Greencastle, United Kingdom

Greencastle is a commercial fishing port located in the north of the scenic Inishowen Peninsula on the north coast of County Donegal, in the province of Ulster, Ireland.

Nowadays, given the decline in the fishing industry, it resembles more closely a typical Donegal holiday village. It is located a few miles from Moville and is about 20 miles from Derry. Greencastle's name comes from the castle in the area, which in turn, may have derived its name from the green freestone with which it was built. The castle, originally built by the Anglo-Normans, is also known as Newburgh Castle.

Greencastle is also one of the disembarkation ports for cruise ships visiting Derry. Due to the tidal nature of the Foyle Estuary, it is sometimes too shallow for cruise ships to make their way to Lisahally docks in Derry. Stopping at Greencastle also saves 5 hours sailing round trip. However passengers are required to disembark using tenders as, unlike Lisahally docks, the Greencastle pier was not designed to allow a cruise ship to dock.

The cruise season is from May to September to take advantage of the longer days and warmer weather. Weather during the cruise season is mild to warm and the days are long. However this is an area where the weather changes rapidly and you can experience a number of seasons in the one day. Cruise Lines often have advice on what clothes to take.

General Information:

Population: 817 (2011)
Currency: Euro, English pound
Language: English, Gaelic
Time zone: WET (UTC+0) Summer (DST)IST (WEST) (UTC-1)