Ausflugsziel · Co. Donegal

Glenveagh National Park

Glenveagh is the second-largest national park in Ireland, covering 170 square kilometres in County Donegal. It features the Derryveagh Mountains, Lough Veagh, and Glenveagh Castle, which carries a heavy history of 1861 evictions.

The park

Glenveagh is the second-largest national park in Ireland. The Irish name, Gleann Bheatha, translates to “glen of the birches.” It sits in County Donegal and covers 170 square kilometres. The area includes much of the Derryveagh Mountains, Lough Veagh, and Glenveagh Castle on the lough’s shore. As of 2024, it is the only national park in Ulster. The castle gardens hold a multitude of exotic and delicate plants. It’s a proper day out in the Derryveagh country. The lough, the mountain, the castle, and the walks are all inside the same gate.

The castle

The castle holds the park’s darker story. Captain John George Adair, an Anglo-Irish businessman, built Glenveagh Castle and founded the estate. The history does not let go. During the 1861 famine, Adair evicted 44 families from their blackhouses on his land. That was 224 people in total. The tenants called him “Black Jack Adair” for it. The estate passed to his wife, Cornelia Adair. Arthur Kingsley Porter bought it in 1929. Henry Plumer McIlhenny took it in 1937 and bequeathed it to the Irish nation. The castle is where the story sits. The gardens are the reward for the walk.

The lough and the mountain

Lough Veagh is the water. The castle sits on its shore. The Derryveagh range stands on the far side. Walks from the lough into the mountain make up the other half of the day. The trails are signposted. The mountain does the work. It is easy to arrive and hard to leave. The castle is why most people come.

Practical

Allow a full day. See the lough in the morning. Visit the castle and gardens. Take a mountain walk in the afternoon. The park charges an entry fee. Check the current price and season hours before travelling.

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The park at the foot of the Derryveagh

Stay in Gweedore and the park is a full day, not an expedition.

  • GweedoreThe village twenty minutes from the gate, with stays and the gateway to the Derryveagh country. · 20 min by car
  • Donegal townThe larger base, for the whole western Donegal circuit. · 40 min by car
See stays around Gweedore ↗

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