Tucked into the very top of Ireland, the Inishowen Peninsula is the country’s northernmost corner and, for my money, one of its most rewarding. It’s a wild triangle of land between Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle, crowned by Malin Head, and it packs an astonishing amount into a single loop: Ireland’s most northerly point, one of Ireland’s tallest and least disturbed dune systems, an ancient hilltop fort, hidden beaches, mountain passes and a moving famine village, all on the Wild Atlantic Way, and all far quieter than the tourist trail further south.
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I’ve just spent a weekend exploring it, and this guide covers the best things to do in Inishowen and the top places to visit, plus how to drive the Inishowen 100, where to stay and where to eat.
One trip, two jurisdictions. Euro on one side, sterling on the other, and a few things worth knowing before you drive across. See the Irish border guide.
Inishowen is the best day of my five day Northern Ireland road trip, and this is the list I pick from when I am planning it.
Why visit Inishowen?
Inishowen is what people picture when they imagine wild, unspoilt Ireland, big skies, empty beaches, sheer headlands and hardly a tour bus in sight. Because it’s tucked up in the far north, closer to Derry than to anywhere else, it stays gloriously off the radar, so you get world-class scenery with room to breathe. It’s also steeped in history, from an ancient ring fort to famine-era cottages, which makes it as rich for the curious as it is for the view-hungry.
Flying from the US?
Most Americans pay too much to get to Ireland.
I send one email a week with the best fares from US airports into Dublin, Shannon and Belfast, plus what to actually do when you land. $14.99 for the year, refunded if it does not pay for itself.
Getting to Inishowen and driving the Inishowen 100
The gateway to the peninsula is Derry, just to the south, from there you’re on Inishowen within minutes. The classic way to see it is the Inishowen 100, a roughly 100-mile signposted scenic loop that circles the whole peninsula and links nearly everything in this guide. You’ll want a car, and I’d give the loop at least a full day, ideally two, so you’re not rushing the best bits.
Click here to rent a car in Ireland.
The best things to do in Inishowen
Here are the stops worth building your loop around. Each of the big ones now has its own detailed guide, follow the links for the full how-to-visit.
Malin Head
Ireland’s most northerly point, and the natural highlight of any Inishowen trip. Wild, windswept and unforgettable, with the old signal tower, the WWII “EIRE 80” stone sign, and Atlantic views that feel like the edge of the world, and yes, it starred in Star Wars.
Read the full guide to Malin Head
Doagh Famine Village
On the Isle of Doagh near Ballyliffin, this open-air living museum walks you through famine-era Irish life in original thatched cottages, led by guides with a personal connection to the place. One of the most moving experiences in the whole county.
Five Finger Strand and Pollan Bay
Two of Inishowen’s finest beaches. Five Finger Strand, near Lag, is backed by some of the tallest sand dunes in Ireland and pounded by Atlantic surf; Pollan Bay stretches wide and golden beside Ballyliffin. Both are wild, beautiful and usually near-empty.
Read the full guide to Five Finger Strand
Carrickabraghy Castle
A romantic 16th-century ruin perched on the rocks at the tip of the Isle of Doagh, free to visit and wonderfully atmospheric, especially at sunset.
Read the full guide to Carrickabraghy Castle
Kinnagoe Bay
A stunning, secluded horseshoe beach on the eastern side of the peninsula, reached by a steep winding road, and the resting place of a Spanish Armada shipwreck. Worth the detour for the sheer sense of getting away from it all.
Read the full guide to Kinnagoe Bay
Mamore Gap
A dramatic mountain pass on the western side, with a steep, hairpinned road climbing between the hills and a little holy well at the top. The views back over Lough Swilly are spectacular.
Read the full guide to Mamore Gap
Glenevin Waterfall
A lovely, family-friendly walk near Clonmany through a wooded glen to a graceful waterfall, an easy leg-stretch and a gorgeous spot.
Read the full guide to Glenevin Waterfall
Grianán of Aileach
A remarkable ancient stone ring fort crowning a hill near the neck of the peninsula, with panoramic views over both Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle. Thousands of years of history and one of the best viewpoints in the north-west.
Read the full guide to Grianán of Aileach
Fort Dunree and Wild Ireland
For a rainy day or a family outing: Fort Dunree is a coastal defence fort and military museum on a dramatic headland over Lough Swilly, while Wild Ireland near Burnfoot is a wildlife sanctuary home to rescued bears, wolves and more.
Read the full guide to Fort Dunree
Inishowen’s towns and villages
Break up the loop in the peninsula’s characterful towns: Buncrana, the largest, on the shores of Lough Swilly; pretty, planned Malin with its village green; Carndonagh, home to an early-Christian high cross; the beach village of Culdaff; and, on the eastern Foyle side, the maritime towns of Moville and Greencastle.
