A month in northwest ireland

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.

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.

Anywhere in County Donegal would be good as it gets less tourists than places further south.

In 2019 we spent a week in a cottage near Killybegs in County Donegal. It was perfectly located to explore Slieve League, Glenveagh Park, Letterkenny, Glencolmcille, Belleek, Glengesh Pass, Poison Glen. My husband played Donegal Golf Club and Narin & Portnoo Links. He thought Narin & Portnoo was the most beautiful course he ever played.
Make the drive out to the abandoned village of An Port. It feels like the edge of the world.

We spent two nights in Dunfanaghy last year (in May) and it was pleasant, but the pub scene was pretty quiet (we're big Trad fans) and it was definitely not overrun. FB was misleading about music. It would be a pretty good base to explore the area, although we never use the "base" model and assuming you want to walk to the pubs in the evening, I'd pick a larger town. I'd also spend maybe a week in four different places.

Donegal Town was much busier and The Reel was great. Westport was also good for pubs. Our next trip to the NW will include Tory Island and Sligo in addition to Donegal Town (again). We can only take three week trips, so I'm jealous.

You're living the dream! My recommendation would be to search AirBnB for a place that suits you and is available for your dates. While you're traveling during high season, many hosts offer a discount for long stays. The site allows you to filter your results for many factors (free on-site parking, sea view, free high-speed wifi, whatever your needs are), and the descriptions and reviews should tell you how far the pub is (make sure you can walk home). With a car and a month, you could stay just about anywhere. Enjoy!