Arranmore Island
Take a ferry trip to Arranmore Island with us on our red Arranmore Ferry and connect with our 400 local people. Enjoy the island heritage and the culture that Arranmore Island has to offer. Once the home of the O’Donnells, Arranmore Island has a popular thriving Summer Irish College, which doubles the population during the summer months.
Arranmore Island is located only three miles from Burtonport and is accessible via our Arranmore Ferry. The crossing takes around 15 minutes. Once there, you can spend the day exploring the scenic views and drives around this beautiful Island. We offer a reliable daily service 12 months of the year.
Arranmore Island is a wonderfully peaceful island with a way marked trail leading from sandy beaches to the islands rocky summit. This provides many spectacular views of the glittering sea, cliffs, rocks arches. And see the majestic mainland mountains from Glen head to Tory Island.
The crystal clear waters surrounding Arranmore Island provide great dive sites and sea angling. The island freshwater lakes are home to trout. Sea angling contacts can be provided by contacting our office on 074 95 42233.
Walk to the lighthouse, coastguard station or the WW2 Monitoring post. Or to Leabgarrow the main village, which is on the South East or sheltered side, where the ferry lands.
The island has had reliable electricity since the mid 1950’s and fresh mains piped water since 1973. The telephone lines added in the 1980’s have been upgraded recently to include high speed fibre broadband.
Arranmore Island Size
We are very happy to support our friends who volunteer at the RNLI. These guys are always there for us and our customers, if the need ever arises.
We are a Community Co-Operative and run the Arranmore Community Services Programme on the island of Árainn Mhór, Co. Donegal, Ireland.
Arranmore Island – Places of Interest
01 – THE LIGHTHOUSE
First built in 1798, the lighthouse was the first functioning lighthouse in Donegal. It was rebuilt in 1865 and was manned by keepers until fully automated in 1982. rock arches and sea caves can be seen nearby
03 – CLIFFS
Up to 120 metres high all along the west and north coasts of the island.
02 – THE OLD COASTGUARD STATION (DERLICT)
Located adjacent to the lighthouse lot. It was burned down during the war of independance in 1921.
04 – ARAINN MHOR & BEAVER ISLAND MEMORIAL
Several hundred emigrants from Arainn Mhor settled on Beaver Island in lake Michigan, USA, after the New Landlord Chorley evicted communities still exchange vists. Arainn mhor is now twinned with Beaver Island. the memorial was built in 2000.
05 – CNOC AN IOLIR ~ HILL OF THE EAGLE
The island highest point at 750 feet is at Cnoc an Iolir and sea eagles bred here in the past
07 – UAIMH AN AIR ~ CAVE OF SLAUGHTER
Located at Uilinn in the south of the island, near a prehistoric promontory fort, local lore has it that a Cromwellian captain called Conyngham sluaghtered 70 women and children who had take refuge here in 1641.
06 – NA TRI MIC O GCORRA ~ THE THREE STAGES
Three sea-stacks situated to the north between Toraigh and Arainn Mhor. In mythology they are said to be a pagan sister and two brothers who were turned to sttone by St. Colmcille as they leapt into the sea at Toraigh inn an attempt to swim to Ariann Mhor or the mainland.
08 – THE OLD GRAVEYARD
Tra an chaisil in the south of the island was given to the islanders in 1775 to bury thier dead following the tragic drowning of nine people on their way to a funeral on the mainland.A new graveyard replaced it in 1992, on the far side of the bay.
09 – UAIMH AN AIR ~ CAVE OF SLAUGHTER
Located at Uilinn in the south of the island, near a prehistoric promontory fort, local lore has it that a Cromwellian captain called Conyngham sluaghtered 70 women and children who had taken refuge here in 1641.
BEACHES
Visit three of the island’s lovely beaches at Leabgarrow at the Ferry Pier and Athphort and Scoilt na Loinga on the south coast of the island
and then