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Year round, Donegal County Museum shows a diverse series of exhibitions from those developed In-house to those on loan from other organisations.  

Our aim is to cater to a wide spectrum of visitors by showing exhibitions that are of local, national and international interest.  

On your visit to the museum, the first-floor exhibition gallery tells the story of Donegal from Prehistory to the Twentieth century. 

We also hold a series of temporary exhibitions throughout the year, which cover a wide range of topics. 

Borrow & Contribute

Donegal County Museum have curated several exhibitions, which are available free of charge for loan to organisations, community groups and venues throughout County Donegal, subject to certain loan conditions.  Please contact the Museum for further details. Call: +35374 9124613 Email: museum@donegalcoco.ie  

Theses exhibitions consist of either pop-up display stands or hanging display boards on a variety of themes:   

  • 'From Leaders To Exiles' - The Flight of the Earls
  • The Plantation of Ulster 
  • The Ulster Covenant 1912
  • Connection and Division - Donegal 1910-1930 
  • The Railways of Co Donegal
  • Remembering World War I- The Donegal Story
  • County Donegal in 1916
  • Donegal & the Easter Rising &‘Dún na nGall agus Éirí Amach na Cásca'
  • Donegal Local WWI Heroes
  • 'A Vanished World' - The Landed Gentry of County Donegal
  • 'A Long Farewell' - The Emigration of Donegal Women 1845 - 1955 

Have you or a family member ever worked in Scotland?  Do you have photographs or memories from your time there that you would be willing to share?  Donegal County Council is working on a major exhibition to document the working experiences of Donegal people in Scotland.   

“There are few families in County Donegal that have not been affected by emigration or participated in seasonal migration” said Joseph Gallagher, County Donegal Heritage Officer.  “In the twentieth century, Scotland was a familiar destination for people leaving County Donegal in search of work. In recent years, the stories of some of their experiences and successes have been documented but, for a long time, they have been overlooked or considered too ordinary to be recorded.  Emigration from Donegal to Scotland was particularly high during the 1950s and 1960s. With the passage of time, the opportunities to record first-hand accounts of the experiences of Donegal people working in Scotland are disappearing. We’re keen to capture stories and images while we can and to celebrate the working lives of Donegal people in Scotland”.   

The Culture Division of Donegal County Council (Heritage Office, Museum, Archives, Library Service, Regional Cultural Centre and Arts Office) in partnership with the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies is preparing a major exhibition on the historical context, working conditions and types of employment that Donegal men and women found in Scotland.  This could include those who worked in seasonal work for parts of the year or those who settled in Scotland or those who returned to Donegal in later years.  The project will focus on a variety of industries and workplaces in Scotland from 1940 to 1990 including farms, buses, railways, building sites, engineering projects (such as tunnels, bridges, dams or hydro-electric schemes), shipbuilding, domestic service, hotels, shops, biscuit or chocolate factories, health service, religious life and teaching.   

If you are willing to share your story, contact the County Donegal Heritage Office on (074) 917 2576 or by e-mail at heritage@donegalcoco.ie  If you have photographs of Donegal men or women at work in Scotland, they can be scanned free-of-charge at the County Museum in Letterkenny, the County Archives in Lifford or the libraries in Derrybeg, Dungloe, Donegal Town, Bundoran, Raphoe, Buncrana, Moville, Milford and Letterkenny.   

If you have items or objects relating to your work in Scotland (such as boat or bus tickets, hand tools, work cards, uniforms, letters, suitcases and their contents) that you would be willing to lend for the exhibition, please contact the County Museum on (074) 912 4613 or by e-mail at museum@donegalcoco.ie  

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