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Murvagh, Ireland

Stay in Donegal: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Donegal

Watch this spot We email you when Murvagh is worth the trip.

DonegalTown
Donegal, the nearest town, 6 km away. Photo: Kanchelskis, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

About Murvagh

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces W (252°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (72°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea is about 9°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in August, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Donegal, 6.4 km away (about 15 min by car).

Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 15 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Dublin Airport (DUB), direct. About 26 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → DUB · Skyscanner from about £370 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 3 h 20 from the airport to Murvagh, 219 km.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in DonegalAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Donegal (ad) on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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Forecast

Murvagh does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Murvagh, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct22, too small4 ft9 s203kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots12°C
Mon 19Oct52, good6 ft11 s661kJwind from the east, 7 knots, offshore12°C
Tue 20Oct27, too small5 ft10 s381kJwind from the south-east, 12 knots13°C
Wed 21Oct29, poor6 ft9 s645kJwind from the west-north-west, 10 knots10°C
Thu 22Oct37, fair6 ft9 s419kJwind from the west, 5 knots10°C
Fri 23Oct18, too small5 ft9 s361kJwind from the north-west, 8 knots10°C
Sat 24Oct32, poor7 ft9 s860kJwind from the south-east, 14 knots10°C
Sun 25Oct3, too small2 ft14 s154kJwind from the west, 23 knots9°C
Mon 26Oct33, poor8 ft8 s778kJwind from the south-south-west, 5 knots9°C
Tue 27Oct12, too small4 ft9 s204kJwind from the west-south-west, 9 knots9°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to DUB, then 3h 20 by road. About 15h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 5 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 33 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Murvagh

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 6 ft at 9 s, wind 5 kn (10 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 30 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Murvagh

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, wind 14 kn (25 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to DUB, then 3h 20 by road. About 15h 10 door to door

The trip from Donegal, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,115–£2,055 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to DUB, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£370–£770
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£110–£180
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£260–£430
Food7 days eating out£245–£455
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£95–£155
Total£1,115–£2,055

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Donegal

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

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