmore, a big change from the time, just a generation ago, when most of the islands of any size were populated.

Lough Eske is a small lake in County Donegal in the west of Ulster in Ireland. The lake lies to the northeast of Donegal Town, to which it is connected by the River Eske. The lake is about 900 acres in size and is surrounded to the north, east and west by the Bluestack Mountains, which occupy much of southern County Donegal.

Owey Island is a 300 acre island off the coast of west County Donegal, Ireland.The island's highest hill, Moylemore, is at 102 m.The buildings of the island are located on its southern part, being the northern one rocky and exposed to winds. On Owey there is no mains electricity or public water supply. It is one of the iconic attraction in this area and also it offers beautiful views too.

Leo’s Tavern is one of Donegal’s most famous pubs. It is named after Leo Brennan, an extremely popular and accomplished musician in his own right but also the father of Enya and 3 members of the renowned Clannad band – Moya, Ciaran and Paul Brennan. The proprietor Bartley Brennan is Leo Brennan’s youngest son and Leo himself continues to entertain the locals and tourists regularly.