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Donegal County Museum
Attractions in Letterkenny

Cathedral of St. Eunan and St. Columba heads what Letterkenny has to see

Out of 1,783 places across Ireland, Cathedral of St. Eunan and St. Columba is in the best-known 5%; it leads the 3 inside Letterkenny’s urban area. Another 4 are within 5 km of its edge. They include 2 museums, 2 natural landscapes and a cathedral. In heritage care, one place on the list is looked after by the Office of Public Works. If you have a day, head to Glenveagh National Park, 21 km away.

Photo: Donegal County Museum, DevelopedMadness at English Wikipedia (Public domain)
In Letterkenny
3
inside the urban area
Within 5 km
4
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
2
in or near town
Castles & historic places
1
in or near town
Cared for
1
the OPW, the NPWS and Coillte
Best known

The best known in Letterkenny

After Cathedral of St. Eunan and St. Columba come 2 museums, a zoo and a natural landscape.

CathedralCathedralCathedral of St. Eunan and St. Columbain townMuseumDonegal County Museumin townZooZooTropical Worldin townMuseumMuseum · Office of Public WorksNewmills Corn And Flax Mills3.2 km outside town, to the southwestNatural landscapeNatural landscapeBallymacool Town Park100 m outside town, to the southwestVisitor farmVisitor farmLurgybrack Open Farm500 m outside town, to the southeast

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

The layout

Most of the 4 close by lie to the southwest.

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The dashed line is Letterkenny’s urban area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · CSO 2022 outline

By kind

The mix

Museums or galleries are the biggest group (2), then zoos, theme parks or other days out (2).

Museums & galleries 2 museums1 in town · 1 nearby
Castles & historic places 1 cathedral1 in town
Nature & islands 2 natural landscapes0 in town · 2 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 zoo · 1 visitor farm1 in town · 1 nearby

Green: inside Letterkenny. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

1 place is cared for by the Office of Public Works (Newmills Corn And Flax Mills).

Every place

Every one of them

After the 3 in town come 4 more within 5 km of its edge.

The 3 inside Letterkenny come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches, protected structures and monuments belong to the History page, not here.

Monuments and historic buildings in Letterkenny → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Letterkenny →

Big names nearby

Names further out

Worth the drive, Glenveagh National Park (21 km) is first of the 8.

National parkGlenveagh National Park21 km westCastle · Office of Public WorksDoe Castle21 km northwestCastleGlenveagh Castle17 km northwestCastleBurt Castle16 km northeastHistoric houseGlebe House and Gallery12 km northwestCathedralSt Eunan's Cathedral13 km southeastMuseumFort Dunree Military Museum29 km northeastFortNeds Point Fort26 km northeast

Places well known beyond Letterkenny (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a Office of Public Works or National Parks and Wildlife Service property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Quick answers on Letterkenny

What are the main attractions in Letterkenny?

The best known inside Letterkenny’s urban area are Cathedral of St. Eunan and St. Columba, Donegal County Museum and Tropical World. In all, 3 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 4 more within 5 km.

Does Letterkenny have a museum?

2 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Letterkenny: Donegal County Museum and Newmills Corn And Flax Mills.

Is there a Heritage Ireland (OPW) or national park property near Letterkenny?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Letterkenny, 1 place is cared for by the Office of Public Works (Newmills Corn And Flax Mills).

What are the best-known days out near Letterkenny?

Within 40 km: Glenveagh National Park (21 km), Doe Castle (21 km), Glenveagh Castle (17 km), Burt Castle (16 km).

How is this list made?

From Fáilte Ireland’s open data on attractions (museums, castles, historic houses, abbeys, gardens, national parks, landscapes, islands, zoos and visitor farms: restaurants, pubs, shops and tour operators are left out), OpenStreetMap (places open to visitors; a ruined castle on farmland needs a sign it can be visited) and Wikidata (what each place is, who looks after it, its Wikipedia articles), merged into one list and placed in the town’s CSO 2022 outline or within 5 km of its edge.

Places to visit: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0), © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in each town’s CSO 2022 outline. Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (9)

Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).