Sights in Southwestern Donegal
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Ardara Heritage Centre
Set in the old town courthouse, this centre traces the story of Donegal tweed from sheep shearing to dye production and weaving. A weaver is present to demonstrate how a loom works and explain the stitches used in traditional garments.
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Studio Donegal
Beside Kilcar's community centre tweeds are spun and loomed by hand at Studio Donegal. Visitors are often invited upstairs to see spinners and weavers in action.
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St Connell’s Museum & Heritage Centre
St Connell’s Museum & Heritage Centre, beside the old courthouse at the western end of town, has a ragbag of local artefacts. Call for (very limited) opening hours during the rest of the year.
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Maritime & Heritage Centre
This heritage centre provides a good overview of the town's history, and is set in the factory of Donegal Carpets, whose carpets adorn the White House and Buckingham Palace. You can sometimes see its hand-knotting loom (the world's longest of its kind) at work. The fun wheelhouse simulator lets you 'steer' a fishing trawler into the harbour. There's a good cafe/craft shop on-site.
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Father McDyer's Folk Village
A museum with a mission, this folk centre was established by the forward-thinking Father James McDyer in 1967 to freeze-frame traditional folk life for posterity. It's housed in a huddle of replicated thatched cottages of the 18th and 19th centuries, with genuine period fittings. The shebeen (illicit drinking place) sells unusual local wines (made from ingredients such as seaweed and fuchsias) alongside marmalade and whiskey truffles. Admission includes a tour. It's 3km west of the village, by the beach.
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