Moville

Moville is a destination in Ulster, Ireland. Moville (Irish: Maigh Bhile) is a heritage town on the shores of Lough Foyle in the Inishowen Peninsula. It is a charming Georgian and Victorian town with a long promenade and a strong maritime history. Moville was an important port for emigration in the 19th century. Today it is a popular destination for angling, sailing, and exploring the beautiful Foyle coastline.

By Car

The most practical way to reach Moville 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.

Moville 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.

Church of the Sacred Heart in Carndonagh is the Roman Catholic church prominent on the mound southside of The Diamond. It was completed in 1945 in Romanesque style. Barrack Hill Park and gardens are just south.

Donagh Cross is 500 m west of The Diamond on Church Rd, junction of R238 and R244. It's a 7th century high cross, one of the oldest in Europe, flanked by two "guard stones" like Dismas and Gestas. Across the street is the Church of Ireland Donagh Church, built in 1769. Look for the ancient "marigold stone" in the graveyard. Another 400 m north, a roadside white cross marks the Mass Rock used in the Penal times.

Carrickabraghy Castle is a scenic stump north of Pollan Strand. "Carrick" means a rock, "braghy" no-one knows, maybe something rocky. From 834 to 1215 AD it often featured in "The Annals of the Four Masters", which reflected the site's importance but was not good news, as the Annals mostly recorded people hacked to death in battle. It then fell into obscurity until 1600 when the present castle was built, as part of the final conflict between Gaelic and English rule. The Gaels lost and fled into exile, and the castle was abandoned from 1665. It's free to stroll

Boat trips: Inishowen Boating sail from Bunagee Pier by Culdaff, for sea-angling and sightseeing.

Golf:

Ballyliffin GC is north side of that village. The championship course is Glashedy Links, which hosted the 2018 DDF Irish Open: black tees 7542 yards, par 72, visitor round €200. The Old Links off blue tees are 6937 yards, par 71. Pollan Links is a nine-hole Par 3 course.

Inishowen 100 is a scenic 100-mile (160-km) driving circuit around the coast of the peninsula, an easy day excursion. The route is signposted and self-evident, start anywhere, and it doesn't matter which way round.

Wild Alpaca Way is by Five Finger Strand. You get to take them walkies.

Wild Atlantic Way is the 2500-km (1550-mile) coastal itinerary starting at Moville and winding all the way south to Kinsale in County Cork. So it coincides with the Inishowen 100 through Carndonagh and Ballyliffin to Buncrana .

Dylanfest celebrates the music of Bob Dylan. It's in Moville in late August. It was held in 2023, but not in 2024.

Greencastle Regatta is in early August, with lots of shore activities.

Simpson's in Carndonagh is open for food and drink daily 9:30AM-11:30PM, along with Tul Na Ri nightclub. It's 500 m east of The Diamond.

Taste of India in Carndonagh is open M-F 4:30-midnight, Sa Su 4:30PM-3:30AM. Yes, like its namesake in Letterkenny, it serves pizza.

The Butterbean in Carndonagh is a restaurant with rooms.

Nancy's Bar in Ballyliffin is open daily 9AM-5PM, their chowder is popular.

Rosato's in Moville is open M-F 4-11PM, Sa 3-11PM, Su 12:30-11PM.

Inish Fusion bistro in Moville is open F Sa 4-9PM, Su 12:30-8PM.

Kealy's Seafood Bar in Greencastle is open W-Su 13:00-23:00.

Carndonagh has Joyce's , Glen Bar, Tully's and Persian Bar.

Ballyliffin doesn't have a freestanding bar, but Clonmaly 2 km south has a cluster: The Square, McFeely's, James Tam's, Toland's and Mac Tams.

Farran's at Malin Head is the most northerly pub in Ireland, open daily 11AM-1AM, with food served noon-4PM.

Moville has Corner Bar, Trawler Man, Susie's, Annie's, Market House and Rawdon's.

Greencastle has Ferryport Bar and Kealey's.

Ballyliffin Hotel ,

Main St, Ballyliffin F93 XT52 ,

☏

+353 74 937 6106 .

Reliable mid-range hotel, good service and food.

B&B double €110 .   ( updated Aug 2021 )

Strand Hotel ,

Shore Rd, Ballyliffin F93 TY75 ,

☏

+353 74 937 6107 .

Comfy relaxing value-for-money hotel.

B&B double €100 .   ( updated Aug 2021 )

Moville Boutique Hostel ,

Malin Rd, Moville ,

☏

+353 83 843 8002 .

Small hotel in a converted farmhouse, it doesn't have a dorm. Dog- and family-friendly.

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

Barron's in the centre of Moville is a cafe and B&B.

Cosy Cottage on Bath Terrace, Moville is a B&B and cafe with bike hire and other activities.

Greencastle B&B's include Temple View Lodge .

Connect

As of Aug 2021, Ballyliffin, Carndonagh and Moville have 4G from all Irish carriers, but there are lots of dead areas on the roads between and up to Malin Head. 5G has not reached this area.

Carndonagh has a SuperValu open daily 8AM-10PM. The "Co-op" here is a hardware store not a grocery.

Carndonagh Market is held on The Diamond Sa 11AM-4PM.

Ballyliffin has Atlantic Stores, open daily 8:30AM-10PM and with an ATM.

Moville Centra is open M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 8AM-10PM.

Derry is a fascinating city with intact 17th-century walls.

Buncrana is the main village on the west side of Inishowen Peninsula.

Letterkenny is Donegal's largest and liveliest town and transport hub.

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