Music short break in Donegal from £229pp

Holiday featured in Sunday Times' "50 Great Weekends for 2012".

A short break based in the northwest county of Donegal, and a small seaside village which has become a regular destination for some of the best Irish and international musicians.

Your Hotel in County Donegal

Close your eyes and imagine the perfect Irish pub/hotel: brightly painted, in a small village surrounded by beautiful countryside and glorious beaches, where you will be welcomed as one of the family, treated to home-cooked food and the perfect pint of Guinness while you chat to passers-by. There will be live music too – perhaps a local jamming session in the bar, an evening of traditional music on another day and a concert by some famous Irish names in the atmospheric venue just through the back. Well you don’t need to imagine, as we have found it. Whether you stop here as part of an Irish music tour, or fit it in to a tailor-made itinerary, this Donegal destination leaves a lasting impression – we can’t wait to go back ourselves!

Live Music concert

There will be live music on at least one evening at the hotel, either traditional Irish music or perhaps a concert by a well-known Irish band or performer - and your seat is guaranteed.

Some of the highlight acts who performed recently were Eddi Reader, Tom Paxton, Frank Vignola & Vinny Raviolo - (American jazz guitarists),  Rodney Crowell (Grammy-award winning country music star) , Altan and  Cara Dillon.
The programme for Spring & Summer 2012 will be available shortly.

What else to see and do

You will have two days to enjoy this hidden corner of Ireland. Donegal is a delight to explore, with many kilometres of scenic driving and some of the best beaches in Ireland. Malin Head, at the tip of the Inishowen peninsula, is the most Northerly point on mainland Ireland (yet it is in the “South” rather than Northern Ireland...). On a clear day, the views stretch across to the Scottish Hebrides and Kintyre peninsula. It can be a wild and windy place, but fantastic refreshments are available from Cafe Banba – a family-run cafe on wheels that serves delicious coffee and home-baking where you least expect to find it! There are many Neolithic and ancient sites – ruined chapels, standing stones and cairns – if you are interested in pre-history, and a must-visit is the Doagh Famine Village, which tells the story of Ireland from 1845 to the present day in a very different style from any other tourist attraction. You could also visit the City of Derry for a tour of the impressive city walls or the Bogside. This will give you a fascinating insight into the complex political history of Ireland over the past four hundred years.

Prices & Dates for this tailor made Irish holiday

This self-drive holiday can be arranged all year.

The price is £229 per person for February,March, November & December, £249 per person for April & October, £269 per person for May to September. Prices are based on two adults sharing a double or twin room for 3 nights on a bed & breakfast basis, with dinner included on two nights. Price also includes tickets to one live concert in the hotel's venue, as well as live music in the bar on one other night.

Special offer: two nights dinner, bed & breakfast including return ferry travel for car and passengers from Scotland to Ireland £319 per person.

For dates before April and after September this holiday can only run Thursday to Sunday.

Travel to Ireland

We would be delighted to book your travel to Ireland for this holiday.

The most convenient ferry routes are those from southwest Scotland to Larne or Belfast, but we could also arrange this to suit the crossings from North Wales to Dublin.

There are direct flight connections to Derry and to Belfast from several UK airports.

All our holidays include a map of Ireland with recommended routes from your specified starting point, suggestions on places to see and visit depending on your personal interests and our expertise to help you get the most from your holiday.

All itineraries and room types are presented subject to availability at specific hotels.

The McKinlay Kidd Guarantee

All our holiday prices include a service charge of £8 per person per night towards the costs we incur in researching, planning and designing your holiday.

We guarantee to refund this service charge if you believe that arranging your holiday through McKinlay Kidd has not met your expectations for value. All we ask is that you write to us within 7 days of your return and explain your reason for claiming the refund. This will ensure that we can improve the experience for all our future guests.

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