About Us
Back To Museum
Fáilte!
Welcome to Donegal County Museum where you can explore the archaeology, history and culture of County Donegal.
Donegal County Museum is part of the Culture Division of Donegal County Council. The Museum is based in an old stone building, which was once part of the Letterkenny Workhouse. The exhibition in the first-floor gallery tells the story of County Donegal from Prehistory to the Twentieth century. In the ground floor gallery, we hold a series of temporary exhibitions each year. The Museum organises a varied events programme including talk, tours and workshops. Donegal County Museum cares for an ever-growing collection of over 8,000 artefacts representing a wide range of periods and topics.
Further Information
Donegal County Museum is a “Designated Museum”, under the National Monuments (Amendment) Act, 1994, and the National Cultural Institutions Act, 1997. This means that it is legally entitled to retain objects on behalf of the State. All archaeological objects found with no known owner belong to the State. All such finds must be reported to the National Museum of Ireland or to a Designated Museum e.g., Donegal County Museum.
Our multi-functional space accommodates a wide range of public events and activities, including workshops, meetings, film screenings and lectures. The space was part funded through the Arts and Culture Capital Scheme 2016-2018 under the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
Donegal County Museum is the home of the Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. This pioneering survey contains the original field notes, maps, plans and slides of the sites and monuments listed in the archaeological survey that was published in 1983. Members of the public can consult the original files by appointment. We have digitized the original slides, maps and drawings of the archaeological survey which are available on-line.
The Northwest Film Archive is available for viewing free of charge in the Museum. This digital archive has a wide range of film material relating to the counties of Derry and Donegal. There are over 90 hours of programmes, documentaries, feature films, shorts and news footage from some of the major televisions channels as well as Super 8 amateur film and home video dating back over 50 years.
The Donegal Islands Film and Radio Archive is a unique digital collection of archive material relating to the islands of County Donegal. The archive contains over 50 hours of film, television and video in the form of 94 separate items such as newsreels, television news, documentaries and home movies from the 1950s to the present day. The archive is available for viewing free of charge in the Museum.
Donegal County Museum has been awarded Full Accreditation in the Heritage Council’s Museums Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI)
The MSPI was established by the Heritage Council to benchmark and promote professional standards and to recognise through accreditation the achievement of those standards within the Irish museum sector. These standards include areas such as museum management, care of collections, documentation, exhibitions, and education. The museum received its interim accreditation certificate in 2008, its full accreditation certificate in 2012 and then received a certificate to confirm maintenance of the standards in 2016 and again in 2023.
Donegal County Museum is a member of the Local Authority Museums’ Network (LAMN)