Where to stay on Inishowen: hotels and accommodation
The trip was made by our base. We booked a self-catering Airbnb in Carndonagh. Right in the heart of the peninsula, with a sauna and a hot tub, which, after a day of Atlantic wind in your hair, is about the most welcome thing imaginable. Being so central, we had pretty much everything on our list less than 30 minutes away. That’s the quiet magic of Inishowen: it’s compact enough that you can pick one comfortable base and reach the whole peninsula from it, no packing-and-repacking required.
You can find the place we stayed here.
If self-catering isn’t your thing, nearby Ballyliffin has hotels and B&Bs for every budget too. Ballyliffin is the ideal base, central for Malin Head, the beaches and Doagh, with hotels, B&Bs and self-catering cottages to suit every budget. Buncrana and Moville also make handy bases on the west and east sides respectively.
Where to eat on Inishowen
There’s good food dotted around the peninsula, Nancy’s Barn near Ballyliffin is a well-loved spot (its seafood chowder has won awards), and the towns of Buncrana, Moville and Malin have pubs and cafés for a proper meal after a day on the road. Being surrounded by sea, the seafood is hard to beat.
How many days do you need on Inishowen?
You can drive the Inishowen 100 in a single long day, but to actually enjoy it, the beaches, the walks, the famine village, a slow coffee with a view, I’d give it two days with a night in Ballyliffin. It also pairs perfectly with a wider Donegal trip, or a night or two in Derry just across the border.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Inishowen 100?
Roughly 100 miles. It is a signposted scenic loop that circles the whole peninsula and links nearly everything worth stopping at.
How many days do you need on Inishowen?
You can drive the Inishowen 100 in a single long day, but to actually enjoy it, the beaches, the walks, the famine village and a slow coffee with a view, give it two days with a night in Ballyliffin.
Do you need a car on Inishowen?
Yes. The gateway is Derry, just to the south, and from there you are on the peninsula within minutes, but the best of Inishowen is spread along coast roads and mountain passes.
Is Inishowen in Northern Ireland?
No. Inishowen is in County Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland, so it uses the euro and posts speed limits in kilometres, even though it sits further north than any part of Northern Ireland and you reach it through Derry.
What is the best thing to do on Inishowen?
Malin Head is the one everybody comes for, and it is the most northerly point on the island. But the peninsula rewards the stops people skip, the Mamore Gap, Kinnagoe Bay, Glenevin Waterfall and the Doagh Famine Village.
Where should you stay on Inishowen?
Ballyliffin puts you in the middle of the north of the peninsula and turns the loop into a comfortable two days. Derry is the other option, just across the border, if you want a city at the end of the day.
How to actually do Inishowen
You need a car. I want to be blunt about this because people arrive assuming they can manage without one. There is no public transport worth the name on the peninsula. The sites are spread across sixty miles of single track road and the gaps between them are the whole experience. Without a car you will see Buncrana and nothing else. Compare hire prices before you fly, because the airport desks at Derry, Belfast and Dublin are the dearest way to do it and the cars go in summer.
Derry is the base. It has the hotels, it has somewhere to eat when you come back off the road in the dark, and almost everything on this page is inside an hour and a half of it. Check what is available in Derry first. If you would rather sleep on the peninsula itself, Buncrana and Moville are the two towns with real choice, and Malin and Carndonagh have a handful between them, but book early for July and August because the supply is thin.
Give it two days, not one. The Inishowen 100 is a hundred miles of road and people try to do it in an afternoon. You can, and you will remember none of it. Two days lets you stop.
Plan your Inishowen trip
Every place below is plotted on my map of Inishowen, with all nine pins linking through to a full guide.
The Inishowen Peninsula is one of the great corners of the Wild Atlantic Way, and just one part of everything County Donegal has to offer.
Just back from Inishowen yourself, or planning a trip? Tell me in the comments what I should cover next.
Donegal shares a border with Northern Ireland and the two are easy to combine in one trip, currency change aside. I have written a full guide to things to do in Northern Ireland, and if you are travelling in October, Halloween in Northern Ireland is the other thing worth planning around, because the festival Halloween grew out of started on this side of the island.
Inishowen and Derry are twenty minutes apart, so a lot of people do both on one trip. If that is you, my month-by-month Northern Ireland guides cover the other side of the border and the daylight and weather figures in them apply just as well up here: October, which is Halloween in Derry, November and December.
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Written by
Diana Greenlee
I live in County Down and write Tales of Irish Travel. After years living abroad I came home during Covid and started properly exploring the island. I write about the history and the story behind a place, not just the place. More about me.