Lifford

Lifford is a town in east Donegal, right next to the border with Northern Ireland. It is the county town with Donegal County Council based here. Lifford lies in the Finn Valley area where the River Finn meets the River Mourne to create the River Foyle. There are five primary schools in the town although for second level education students must travel to the likes of Raphoe, Stranorlar or Strabane in Co Tyrone. Local points of interest include Lifford Courthouse, which is now a museum and Cavanacor House which is the ancestral home of the 11th Preisdent of the United States, James Knox Polk. There are both Catholic and Church of Ireland churches in the town as well as a community hospital. Lifford is known as the ‘Gateway to Donegal’ because it is the first town you enter in County Donegal when travelling from Dublin on the N2 (A5/A38 through County Tyrone). Two national primary routes, the N15 to Sligo via Stranorlar, Donegal Town and Ballyshannon and also the N14 to Letterkenny, take travellers to all parts in the County. There is also the R265/R236/A40 national secondary route to Derry City. Lifford has several daily bus services operated by Bus Éireann to Dublin Airport / Dublin City Centre (Busáras). They also serve Letterkenny and Ballybofey, where connections can be had for travelling onwards to Sligo with its railway station and bus station. Lifford is also very close to Strabane Bus Depot, located on Bradley Way in Strabane. From here, Ulsterbus operate services to Derry, Belfast, Omagh and other places in Northern Ireland. The City of Derry Airport is 35km away while Donegal Airport is 83km away. There are numerous sporting facilities, including a greyhound stadium, as well as a selection of pubs, shops and restaurants.