My wife and I have been to Ireland a couple of times and would like to spend a month in a coastal village on the northwest coast. We plan to go in August so are looking for somewhere not overrun with tourists. We will have a car to explore with. We like to hike and golf, and also enjoy the pub scene. All ideas and thoughts welcome.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
3014 posts
On our most recent trip to Ireland we spent a week near the village of Dunfanaghy in County Donegal. The town itself has an interesting history and is close to a number of scenic drives to some of the most spectacular seascapes in Ireland. We found it to be central for day trips over to Derry in NI, the Ulster-American Folk Park near Omagh, and virtually all of the sites of interest in Donegal itself: Glenveigh, Slieve League, Glencolmkille, etc. that are all easy day trips by car.
The only guide we found that adequately covered the area was "Back Roads Ireland" from DK publishing - lots of good info in there about off the beaten track attractions that you won't find anywhere else. Can usually pick up used copies on Amazon for just a few dollars.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8002 posts
Two Ireland trips ago (Sept. 2019), we spent 3 weeks, first visiting northwestern Ireland, then working our way, clockwise, around the Antrim Coast, then down to Dublin. We spent a couple of nights in Dunfanaghy, staying at The Mill B&B. Dunfanaghy was listed in the Rick Steves guidebook, mostly for The Workhouse museum just up he road from The Mill. There was nary a tourist in sight, except for us. The Mill’s small restaurant offers pretty fine dining for dinner. Dunfanaghy is waaay far north, and we needed our rental car to reach it, and then go beyond.
Farther south in the Northwest, we stayed in and enjoyed Clifden, a more substantial town. We also enjoyed Leenaun, at the end of the Killary Fjord, Ireland’s only fjord. North of that, Achill Island was a wonderful visit, with gobs of hiking opportunities, and somewhat remote. There are lots of islands surrounding Ireland, and Achill is connected by a bridge, so no ferry necessary.
I can’t offer suggestions about places in the Northwest convent for golfing. On our last Ireland trip, Spring 2023, we were in southern/southwestern Ireland, and had a long talk at our B&B with golfers saying there, who were playing many courses in that part of Ireland.