7 things to do this August Bank Holiday

1. Mary From Dungloe International Festival

The Mary From Dungloe International Festival has been welcoming visitors from all over the world since its inception in 1967. The festival offers a wide range of entertainment during its 10-day fun packed itinerary. Dungloe and the surrounding area’s boasts some of the country’s finest beaches and landscapes and is a great base for exploring what the North West has to offer, including golf courses, horse riding, hill walking, lake and sea angling with some of the finest scenery in the world on our doorstep.

For further festival information, visit: www.maryfromdungloe.com

2. Féile an Earagail / Dunlewey Festival

This year Féile an Earagail, Dunlewey, will be held from 29th July – 6th August, and they are delighted to be hosting six fantastic walks which showcase the best of our landscape, heritage & culture. The programme is below and you can find more details on their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dunlewey/207014656005299

Event Programme

3. Ballyshannon Folk & Traditional Music Festival

Ireland’s longest running Folk and Traditional music festival. Every August Bank Holiday weekend, Ballyshannon is the only place to be for a fantastic line up of the best of Folk and Traditional music Ireland has to offer. The ‘Folk Festival’ has hosted all of the great names from the Irish folk and trad scene since the heady days of the late 1970’s and continues today to offer itself as a vital platform for emerging folk and traditional music talent with the annual showcase competition which offers a prize fund of €1,000; plus the opportunity to perform at the festival.

In 2018 Ballyshannon Folk and Traditional Festival look forward to the marquee style festival, lively pub sessions, street entertainment, workshops, busking competitions, fringe events and ceilidh’s – this leading festival still has something to cater for all tastes 41 years later – which is a testament to its adaptability!

For all the latest festival information, tickets and showcase competition details check out Facebook – Ballyshannon Folk and Traditional Music Festival or on www.ballyshannonfolkfestival.com

Ballyshannon F&T Music Festival

4. Moville Festival

A summer celebration of Folk and Country music and local produce taking place on the banks of the Foyle. A variety of activities on land and water will keep everyone pleased. Check out the festival programme below.

For latest updates go to Facebook: www.facebook.com/movillefestival

Moville Festival Programme

5. Glencolmcille Agricultural Show

The Glencolmcille Agricultural Show or Taispeántais Ghleann Cholm Cille was first set in 1954 by Fr McDyer. In its heyday, the exhibition featured over 1600 entries in various categories, second only to the Balmoral Show in Belfast. Anyone interested in taking a stall for the 2018 show should contact the Glencolmcille Agricultural Show Committee for further details. Agricultural Show – showcasing livestock, arts and crafts, and traditional rural Donegal.

Live entertainment day and night, something for all the family.

Further details: www.glencolmcille.ie

Glencolmcille Agricultural Show

6. Kilcar Fleadh

The Kilcar Fleadh organisers invite everyone to come to join them for a festival of traditional music, songs, and dance, celebrating the living heritage of traditional music in South West Donegal. The events will include Concerts, Ceili, Crossroads dance, ‘Echos in the Glen’ – a music recital featuring fiddles and pipes in the Gleann a’Bhaile Dubh, recreating a tradition from the first half of the 20th century.

Kilcar Fleadh

7. Clonmany Festival

Once again this family event is a week of summer fun for all ages. This is Ireland’s longest running and best-known family festival and is situated in the beautiful village of Clonmany in the Inishowen Peninsula.

Year after year thousands of holidaymakers and locals alike enjoy the many events, live music, natural beauty and facilities which go hand in hand with the festival. From raft races and cycling events to treasure hunts and talent competitions, the festival has something to offer everyone and is an event which you will find yourself returning to again and again.

Clonmany Festival line up 2018

For further details on what's going on around Donegal check out Donegal Gathering

Launching the Monty Halls Family Adventure Campaign in Donegal

'Donegal is a county on the veranda of Europe – where else can you stand with your heels on the edge of a mighty continent, and your toes in the edge of a mighty ocean?'

Monty Hall’s sentiments clearly put County Donegal on the map and the launch of the Monty Halls family adventures in Donegal film series online, it is expected that Donegal will firmly take its rightful place amongst some of the most famous adventure destinations around the world.

Donegal has a magical effect on people; it draws them in and binds them together. People never forget their visit here. People who leave long to return. There is a genuine love for the place, some people visit and return later, some visit and never leave. It is easy to see within these films why Donegal is so appealing as a family friendly destination.

Monty Halls, his wife Tamsyn and daughters Molly and Isla have been travelling all over the county filming with their company Seadog Productions for almost a month. Donegal County Council’s, Tourism Unit initiated this marketing campaign and the goal is to promote Donegal as an adventure destination with experiences to suit all the family. Landrover and Brig rib boats are also co-sponsors.

