The Wild Atlantic Way is a world class tourism touring route that is 2,500km in distance and stretches from the Inisowen Peninsula, County Donegal, all the way down the West coast of Ireland to the town of Kinsale,County Cork. The town of Dunfanaghy is in the Northern tip of the Atlantic route is one of the most impressive due to its geographic location and beautiful landscape.
In the Irish language, ‘Dun Fionnchaidh’ translates as ‘fort of the fair field’, and it has a population of around 300 people and is located in the North West of Donegal. At the centre of the Dunfanaghy is a square with an accompanying market house which was constructed in 1847.There was also a quay built here in 1831, used for the exportation of local agricultural commodities. In Dunfanaghy, there are a number of important buildings and sites from its long history. Dunfanaghy road railway station opened on 9th March,1903 and was fully operational ‘til 6th January,1947.Also Dunfanaghy Workhouse operated from 1845 to 1922 offering respite for the poor of the area. It reopened in 1995 as a heritage centre and depicts life of the people of Dunfanaghy in 1800’s rural Ireland.
One of the main tourist attractions for Dunfanaghy is Horn Head which forms part of Sheephaven Bay.With cliffs that are 600 feet high,views of the Tory Islands and Atlantic Ocean and two lookout towers,this is a truly beautiful setting.