Bundoran, popularly known as Ireland’s Premier Seaside Resort and Surf Capital, is located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean against a backdrop of the majestic Ben Bulben mountain range. This is an ideal place to live, visit, or simply to relax. Bundoran and the surrounding area offers a wealth of activities and facilities to suit all tastes.
Bundoran has been the destination choice of tourists since the 18th century. It has everything expected of a seaside town along with breathtaking countryside, stunning coastlines, offering peace and relaxation.
Annual festivals in and around Bundoran provide excellent opportunities for international visitors to make friends easily. These include Sea Sessions, Rory Gallagher Festival, October Country Music Festival and Ballyshannon Folk Festival to name but a few.
With many traditional Irish pubs offering live music, nightclubs, shows, restaurants, it is easy to find something to do during the evenings.
Below is a list of activities, things to do for all ages and places to explore while staying with Donegal Language School in Bundoran.
Horse Riding
Donegal Equestrian Holidays
Finner Road
Bundoran
0719841977
info@donegalequestrianholidays.com
Donegal Equestrian has over 45 horses and ponies of all sizes to suit everybody including the absolute beginner; all the horses have excellent temperaments. Donegal Equestrian specialises in beach rides, trails and pony camps for more information visit www.donegalequestrianholidays.com
Surfing
Bundoran offers a wide range of reef and beach breaks for all levels of surfers. Tullan strand provides an excellent break for beginners. For experienced surfers there are numerous reefs in the area that work on different stages of the tide. The surrounding area is great for exploration, ideally with a car. Most breaks including Tullan Strand, The Peak, Pampa, 3 D are in the immediate area of Bundoran and are accessible by foot or bicycle.
For more information contact:
Bundoran Surf Co,
Main St,
Bundoran
0719841968
info@bundoransurfco.com
Turf N Surf
Main Street
Bundoran
071 98 41091
info@turfnsurf.ie
Sea Angling
Strand View,
West End,
Bundoran,
Co Donegal, Ireland
info@bundoranstar.ie
Bundoran Star is a sea angling Charter Boat offering fishing trips and sightseeing trips in Donegal. Bundoran Star offers Sea angling, Seal and Dolphin Watch, Sight seeing and Leisure Trips Licensed for 12 Passengers. Excellent stability and roll resistance, state of the art safety and technical equipment and on-board facilities.
Bundoran Adventure Park
Sea Road
Bundoran
Co. Donegal
07198 29963
Family orientated seafront funfair with bumper cars and a large selection of adult and kids rides. Donkey rides, bouncy castles, trampolines, Crazy golf and go-cart track.
Waterworld and Aqua Mara Seaweed Baths, Bundoran
Waterworld and Aqua Mara Seaweed Baths
Sea Road
Bundoran
Co. Donegal
00353 7198 41172
Waterworld is Ireland’s Premier All Indoor Aqua Adventure Playground located on the seafront of Bundoran. Facilities include two leisure pools, a wave pool with 5 patterns 2 speed rapids and a variety of children’s features plus a slide pool with pool landing area for the Tornado and Traffic Lights flumes and the Whizzer Slide the fastest water slide in Ireland.
Adults may prefer to relax in the Seaweed Baths, which include steam cabinets, drench showers, relaxarium, sunbed and ocean based therapies.
Golf
Bundoran Golf Club
Great Northern Hotel
Bundoran
071 98 41302 |
info@bundorangolfclub.com
Bundoran golf course overlooks the Atlantic. You cannot help but be impressed by the setting of this course on Ireland’s western coast. This 5,599 metre par-69 course winds along the coastline and returns inland to give a mix of holes that provides a test to golfers of all abilities. Designed by the great Harry Varden and an early training ground for the illustrious Christy O’ Connor, Bundoran has a challenging par 70 of 6328 yards.
Other golf clubs in the area include Murvagh (Donegal Town), Strandhill and Rosses Point (Sligo).
Kids Fun
Dizzy’s Den
Bundoran Retail Park
Station Road
Bundoran
Co Donegal
Tel: 00353 7198 33668
info@dizzysden.ie
Dizzy’s Den is the North West’s newest Indoor Play Centre. Dizzy Dens provides a safe and secure environment for children to come and play.
Dizzy’s Den currently has a large climbing frame where children from as young as four can let their imagination take hold from being a pirate finding buried treasure to being the monkey in a jungle. To top it off, there is a huge slide to bring you all the way back down, where the adventure starts all over again
Hillwalking
There is a leisurely cliff walk beside the Donegal Bay Holiday Homes other local scenic walks include “Rougey”, a delightful walk, which follows a route along the headland from Bundoran Bridge to Tullan Strand. Along the walk it passes the “Fairy Bridges” and the “Wishing Chair”.
For the more adventurous walker there are numerous different grades of walks available. We will happily supply all maps and Leo our guide is on hand to answer any questions you may have.
Cycling
Hire & Sell
West End
Bundoran
Co. Donegal
Tel: +353 (0)71 9841526
Fax: +353 (0)71 9841526
mggoodwin@eircom.net
Rent-a-Bike Hire & Sell provide mountain bikes to explore Bundoran and beyond. They offer half day, daily, weekend and weekly rates. Delivery service available. Childrens bikes available on request
Around Bundoran
Donegal borders with counties Sligo, Leitrim, Derry, Fermanagh and Tyrone, making it the perfect platform to visit some of Ireland’s most beautiful and untouched counties. Below is information on some of our recommended places to visit as well as some interesting facts about Donegal.
