Dunfanaghy Itineraries
Half a day or a full weekend. Here are the best ways to spend your time in Dunfanaghy, planned step by step.
Whether you have a few hours or a full weekend to explore, these itineraries give you a local’s route through Dunfanaghy. Each one links directly to the restaurants and activities along the way.
Half a Day in Dunfanaghy: the Workhouse, the Square and Killahoey
Everything here is on foot and inside about two kilometres. It starts at the Workhouse on the western edge of the village, follows the Heritage Trail east along Main Street to the Square, stops for lunch, and ends on the strand. It works best between February and November, when the Workhouse is open.
- 110:00·1 to 1.5 hours
The Workhouse
Start with the Famine exhibition, a self-guided audio tour built around Wee Hannah Herrity's story, which takes about an hour. The exhibition closes at 16:00, so do it first. The staff will also help you load the Heritage Trail app for the next step.
View The Workhouse Famine and Heritage Centre - 211:30·About 1 hour
The Heritage Trail into the village
Walk the ten audio stops from the Workhouse back east: Holy Cross Church, Pound Street, Main Street, Arnolds Hotel, the Presbyterian church, the Green, Market Square and the pier, the old Garda station and the Robertson Board School, and Holy Trinity Church of Ireland. Each story is three to five minutes, in English or Irish.
View Dunfanaghy Heritage Trail - 312:45·About 45 minutes
Lunch on the Square
Climb the stairs above the pottery at Muck 'n' Muffins for soup, a toastie or a baked potato, and look at the pots on the way out.
View Muck 'n' Muffins - 413:45·1 to 2 hours
Killahoey strand
Walk east to Killahoey, about fifteen minutes from the Square, for the afternoon. In summer there are lifeguards from 12:00 to 18:30; at low tide look for the rusting remains of the trawler Dinas in the sand.
View Killahoey Beach (Trá na Cille)
A Full Day Around Dunfanaghy: Horn Head, Ards and Doe Castle
A day with a car that goes north onto Horn Head in the morning, then crosses to the far side of Sheephaven Bay for the forest park and the castle, and finishes with a sauna on the pier and dinner on Main Street. Save it for a clear day: in mist, Horn Head is not worth the drive.
- 109:30·About 45 minutes
Drive onto Horn Head
Take the Horn Head road from Hornhead Bridge and stop at the seabird viewing point on the way up. The road is narrow, so take it slowly.
View Horn Head (Corrán Binne) scenic drive - 210:15·1 to 1.5 hours
Walk to the signal tower
From the car park by the old coastguard station, walk out to the signal tower and the northern viewpoints, about three kilometres there and back over wet moorland. Wear boots, stay back from the unfenced edge, and turn round if the cloud comes down.
View Horn Head signal tower walk - 312:30·About 1 hour
Lunch on Main Street
Back in the village for a late breakfast or lunch at Lizzie's Diner.
View Lizzie's Diner - 414:00·1.5 to 2 hours
Ards Forest Park
Drive round the bay to Coillte's forest park, about nine kilometres, and walk the short Nature Trail or one of the shore trails. The car park takes cards, not coins.
View Ards Forest Park - 516:15·About 45 minutes
Doe Castle
On to the MacSweeney castle on its inlet off the R245. The grounds are free and open daily; the keep is by appointment only, so unless you have booked by email, it is the outside and the display panels.
View Doe Castle - 617:30·45 minutes to 1 hour
Sauna on Port na Bláiche pier
Book a 45-minute or one-hour session at Cocoon Sauna on the pier on the way back, and use the steps for a sea dip between rounds.
View Cocoon Sauna - 719:30·About 1.5 hours
Dinner at Arnolds
Finish at Arnolds Hotel on Main Street, in the restaurant or the Whiskey Fly Bar depending on the season. Ring ahead in summer on 074 913 6208; last dinner orders are typically around 20:30.
View Arnolds Hotel Restaurant and Whiskey Fly Bar
Ready to plan your visit?
Check the weather forecast before you head out.