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Inishowen Peninsula

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Overview

The Inishowen Peninsula reaches just far enough into the Atlantic to grab the title of northernmost point on the island of Ireland: Malin Head. It is remote, rugged, desolate and sparsely populated, making it a special and peaceful sort of place. Ancient sites and ruined castles abound, as do traditional thatched cottages that haven't yet been turned into holiday homes.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Malin Head is located on the Inishowen Peninsula, County Donegal, Ireland and is the most northerly point of the island of Ireland. A military watchtower was built at Banba's Crown in 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars. Around 1902, a signal station was also built at Banba's Crown, quite close to the old Napoleonic watchtower. Both of these buildings still stand.

    Banba's Crown

    Inishowen Peninsula

    On the northernmost tip of Malin Head, called Banba's Crown, stands a cumbersome 1805 clifftop tower that was built by the British admiralty and later…

  • Culdaff beach, Inishowen Peninsula, County Donegal

    Culdaff Beach

    Inishowen Peninsula

    This Blue Flag beach is great for swimming and windsurfing. You can wander its gorgeous length and get lost in the grassy sand dunes, and there's a fun…

  • Fort Dunree

    Fort Dunree

    Inishowen Peninsula

    Fort Dunree is the best preserved and most dramatic of six forts built by the British on Lough Swilly following the 1798 uprising of the United Irishmen …

  • Inishowen Maritime Museum & Planetarium

    Inishowen Maritime Museum & Planetarium

    Inishowen Peninsula

    An eccentric collection of artefacts awaits at this museum in a former coastguard station on a grassy verge right by the waterfront. The most fascinating…

  • Doagh Famine Village

    Doagh Famine Village

    Inishowen Peninsula

    Set in a reconstructed village of thatched cottages, this open-air museum is packed with interesting tidbits about the tragic Famine of the mid-19th…

  • Donagh Cross

    Donagh Cross

    Inishowen Peninsula

    The intricate 7th-century Donagh Cross (also called St Patrick's Cross) stands under a shelter by an Anglican church at the west end of town. It's carved…

  • Clonca Church & Cross

    Clonca Church & Cross

    Inishowen Peninsula

    The gable ends and huge windows of the roofless shell of 17th-century Clonca Church frame views of the Donegal mountains. Inside there is an intricately…

  • Northburgh Castle

    Northburgh Castle

    Inishowen Peninsula

    Once known as Northburg Castle and then known as Greencastle, apparently from the stone it was constructed from (but today it very well describes the…

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