Glenties

Glenties is a destination in Ulster, Ireland. Glenties (Irish: Na Gleanntaí) is a charming heritage town in County Donegal, set at the confluence of two rivers in a glen of the Derryveagh Mountains. It has won the Irish Tidy Towns competition multiple times. The town has a strong literary association with playwright Brian Friel, who set several works in a fictional version of the town. Glenties is a popular base for walking in the surrounding mountains and for exploring the nearby beaches of Narin and Portnoo.

By Car

The most practical way to reach Glenties is by car. Ulster (IE-U) is best explored with your own transport, as public connections are limited. The main roads are the N15 (Sligo–Donegal–Letterkenny), N13 (Letterkenny–Stranorlar), N14 (Letterkenny–Lifford), and N2 (Dublin–Monaghan–Letterkenny), all of which are good quality. Minor roads in Donegal are often narrow and winding — allow extra travel time.

By Train

There is no rail service within Ulster (IE-U). The nearest train stations are in Sligo (for Donegal) and Dundalk/Drogheda (for Cavan and Monaghan), where connecting buses are available. Irish Rail operates services to these stations from Dublin Connolly and Dublin Heuston.

By Bus

Bus Éireann operates services from Dublin and other major cities to Letterkenny, Donegal Town, Cavan, and Monaghan. Local bus services connect smaller towns but are infrequent, especially on Sundays. Advance route planning is essential, particularly for reaching remote coastal areas.

By Air

Donegal Airport (CFN) at Carrickfinn has flights from Dublin operated by Aer Lingus Regional. Ireland West Airport Knock (NOC) in County Mayo is an alternative for visitors to south Donegal. Dublin Airport (DUB) is about 2–2.5 hours' drive from Cavan and Monaghan.

Glenties is compact enough to explore on foot. For exploring the surrounding countryside and nearby attractions, a car is essential. The region's public transport network is limited, so advance planning is necessary for bus-based travel. In Donegal, the stunning coastal scenery rewards drivers willing to take the slower, more scenic routes.

St Connell's Museum ,

Mill Rd, Glenties F94 V258 ,

☏

+353 74 95 7880 .

M-F 11AM-3PM .

The sort of museum that should be put in a museum. The Courthouse next door, built in 1843, is still in use.   ( updated Aug 2021 )

St Connell's Church (Roman Catholic) on Mill Rd is a striking building of 1974. The roof slants almost to the ground, is it meant to be a pyramid, tent, dolmen, skateboard ramp or mountain? It won an architecture award, which is not necessarily good news for its users. The Church of Ireland church a block west of Main St is a sober affair of 1825.

Kilclooney More is a small village with a collection of prehistoric megaliths. The three best are Portal Tomb Dg 68 west side of R261, Court Tomb Dg 69 to its north, and the large Portal Tomb Dg 70 on the moor east of the road.

Lough Doon Fort is a stone ringfort, age unknown, on an islet in Lough Doon. In 2021 the fort has been closed for conservation work but you can admire it from the shore.

Dawros Head can be reached along the lane through Magheragallon. The old signal station is just rubble, but a little way east are the remains of a medieval settlement, with a well-preserved corn-drying kiln.

Golf:

Narin and Portnoo Links are in Naran F94 F433 on the coast 10 km northwest of Glenties.

Fishing on the Owenea River needs a license, which several shops can supply. Sea angling is also available.

Canoeing:

Gweebarra Canoe Club meet year round on the Gweebarra Estuary, 9 km away.

Surf at Dooey Beach, a quiet break with consistent surf.

Gaelic games: Naomh Conaill GAA play football at Church Rd, Glenties.

Sheskinamore Nature Reserve is a scenic wildlife sanctuary 20 km away, on the Rosbeg Peninsula. It borders two beaches with great views of Donegal Bay.

Walks: GAP Trail follows a former bogcutter's railway 2 km outside Glenties, a pleasant short walk.

Bluestack Way is more challenging, crossing the Bluestack Mountains from Donegal Town and Lough Eske. From Glenties it continues along River Owenea to Ardara.

Slí na Finne is a loop around Fintown Lake and Ballinamore, heading into the Bluestack Mountains and The Croaghs.

Back lanes lead from Doochary on the Gweebarra Estuary to Fintown.

Bluestack Ramblers often organise walks that visitors can join.

Ardara Walking Festival is in March around St Patrick's Day.

Fiddlers' Weekend is in Glenties at the sta

Glenties has The Thatch Bar , K2 Spices, Ali's Char Bar , and Apache Pizza .

Ardara has Taj , Mickalene's, Great Wall and Charlie's West End Cafe.

Portnoo has Michelangelo's- within the golf club, and Boyle's Cafe.

Glenties bars include O Faolain, Sonny's, Roddy's and Leo McLoone's.

Ardara has The Beehive (below), Corner House, Teague's, Nancy's and Doherty's.

The Beehive ,

Main St, Ardara .

Daily non-11PM .

Lively pub with beer garden and food.   ( updated Aug 2021 )

Portnoo has Annora , with Barretts 1 km south .

Highlands Hotel ,

Main St, Glenties F94 NT67

( The deep blue one ),

☏

+353 74 955 1111 .

This dog-friendly hotel gets great reviews for comfort and cooking. In 1960 Brendan Behan was staying, and in the early hours of the morning the police raided because the bar was serving well after hours. (The police station was right next door.) When the magistrates learned that the drink was privately served to assist Behan's "literary work", the case was swiftly dismissed.

B&B double €130 .   ( updated Aug 2021 )

Brennan's B&B ,

Main St, Glenties F94 X7TH

( The rose terracotta one ),

☏

+353 75 955 1235 .

Comfy central B&B with excellent breakfasts.

B&B double €90 .   ( updated Aug 2021 )

Marguerite's B&B ,

Main St, Glenties F94 XH66

( The deep terracotta one ),

☏

+353 74 955 1699 .

Clean friendly B&B in village centre.

B&B double €80 .   ( updated Aug 2021 )

Station House ,

Station Road, Glenties F94 AE68

( The railway brick one ),

☏

+353 83 109 9267 .

Pleasant welcoming B&B.

B&B double €90 .   ( updated Aug 2021 )

Nesbitt Arms ,

The Diamond, Ardara F94 X0RN ,

☏

+353 74 954 1103 .

Friendly comfy hotel with restaurant.

B&B

Glenties has Costcutter, open daily. The Bank of Ireland has an ATM.

Ardara has Centra, open daily. Triona sells tweed and knitware on Ardara Main St, open M-Sa 10:30AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM.

Glencolmcille west on the peninsula has prehistoric and early Christian sites.

Donegal Town is the main base for exploring the south of the county.

Dungloe is on the rugged "Rosses" coast.

This article is issued from 

Wikivoyage . The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.