Ards Friary — Attraction in County Donegal

On the 19th August 2022, I went over to Ards Friary to have a look around the area. It has both a church, gift shop & a coffee shop. I went into the church for silent prayer for a short while before leaving the church to have a look inside the gift shop which is next door to the church & then proceeded to the foot way which takes you into Ards Forest Park & alongside Sheephaven Bay. We then came back to the car Park & went into the coffee shop & had a soft drink before heading home. The Friary is just off the main Letterkenny to Dunfanaghy road & is down a Lane Way. It is sign posted so you should hopefully find it easily. This place is fully open again after being temporarily closed for 2 years, due to The Covid Pandemic of 2020. It is well worth a visit for those of you, who are on holiday here in County Donegal....

Easy to reach Friary grounds and car park. It was second time we’ve got there. Be careful in trusting Google’s guidance. On the way in I was led to some woodland patch rather than road and on the way out (one way traffic there), it tried to tell me to drive into the fenced area.

Be careful when walking on grass, plenty of ticks in the area especially in season May-Sep. We’ve got total shy of 50 taken from our bodies (two adults and one kid), after a walk to the further beach and view points. No panic, but make sure you check yourself. They can carry nasty stuff and if your immune is low, Lyme might be just around the corner.

We did not go into friary itself so can’t advise on it. We are exploring outdoorsy...

A shout out to our new favourite coffee stop in Donegal. The cafe at Ards Friary Coffee Dock have just reopened after a refurb to their lovely little cafe. For those passing through NW Donegal do stop and enjoy the beautiful walks around the forests and beaches of Ards Friary Retreat Centre. The landscape is stunning and the people so friendly. To cap it off, wonderful scones and fresh sandwiches all home made…. The coffee itself?, a Cappuccino served to you by a Capuchin Brother…. Not more authentic than that! And a great coffee too. The day out around the grounds is free, but I did find a little auto till where you can make voluntary donations…. Money well spent for such a lovely morning. We’ll be...