Glenveagh National Park
Type: National Park - Heritage Site
Glenveagh National Park lies in the heart of the Derryveagh Mountains in the north-west of Co. Donegal. It is a remote and hauntingly beautiful wilderness of rugged mountains and pristine lakes. The Park, over 16,000 hectares in extent consists of three areas. The largest of these is the former Glenveagh Estate, including most of the Derryveagh Mountains. To the west are the quartzite hills around Crocknafarragh and to the south, the peatlands of Lough Barra bog, Meenachullion and Crockastoller.
Glenveagh National Park is one of six national parks in Ireland. Situated in the Northwest of Co. Donegal, Glenveagh encompasses some 16,000 acres in the heart of the Derryveagh Mountains. Such a great wilderness is the haunt of many interesting plants and animals. These lands were managed as a private deer forest before becoming a national park in 1975. With the completion of public facilities Glenveagh National Park was officially opened to the public in 1986.
Opening Times
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2010 - The National Park is open to the public all year round, apart from Good Friday and Christmas Week. Park open 10.00am - 6.00pm March - October Last admission 5.00pm. 9am - 5pm October - March (last admission 4pm) Those wishing to take the guided tour of Glenveagh Castle should note that during the summer months demand can be high and therefore early arrival is advisable. |
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Facilities
Visitor Center
The Glenveagh Visitor Centre is located on the northern end of Lough Veagh, near the edge of the National Park. Its award-winning design incorporates a living heather roof mimicking the surrounding landscape causing minimum disturbance. The extensive displays contained within provide an introduction to the parks natural and built history as well as providing information on walking trails, events etc. Guides on duty will also be happy to provide visitors with information about the park and surrounding area as well as tickets for the park buses.
Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh Castle is a 19th century castellated mansion and was built between 1867 and 1873. Its construction in a remote mountain setting was inspired by the Victorian idyll of a romantic highland retreat.
It was designed by John Townsend Trench, a cousin of its builder and first owner, John George Adair, with whom he had been raised in Co. Laois. The designer appears to have imitated the style of earlier Irish Tower-houses adding an air of antiquity to the castle. The building stone chose was granite, plentiful in Donegal but difficult to work and allowing for little detail.
The forbidding architecture of the castle is quickly forgotten amidst the varied comforts within. Henry McIlhenny, the last owner of the castle, served the Philadelphia Museum of Art as Curator of Decorative Arts and his expertise in this field is evident throughout the castle. Through time, each room acquired a different character, some roughly in keeping with the period of the house, others freely inventive.
Glenveagh Gardens
Many famous Irish Gardens are set in natural landscapes of great beauty and nowhere else is the contrast between the luxuriance of the gardens and a rugged and exposed environment as marked as at Glenveagh. Situated at the foot of a steep, wooded hillside sloping down to Glenveagh Castle on the windswept shore of Lough Veagh, the uncompromising conditions of high rainfall and acid soil have been successfully exploited and the gardens feature a range of exotic plants from places as far afield as South America, Tasmania and China. A tour with 18 numbered stops has been developed through the gardens and an accompanying guidebook may be purchased at the visitor centre. You should allow at least one hour for the full tour, but if you have insufficient time to complete it, you can return quickly to the start from most points.
Nature and Outdoor Learning Centre
Our Nature and Outdoor Learning Centre is here to inspire an interest in and develop children’s appreciation for the natural world. The programme has been designed with National Schools in mind, covering many aspects of the Primary Science Curriculum, however the service is open to all groups of children and young people from 2-16 yrs.
