Féile Árainn Mhór

What to Expect

Féile Árainn Mhór spreads a different flavour of island life across each of its three days. Friday, August 7 opens with a sea fishing competition, drawing local anglers and visitors out onto the Atlantic around the island for a day of competitive fishing. Saturday, August 8 turns into a fair day, with stalls, games and the general buzz of a small-island gathering centred on An Chultúrlann, the island’s cultural and community centre in Fallagowan. The festival closes on Sunday, August 9 with a regatta, when boats race in the waters off Arranmore, a tradition tied directly to the island’s fishing and seafaring history. Arranmore, or Árainn Mhór, is Donegal’s largest inhabited offshore island and an Irish-speaking Gaeltacht community, and the festival is a community-run affair organised through the Cultúrlann rather than a commercial promotion. An Chultúrlann itself runs Irish-language classes and cultural events on the island through the rest of the year, so the festival weekend is as much about the centre showing off what it does as it is a standalone party. Arranmore has had a higher profile in recent years thanks to a well-publicised push to attract new residents and remote workers on the back of the island’s broadband connection, and community events like this festival are part of keeping island life visible to people who might otherwise only know it from that coverage.

Good to Know

Dates: Friday, August 7 to Sunday, August 9, 2026. Hub venue: An Chultúrlann, Fallagowan, Arranmore Island. No ticket price is published for any of the three days. For entry details on the sea fishing competition, or to confirm timings for the fair day and regatta, contact the organisers directly on +353 87 098 3749 or ionad@cffam.com, or watch the festival’s Facebook page for updates closer to the date.

Getting There

Arranmore is reached by ferry from Burtonport on the Donegal mainland, a crossing of around 15 to 20 minutes with sailings running throughout the day in summer. Cars can be brought over on the car ferry, though the island is small enough to get around on foot or by bike once there. Burtonport itself is about 15 minutes’ drive from Dungloe on the N56, with parking available at the ferry terminal for anyone leaving their car on the mainland.