Monty Halls with his family & the Seadog Productions Team filming on Rossnowlagh Beach, Co. Donegal.
Image © Seadog Productions, www.seadogproductions.co.uk

The campaign would not have been possible without the help and support from local businesses across the county, too many to list individually but without them this campaign would not happen.

Monty is well known for his BBC2 series ‘Great Escapes’ and he also presented the multi-award winning series ‘Great Barrier Reef’. Monty has also worked with Channel 4, National Geographic, the History Channel, Channel 5, and the BBC. His most recent work is on WWII's Great Escapes: The Freedom Trails.

The films are emotive and they connect the viewer with the very heart of Donegal and all that it means to feel connected to the people and places, they bond the viewer to Donegal in a really unique way that has special meaning. There is no doubt that these films will reach and inspire many people around the world.

Donegal - The Halls Family Adventure
Chapter One - Céad Míle Fáilte | A hundred thousand welcomes

For more details check out our website: www.govisitdonegal.com

For more information about Donegal County Council visit:
www.donegalcoco.ie

For more information on Monty Halls visit:
www.montyhalls.co.uk

For more information on Seadog Productions visit:
www.seadogproductions.co.uk

Watch video on YouTube

Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hailed as a game changer for Donegal

9 July 2018

Press release

Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hailed as a game changer for Donegal

Rory McIlroy checking out painting by local artist Sharon McDaid which was presented to him on Sunday in recognition of his role in hosting the 2018 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Ballyliffin by Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr. Seamus O’Domhnaill

The hosting of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Ballyliffin Golf Club has been hailed as a game changer by Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr. Seamus O’Domhnaill who said Ballyliffin Golf Club and the people of Inishowen have succeeded in hosting one of the most splendid Irish Open’s in recent history.

“This was a wonderful opportunity for Ballyliffin Golf Club and the people of Inishowen to showcase this stunning location to a global audience of almost half a billion people and they surpassed all expectations”.

“Almost 95,000 visited Ballyliffin over the five days of the tournament and I have no doubt that this will leave a remarkable legacy for everyone involved. I firmly believe that this is a game changer for Inishowen, for Donegal and for the North West region” said Cllr O’Domhnaill.

“I would like to thank the team at European Tours and of course Dubai Duty Free for their confidence and belief in Ballyliffin as an ideal location for this year’s tournament. This endorsement certainly paid off not just in terms of the record number of visiting fans but also in the quality of golf played at what is now known as one of the best links courses in the country.”

Cllr. Seamus O’Domhnaill, Cathaoirleach Donegal County Council presenting Rory McIlroy with painting by local artist Sharon McDaid in recognition of hosting the 2018 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Ballyliffin with Colm McLaughlin, CEO of Dubai Duty Free. Also in the picture John Farren, Ballyliffin Golf Club, Paddy McDermott, Captian, Ballyliffin Golf Club, Seamus Neely, Donegal County Council, Simon Ellis, European Tours and Cllr. Martin McDermott.

Cllr. O’Domhnaill believes that the underlying secret to the success of this year’s tournament is collaboration and everyone working together for one unifying goal of making this event an outstanding success not just for the organisers but for the people of Inishowen and Donegal.

“We have a tradition in this part of the world of working together, of supporting each other and of valuing our strong community spirit and this was never more evident than in Donegal and especially in Inishowen over the last number of months. I would like to acknowledge and thank all the agencies who worked together to make this happen especially An Garda Síochána, Fáilte Ireland, Derry City and Strabane District Council and indeed Donegal County Council”.

“I would also like to acknowledge the work done by local communities and businesses right across Inishowen. It was clear for everyone to see as they drove through Inishowen over the last few days the pride that local people have in their own communities. I would also like to give a special mention to the staff of Donegal County Council, especially the local roads teams who worked around the clock to make sure that the peninsula was ready for this event and again their efforts certainly paid off”.

Pictured at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Ballyliffen on Sunday are elected members of Inishowen MD with Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr. Seamus O’Domhnaill, Chair of Inishowen MD Cllr. Martin Farren, Deputy Charlie McConalogue TD, Seamus Neely and Liam Ward Donegal County Council.

“Finally, I would like to acknowledge the work of John Farren and the members of Ballyliffin Golf Club. They had the foresight, the belief and the ambition to host this world class event and this did not just happen overnight. They have worked for years to achieve this and I know that they want to build on this and to continue to host events of this stature at this stunning location”.

To mark the occasion of the 2018 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Ballyliffin, the Cathaoirleach, on behalf of Donegal County Council presented both Rory McIlroy, host of the tournament and Simon Ellis of European Tours with two paintings by local artist Sharon McDaid depicting the majesty of the Glashedy Links at Ballyliffin. John Farren, Manager of Ballyliffin Golf Club was also presented with a lovely piece named ‘Island of Green Cloak’ by Carndonagh based artist Ben Holmes in recognition of his important role in securing and hosting this prestigious event in Ballyliffin.

For all things Donegal visit: www.govisitdonegal.com

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