We cannot wait to welcome you to
Donegal Railway
Museum
The Award Winning Donegal Railway Museum located in Donegal Town commemorates the operations of the various railways that once operated across County Donegal from 1863 until 1959. The Museum is housed in one of the few surviving railway stations in the County.
It is operated by a dedicated group of people committed to saving, restoring, developing, celebrating and developing a first-class visitor attraction. The visitor attraction which has recently been refurbished includes the original famous Donegal steam engine “Drumboe” on display built in 1907, carriages and wagons, audio and visual displays, working railway models, shop, as well as Ireland’s first full-size interactive railway cab; lots of fun for kids big and small.
Your Journey Starts here
Entry Times:
Museum viewings can be arranged outside normal operating hours by phone (074) 9722655 or email [email protected]
10:00am to 5:00pm
12noon to 4pm, (April-September)
We are Pet Friendly!
Accessibility Information
Our Museum is completely wheelchair accessible and easy to get around. Our signage is also designed with large lettering which can be easily read. Several of our displays are also audio installations. We can also provide a tour guide for you for your visit; don’t hesitate to ask at Reception.
Parking
- Free Car Park at the John Bosco Centre next door to Museum.
- We have Disabled parking directly outside the Museum
- We can arrange parking for buses onsite, if given advance notice
Events
We invite you to be a part of our museum and delve into its rich history through a variety of engaging events.
- 13-22
- Dec
- 2024
- 01
- Dec
- 2024
- 26
- Oct
- 2024
- 17
- Aug
- 2024
- 11
- Aug
- 2024
- 12
- Jul
- 2024
- 21-25
- May
- 2024
- 20
- Aug
- 2024
- 21-17
- May-Oct
- 2024
Tours
Visitors have a choice when they arrive of taking their own Self-Guided Tour or when staff are available and for larger groups, receiving a Guided Tour.
Self-Guided
For those who want to take their own time around our museum, after an introduction by one of our staff, you can follow a guide to make your way around the Museum building, and our unique railway stock.
We also have fun worksheets for kids. There are self-guided panels as well as QR codes so that you can enjoy and learn a lot about the railways that once operated here.
Check out the railway models, audio-visual presentation, our interactive steam cab, shop and climb inside Donegal’s only surviving original 120 year old engine! Please email [email protected] for further information
Guided Tours
On request and for larger groups, when staff are available, our museum staff will take you on a journey around our famous museum where you will learn about the railways and here about our famous engine and much much more. For more information please email [email protected]
School Programs
Visit the Museum
If your school or group would be interested in visiting our Award Winning Museum, we can organise a tour and lesson about the Donegal Railways that once operated across the County
Outreach
Our Museum is an Outreach program and would be delighted to offer a bespoke lesson to any Primary or Secondary School across the County or further afield
For more information, please email
[email protected]
Outreach Work
Throughout the year as part of our Outreach & Educational work our Museum visit’s community groups, historical societies, parish groups and really any group who would like to hear about the railways in Donegal. We offer a one hour talk (PowerPoint presentation) as well as bring artefacts and displays to you for the event. Over the last few years we have given presentations in Letterkenny, Burntonport, Dunfanaghy, Killybegs, Derry, Ballycastle, Carndonagh to name but a few.
If you are interested in hosting a visit from us, please contact [email protected]
Highlights
Join us at the Donegal Railway Museum to immerse yourself in the fascinating history of the region’s railways through these highlights and more.
What People Are Saying About Us!
“A little gem. This is such a fabulous little find !!!”
“Brilliant gem of a museum. Hopefully we will be back again very soon.”
“It was a lovely day trip to Donegal town, and the highlight was the Donegal railway heritage museum.”
“Visited today ... Beautifully presented station house with lots of information about the good old days ! Must say we enjoyed the staff who gave us a tour of the venue his passion for the railway clearly evident ! Would definitely visit in the future”
“Interesting displays. A real steam train and interactive computer train driving experience for kids. Kids absolutely loved it.”
Really enjoyed our trip there with the kids! They got an extra ride on their Thomas the train and lots of time from the museum staff to show us around. Thanks for the great visit!
This was such a cute little museum. They did a great job explaining the history of the railroad in the county. The kids loved this museum even more than expected. We covered the entire museum in about an hour but the kids could have stayed longer.
Google rating score: 5 of 5 based on 1005 reviews
Certificate of Excellence Based on “550” reviews
