Donegal County Museum

About the museum

Donegal County Museum is housed in the last surviving building of the Letterkenny Workhouse, which was designed by George Wilkinson to hold 500 inmates and took in its first residents in March 1845. The building was the entrance and administration block, with the board room of the Poor Law Guardians on the first floor. After the workhouse era it was used for many purposes, including a fever hospital from 1928, a maternity hospital until 1960, council offices and a branch library.

The former reception block was converted and opened as the county museum in 1987, and an extension followed in 1991. The museum is run by the Culture Division of Donegal County Council and is one of the local-authority museums in Ireland. It is a Designated Museum, which means it may legally retain archaeological finds on behalf of the State, and it has held full accreditation under the Heritage Council’s Museum Standards Programme for Ireland since 2012.

The first-floor gallery follows the story of the county from prehistory to the twentieth century, while the ground-floor gallery hosts temporary exhibitions and events. The museum looks after thousands of artefacts and is home to the Archaeological Survey of Donegal, whose field notes, maps and slides can be consulted by appointment. Visitors can also watch the Northwest Film Archive and the Donegal Islands Film and Radio Archive free of charge in the museum.

Highlights

• Permanent gallery on the history of Donegal from prehistory to the twentieth century
• Housed in the former Letterkenny Workhouse building
• Northwest Film Archive and Donegal Islands Film and Radio Archive for free viewing
• Archaeological Survey of Donegal, consultable by appointment
• Free admission and Museum Detectives backpack for children

Permanent exhibition

• History of Donegal – The first-floor gallery tells the story of County Donegal from the Stone Age to the twentieth century through artefacts from the museum’s collection.

Founded

1987

Operated by

Donegal County Council – Culture Division

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free for everyone.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum describes itself as fully accessible. A lift on the ground floor serves the first-floor gallery, and there is one wheelchair-accessible toilet near reception. Mobility scooters are welcome (Class 3 vehicles must be set to 4 mph). Seating is provided throughout, and guide dogs are welcome. The quietest times are 10:00–11:00 and after 16:00, and December and January are the quietest months. Accessible, low-cost paid parking is beside the museum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

The free Museum Detectives backpack can be borrowed during a visit and contains activities for children of all ages, with artefacts to find, stories to create and puzzles to solve.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on the High Road in Letterkenny, beside the Intreo office.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

A multi-functional space is used for workshops, meetings, film screenings and lectures.

Plan your visit