Why we went…
I didn’t know much about Donegal before I booked this trip. We wanted to stay in a castle hotel in Ireland. I found that the most well known castles are very pricey. I did some research and found Lough Eske. It looked beautiful, and it was a 1/3 of the price of some of the others. When I google mapped the location, I found that Donegal is pretty far north and was excited about the prospect of visiting this remote county. This really inspired our whole trip through the northern part of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
How we got there…
Liam Conneely Coach services is amazing for transfers in and out of Donegal and tours around the county. We were 10 people and he could provide us with a huge comfortable bus for both of our intercity transfers. Michael, our driver, picked us up and drove us from Belfast to Donegal via the Giants Causeway, Bushmills and Dunlace Castle. Conneely Coach services also drove us from Donegal to Galway.
Where we stayed?
We stayed at the beautiful Lough Eske Castle which is a 10 minute drive from the town of Donegal. The property is spectacular. A few decades ago the castle was in ruins. They did a fantastic job of restoring it and making it a beautiful and very comfortable place to stay. The service is top notch. The staff is so kind and welcoming. The food is fantastic and there is a pub on site. The kids loved the indoor pool, and we enjoyed the spa services and the thermal room. Our family loved the carriage ride around the property and lake as well. The food was great too. We dined one night in the Castle Restaurant and the other two nights in the bar.
What we did?
Donegal Town is quaint and cute. All you need is a couple house to explore the shops and visit Donegal Castle. We also ate lunch at the Olde Castle Bar in town and it was fantastic. We used Marie and Michael Gallagher’s (gallaghercabsmm@hotmail.com) cab service to get to and from town. They are so kind!
The 1/2 day trip to the Slieve League cliffs was amazing. Driving along the Donegal coast through the small towns is enchanting. This is the picture perfect spectacular Ireland landscapes that one dreams about. The drive itself is worth it, and the cliffs are the cherry on top. They are awe inspiring. They are also much less touristy than the Cliffs of Moher. On the way to the cliffs, we stopped at a beautiful look out point, and on the way home we had lunch at the Rusty Mackerel which was one of the favorite restaurants of our trip.
The boys played golf at Rosapenna Golf Club, which is about 1h 15 min from Lough Eske in the northern part of Donegal county. The course was tough but the views were beautiful.
The Donegal Craft Village is worth a stop. We bought some beautiful pottery at Kevin Callahan Pottery.
Traveling Lyons 