Buncrana

Buncrana Town

Buncrana is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located on the Inishowen Peninsula and is the largest town on the peninsula. It has a population of around 6,500 people and is known for its beautiful scenery, including stunning views over Lough Swilly and the nearby hills. Buncrana is a popular tourist destination and is known for its lively pubs and restaurants.

The town is historically linked to the O’Doherty clan and was originally built around O’Doherty’s keep which is situated at the foot of the Crana River. The keep can still be found there as can Buncrana Castle an 18th manor house built by Colonel George Vaughan in 1718. He also built the main street in its present location south of the Crana at the same time.

The Keep is beside Swan Park which is in the process of being renovated and is partially open at the moment and will hopefully be fully open in 2021. It was badly affected by flash floods in 2017

The town has some great hotels and B&B’s as well as a hostel, there are also some fantastic places to go for something to eat and drink. There are plenty of local shops to choose from in the town where you can buy most things that you will need.

You will find Buncrana Beach, a great little beach on the town’s shorefront along with a children’s play park, tennis courts and small all-weather basketball and football pitch. Quite often there will be an ice cream van and or coffee van at the shorefront.

During the summer months, a ferry runs between Buncrana and Rathmullen on the Fanad Peninsula.

there are some fine walks in Buncrana with the best one being the Buncrana Coastal Walk, which is approx. 2. km long one way and finishes in the beautiful Stragill Strand, it has views across Lough Swilly which are particularly impressive.

There is also the Buncrana Heritage Trail which goes around the town and includes several information points about the extensive history of the town.

You can find a small river walk by an old mill on the Owenkillew river in the south of the town.

Read a little more about the history of the town by clicking here.