Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [421]
Eating
The section of Port Rd by the An Grianán Theatre is carving out a niche as Letterkenny’s dining strip, with a slew of hip new restaurants opening up.
Simple Simon’s ( 074-912 2382; St Oliver Plunkett Rd; dishes €2.75-7; 9am-4.30pm Mon-Sat) Attached to a health food shop, this bohemian cafe serves up such delicious organic soups, wraps, paninis, salads and home-baked treats (plus enormous mugs of hot chocolate) that we’ll pretend we didn’t notice the Dan Quayle spelling of ‘potatoe’ on the specials board.
Oak Tree ( 074-912 5892; Port Rd; lunch mains €7-10.50, dinner mains €14-22.50; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Mon-Sat, 1-9pm Sun) Chunky seafood chowder with brandy, and roast duck breast with Chinese spices are among the highlights of the select menu at this promising newcomer. The dining room opens to an aperitif-friendly alfresco terrace.
Yellow Pepper ( 074-912 4133; 36 Lower Main St; lunch mains €8-18, dinner mains €12-23; lunch & dinner) A 19th-century former shirt factory is the cosy home of this venerable restaurant. Despite being as comfy as a favourite shirt, it’s regularly touted as Letterkenny’s best restaurant. Stone walls, copper light fittings, a central cast-iron column and original hardwood floors give it a cosy atmosphere, and its menu, specialising in fresh fish, is outstanding value and offers plenty of vegetarian options.
Beetroot ( 074-912 9759; 41 Port Rd; lunch mains €9.50-12, dinner mains €16.50-25.50; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner nightly) The hottest new address in town, Beetroot’s iridescent wallpaper, bare wood tables and sleek banquettes are a chic backdrop for its mod Irish cuisine. Try shredded beetroot salad with quail eggs, pork medallions on apple and cider mash or hake fillet with beetroot salsa, and a scrumptious ‘messy meringue’ for dessert.
Drinking
Cottage Bar ( 074-912 1338; 49 Upper Main St) Watch your head! All sorts of bric-a-brac hangs precariously from the ceiling of Letterkenny’s most atmospheric pub.
McGinley’s ( 074-912 1106; Main St) Trad sessions take place on Wednesday night at this central local stalwart.
Entertainment
An Grianán Theatre ( 074-912 0777; www.angrianan.com; Port Rd) An Grianán Theatre is both a community theatre and major arts venue for the northwest, presenting national and international drama, comedy and music. It also has a good cafe and bar.
Regional Cultural Centre ( 074-912 9186; www.donegalculture.com; Port Rd) In a stunning glass-and-aluminium structure, Letterkenny’s cultural centre mounts performances, fine arts and multimedia exhibits, and film screenings.
Voodoo ( 074-910 9815; www.voodoolk.com; 21 Lower Main St) This vast club is the centre of Letterkenny’s nightlife. Check the website for events.
Getting There & Away
Letterkenny is a major bus hub for northwestern Ireland. The bus station is by the roundabout at the junction of Ramelton Rd and the Derry road. Left luggage (per item €2.70; 8.45am-5.45pm Mon-Sat) is available, though not overnight.
Bus Éireann ( 074-912 1309) express bus 32 runs to Dublin (€19.50, four hours) nine times daily via Omagh (€11.80, one hour) and Monaghan (€14.60, 1¾ hours). The Derry (€8.70, 35 minutes) to Galway (€21, 4¾ hours) bus 64 stops at Letterkenny four times daily (three times on Sunday) before continuing to Donegal (€8.90, 50 minutes), Bundoran (€13, 1½ hours), Sligo (€12, two hours) and Galway (€21, 4½ hours). Connections can be made in Galway for the hourly express bus 51 service to Limerick and Cork.
John McGinley ( 074-913 5201) buses run twice daily Sunday to Thursday (three on times Friday and once on Saturday) from Annagry to Dublin (€20, 3¾ hours) through Letterkenny and Monaghan.
Lough Swilly ( 074-912 2863) has one service from Derry Monday to Friday (€6.60, one hour) to Dungloe (€20, two hours), via Letterkenny and Dunfanaghy.
Feda O’Donnell ( 074-954 8114) runs a bus from Crolly (€7, 1½ hours) to Galway (€20, four hours) twice daily via Letterkenny, Donegal, Bundoran and Sligo. Buses stop on the road outside the bus station.