Fanad Lighthouse & Olde Glen Pub: A Perfect Donegal Day Trip

Donegal is the kind of place that sneaks up on you. One minute you’re driving winding roads through quiet villages, the next you’re standing at the edge of the Atlantic, staring at a lighthouse that’s been guiding sailors for over 200 years.

That lighthouse is Fanad Head Lighthouse — one of Ireland’s most iconic Wild Atlantic Way stops and once voted among the most beautiful lighthouses in the world. I visited it as part of a TBEX Prebex day trip, and the experience was more than just history and views. After exploring the lighthouse, we ended the day at The Olde Glen Pub, Ireland’s oldest licensed pub, with music, storytelling, and a craft beer tasting with Kinnegar Brewing.

If you’re planning a trip to Donegal, you can easily recreate this loop on your own. Here’s how to spend one perfect day combining Fanad Lighthouse, the Olde Glen Pub, and Kinnegar Brewing.

This Post Pairs Well With:

• The Perfect Week-Long Donegal, Ireland Itinerary for Solo Hikers
• How to Get from Dublin Airport to Donegal, Ireland (Bus, Train, Flight & Car Options Explained)
• A Solo Journey on the Donegal Way: Waterfalls, Coastlines, and the Slieve League Cliffs
• Destinations

Quick Guide to Fanad Lighthouse

• Location: Fanad Peninsula, County Donegal, Ireland
• Opening Hours: March–October, guided tours daily (check official site)
• Tickets: Adults ~€10, discounts for families/children
• Overnight Stays: Self-catering keeper’s cottages available — book ahead
• Getting There: ~45 minutes from Letterkenny, ~1h15 from Derry, ~1h45 from Donegal Town

Book a Tour Here

A Note about this Daytrip

Fanad Lighthouse sits at the very end of the Fanad Peninsula, where the road narrows, the houses thin out, and suddenly the Atlantic opens up in front of you. It’s one of those places where you roll down the window just to hear the waves and feel the wind coming off the water. From there, it’s a quick twenty-minute drive to The Olde Glen Pub, tucked into the quiet village of Glen. It doesn’t look flashy from the outside, but inside it’s all low ceilings, warm light, and the kind of Donegal welcome that makes you want to stay longer than planned. Visiting both in one day gives you a perfect snapshot of this part of the Wild Atlantic Way: the wild, wide-open coastline at Fanad in the morning and the comfort of a centuries-old pub by afternoon, where good food, local beer, and a few stories bring the whole experience full circle.

Fanad Lighthouse: History and Tours

Our guide began with the story of the HMS Saldanha. In 1811, the ship wrecked on these rocks, claiming over 250 lives. The only survivor, legend says, was the captain’s parrot. That disaster finally convinced authorities that this coastline needed a lighthouse, and by 1817 Fanad’s light was shining across Lough Swilly.

Inside, the keeper’s cottages show what life was like here: logbooks, tools, and sparse rooms where families endured storms that sometimes cut them off for weeks. It was isolating, but their work was essential — without them, ships wouldn’t have stood a chance.

Climbing the lantern room’s 76 steps is worth every breath. From the top, you see nothing but the Atlantic stretching to the horizon, waves hammering the cliffs, and the rugged Donegal coast. It’s dramatic, raw, and unforgettable.

I’d never been inside a lighthouse before, and this experience gave me a whole new appreciation for the people who kept these beacons burning.

After climbing back down from the lantern room, we wandered out onto the rocky outcrop that wraps around the lighthouse. It’s the kind of viewpoint that stops you mid-step — jagged rocks, crashing waves, and the lighthouse standing solid against the Atlantic. The ground is slick when it rains, and in Donegal, that rain comes and goes all day, so watch your footing. You could spend hours exploring the cliffs and walking the headland, but we only had about an hour before the weather turned again. We ducked into the small café beside the lighthouse, and a bowl of hot potato soup did exactly what it needed to do: warm us up after being blasted by wind and rain.

If you have more time, staying overnight here is something special. The keeper’s cottages sit right on site, and waking up beside the lighthouse with nothing but waves, seabirds, and that slow Donegal morning light would add a whole different layer to your trip. It’s one of those rare stays that feels both remote and meaningful. You can book the cottages through their official site, and they fill quickly, especially in summer.

Quick Guide: The Olde Glen Pub

• Location: Glen, Carrigart, County Donegal, Ireland
• Opening Hours: Open daily (pub + restaurant)
• Experience: Live music and storytelling nights (check schedules)
• Food: Traditional Irish pub fare + fine dining restaurant next door
• Stay: Yes, overnight stays are available — book via their website
• Getting There: ~20 minutes from Fanad Lighthouse, ~40 minutes from Letterkenny

The Olde Glen Pub: Music, Storytelling & Tradition

After leaving Fanad, we made our way to The Olde Glen Pub. First licensed in the early 1700s, it’s believed to be Ireland’s oldest pub — still lovingly remembered as “Mary’s of the Glen,” after Mary McLaughlin and her family, who ran it from 1970 to 2010. Today, Aengus Haughey carries the pub forward, blending its 250-year history with a modern touch.

Stepping inside feels like stepping back in time: low ceilings, stone walls, creaky wooden floors, and a fire glowing in the hearth. Our host, Aengus, explained that this pub had always been a meeting place for fishermen and farmers, where stories were told as often as pints were poured.

That tradition is alive today. Just as we were settling in, musicians struck up tunes and a storyteller began weaving local legends. It wasn’t staged — it felt spontaneous, real, and deeply Donegal.

I began to get goosebumps as these three musicians started playing. At one point, one of the men sang a beautiful song that left me almost in tears. He had our attention, and the whole room fell into silence. It was the highest point of my trip. It’s such a beautiful moment that I’ll always remember. When people tell you that the Irish are storytellers and they do it well through music, believe them.

I’ve embedded the Instagram post with the song he was singing below, have a look and let me know if it moved you!