Donegal

I wish I had some specifics for you, but I'm in your same boat, hoping to plan a trip that includes Ireland's northwest. I guess you already have explored these sites?

http://www.govisitdonegal.com/

https://www.ireland.com/en-us/articles/destinations/donegal/county-donegal/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=TI_US_EN_PRO_EM_Donegal_NA_IOI_NA_NA_NA_ACP_Location-Donegal-Bing&utm_term=donegal%20tourism&utm_content=Donegal%7CTourism&gclid=CO3BpJ3JxeACFdyWswodbrMFrw&gclsrc=ds

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g186601-Activities-County_Donegal.html

https://www.discoverireland.ie/Places-To-Go/Donegal

I’m sorry, I just don’t understand the reluctance to getting a car in Ireland! So many people afraid of driving on the “wrong” side. In a less visited area like Donegal, I wouldn’t even consider not having my own vehicle.

Driving in Ireland is easy!
Unless you have a physical disability that prevents you from driving, my best advice is to rent a car with GPS and automatic.

Carol,
You can definitely get around without a car if you'd rather not drive - doesn't matter what your reasons are for not wanting to drive. I spent 3 weeks in late September of 2017 doing a counter-clockwise tour of Ireland from Belfast to Dublin using only trains, bus, day tours and a couple taxi rides out of Carrick (in County Donegal) to see things on my list of 'must see and do'. It all depends on your wish list and your travel style.

For example, I choose to stay in spots 'off the beaten path' whenever I can. A bus from Donegal Town dropped me off in a little place called Carrick, right across the street from my hotel, the Slieve League Lodge - great place to stay by the way. From there, it was well worth the taxi fares to go from Carrick out to the Slieve League Cliffs one morning and then, at a pre-arranged time, I had the taxi driver pick me up and drop me off at Glencolmcille folk village where I had lunch, and spent the afternoon exploring - there's also a small beach there! Taxi picked me up four hours later to take me back to Carrick - €40 in taxi fares for the whole day. The next day, a taxi took me down to the Teelin pier where I took a boat tour from Paddy Byrne to see the Slieve League Cliffs from below- even more fantastic views from below the cliffs - so, €18 round trip taxi and about €30 for boat tour if I remember correctly. https://www.sliabhleagueboattrips.com/][1]

Same taxi driver both days, so - bonus - I got to visit with a local about life in County Donegal. You might prefer to stay in Donegal Town and book day tours from there - only you know what works for you.

Check out the tourist travel pass information at http://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=337 if you're considering using the bus for lots of transportation in the Republic of Ireland - very inexpensive - yet comfortable - travel option, especially where there are no train connections. They also have the timetables for their routes posted there.

As for Derry, I made it the lunch stop on my travel day from Portrush to Carrick, I just timed my train tickets so I could check/retrieve my bag at the station's left luggage and also take the City Walls walk -http://derrycitytours.com/. Personally, I wasn't drawn to spend more time than that on Derry, but the walk on the city walls was really fun and I learned a lot - very glad I squeezed it in.

Have a great trip, Donegal won't disappoint you!

Bus Eireann has day tours. When I was in Spain, these kinds of day tours were offered at bus stations all around the country. I've only taken them from Dublin but it may be worth checking in to see what they offer.

This is what I took to Newgrange out of Dublin:

http://www.buseireann.ie/news.php?id=968&month=Jun

Thanks everyone for the information. I've toured twice by car with others in the past but want to try something different and on my own. Some of the suggested web sites are ones I have not tried so thanks for those. And especially for the encouragement of getting around the area! Info on Taxis was unexpected but gives me a great guide and the lodging suggestion! Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge.