20 Attractions to Explore Near Mountcharles Pier

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.

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.

This is one of Donegal's renowned surf beaches, of Bundoran Town. It possesses an extensive network of sand dunes and is framed by a scenic back drop provided by the Sligo-Leitrim Mountains. Here the sand is white, the water is turquoise, and the rollers are impressive! Head to the village of Bundoran in County Donegal to discover it.

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.

The Fairy Bridges is a natural arch in the cliffs, with blow holes that date as far back as the 1700s. Early travellers to the area were thought to be more interested in coming to see The Fairy Bridges than to experience the natural health benefits of the area’s golden beaches and proximity to the wild Atlantic Ocean. Indeed, this natural rock formation was one of the main attractions to visit in Bundoran at the time.

The Rougey Walk is a circular walk taking in views of the Atlantic Ocean from Rougey and Bundoran's bustling Main Street in County Donegal. It is a moderate walk and care should be taken on exposed sections in windy or wet weather. The walk continues on around the headland with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Bundoran's Championship Golf Course on the other side.

A beautiful freshwater lough in County Donegal, Ireland. The lough, along with its neighbouring village of Fintown, was named after a mythological woman, Finngeal, who drowned in the lake after attempting to save her wounded brother Feargamhain. The water from Lough Finn outflows into the River Finn.

The Wild Atlantic Way on Ireland’s west coast leads you through one of the world’s most dramatic coastal landscapes, a landscape on the edge of Europe that has shaped the development of its people, communities and settlements. It’s a place to experience nature at its wildest, a place to explore the history of the Gaels and their religion; a place to experience great events, great food and drink, great music and the craic.

Waterworld Bundoran is Ireland's Premiere Indoor Aqua Adventure Playground. With over 1.5 million visitors since it first opened in 1991 the complex continues to attract families from all parts of the country who come to experience over 15 water features under one roof where family fun is guaranteed.

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.

Barnesmore Gap is that big opening between Croaghconnelagh and Croaghonagh mountains . Here in this very fine mountain pass the traveller is absolutely shut in between these two great hills as he wends his way along a really excellent road that traverses the gap. It is an area of complex geology, but its main feature is granite formed in the Devonian period, 400million ears ago. The gap held glaciers in the Last Glacial Period flowing to the Atlantic through what is now Donegal Bay.

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.

Lough Derg or Loch Derg is a lake in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. The lake is about 8.9 square kilometres in size, but is quite shallow, making it dangerous during bad weather. It has stocks of pike, perch and brown trout for angling. It is best known for St Patrick's Purgatory, a site of pilgrimage on Station Island in the lake.

St Patrick's Purgatory is an ancient pilgrimage site on Station Island in Lough Derg, County Donegal, Ireland. According to legend, the site dates from the fifth century, when Christ showed Saint Patrick a cave, sometimes referred to as a pit or a well, on Station Island that was an entrance to Purgatory. Its importance in medieval times is clear from the fact that it is mentioned in texts from as early as 1185 and shown on maps from all over Europe as early as the fifteenth century.

Lough Melvin is a lake in the northwest of the island of Ireland on the border between County Leitrim and County Fermanagh. It is internationally renowned for its unique range of plants and animals. Lough Melvin is one of Ireland's famous angling loughs offering the chance of spring salmon from February to May. Lough Melvin is also home to an endemic species of char, the Melvin charr or Gray's charr.

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.

Mullaghmore Beach is situated in North Sligo next to the picturesque village of Mullaghmore. It is approximately 3km of white sandy beach and is a very popular surfing spot. This rural sandy beach is backed by an extensive dune system and with view of Ben Bulben, overlooked by the majestic Classiebawn Castle on the headland. It is also renowned for being a base for licensed angling/passenger boats for charter, sea angling and trips to Inishmurray Island.