- Donegal County has six hundred and fifty kilometres of rugged coastline and sandy beaches to explore
- Tory Island off of Donegal has a King. This is a unique tradition that does not exist anywhere else in Ireland. The current Rí Thoraí (Irish for King of Tory) is painter Patsaí Dan Mac Ruaidhrí (Patsy Dan Rodgers in English). The king has no formal powers; though duties include being a spokesperson for the island community and welcoming people to the island. The total population of the Island is under 200.
- Donegal has the second-largest Gaeltacht(where Irish is the first language) area in the whole of Ireland
- Some famous people that have hailed from Donegal include the world famour singer Enya, the renowned trad group Clannad, country and western crooner Daniel O Donnnell, rock legend Rory Gallagher and for those of literary interest the poet William Allingham.
Places To Visit:
Whichever course is chosen, Bundoran provides a good base for travelling around Ireland. Students at Donegal Language School can easily visit some of Ireland’s major cities and cultural sites.
Sligo 30 minutes
Derry 1.5 hours
Galway 2.5hours
Belfast 2.5hours
Dublin 3 hours
So why not explore Slieve League cliffs situated on the West coast of Donegal, the highest and finest marine cliffs in Europe with a 600m drop straight into the wild Atlantic waves below or for the literary enthusiasts Yeats country is only a 15 minute drive and for wildlife fans why not check out the golden eagles or red deer at Glenveagh National Park.
Below is information on some of our weekly cultural excursions and some other must sees when in the Bundoran area.
Glenveagh National Park
Ireland’s largest national park and home to Glenveagh Castle, with its fine gardens. Set in 16,540 hectares of mountains, lakes and waterfalls, there is a visitor centre and audio visual display. Located just outside Letterkenny, 70 minutes drive from Bundoran.
Glenveagh, Co Donegal, Ireland
+353 (0)74 – 91 37090
Ulster – American Folk Park
One hour drive to enjoy a few hours of living history. The authentically furnished thatched cottages and American frontier cabins recreate the lives of 17th and 18th century emigrants. The emigrant ship and museum are just another part of what is one of Ireland’s finest visitor attractions.
Castletown, Omagh, Co Tyrone.
048 822 43292
www.folkpark.com
Slieve League Cliffs
Visit Europe’s highest sea cliffs at Slieve League. You can walk or drive to the top for breath taking views and historical information. Glencolmcille Folk Village portrays Donegal’s cottage dwellings over a span of three centuries, with a schoolhouse, craft shop and sheebeen, one also enjoys the scenic beauty of Glen and its coastline.
Web: www.glenfolkvillage.com
Donegal Bay Waterbus
Enjoy the beauty of Donegal Bay, the islands and the seal colony on this state of the art waterbus. Departs from the pier in Donegal Town. 25 minutes drive from Bundoran.
Tel: +353 (0)74 – 97 23666
http://www.donegalbaywaterbus.com/
Donegal Castle
Built by the O’Donnell chieftain in the 15th century, beside the River Eske, the Castle has extensive 17th century additions by Sir Basil Brooke. The Castle is furnished throughout and includes Persian rugs and French tapestries. Information panels chronicle the history of the Castle owners from the O’Donnell chieftains to the Brooke family. Located in Donegal Town, 20 minutes drive from Bundoran.
Donegal Town, Co Donegal, Ireland
+353 (0)74 – 97 22405
Marble Arch Caves
The caves are one of Europe’s finest show caves allowing visitors to explore a fascinating natural underworld of rivers, waterfalls, winding passages and lofty chambers. Located 45 minutes drive from Bundoran, they are open from mid March to September.
Florencecourt, Co Fermangh
048 – 6634 8855
www.marblearchcaves.net
Just a few kms from Marble Arch Caves is Florencecourt House, a magnificent Georgian mansion open to the public.
Enniskillen Town – County Fermanagh
A very nice 55 minute drive along the shores of Lough Erne, will bring you to Enniskillen. A fine shopping town and a visit to the Buttermarket is a must, with its quaint layout of craft shops and stalls.
Mullaghmore & Lissadell House
Mullaghmore, Co.Sligo, is a picturesque village, 10 minutes drive from Bundoran, with a quaint harbour and beautiful sandy beach. The village is set on a peninsula which forms one side of the mouth of Donegal Bay. It is dominated by the striking isolation of Classiebawn Castle, once the summer residence of Lord Mountbatten, great-grandson of Queen Victoria and the last Viceroy of India. A drive around Mullaghmore Head is rewarded by fantastic views of Donegal Bay and Innishmurray Island, once the site of a 6th century Christian monastery. Mullaghmore is a popular sailing and diving centre and is heaven for lobster, fresh from the pots.
Lissadell House
Near Carney, Co Sligo, was the home of the Gore Booth family and was built in 1834. Most remembered family members are Eva, as a leading Suffragette, and Constance, Countess Markievicz, for her part in the 1916 Easter Rising and who was elected to the British House of Commons in 1917, but never took her seat, instead helping to form the first Dail Eireann. The poet W.B. Yeats was a frequent visitor to the house, and is buried nearby in Drumcliffe, under Benbulben Mountain.
E-mail: +353 (0)71 – 91 63150
lissadellhouse@aol.com
Giants Causeway
The Giant’s Causeway, renowned for its polygonal columns of layered basalt, is a World Heritage Site. Resulting from a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago, this is the focal point of a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has attracted visitors for centuries. It harbours a wealth of local and natural history that can be enjoyed from the North Antrim Coastal Path. It is a two and a half hour drive from Bundoran, through historic Derry City, and would require a full day to complete the round trip. Then again, it is regarded as one of the Wonders of the Natural World.
Sligo Town
Sligo, just 30 minutes drive from Bundoran, is the area’s main shopping and commercial centre. It has many sites of historical interest and a scenic location on the shores of Lough Gill.
