Overview
The road over Mamore Gap (Irish: An Mám Mór) climbs at close to a 30% gradient in places, which makes it one of the steepest public roads in Donegal and a real test for a small car. The pass cuts through the Urris Hills at around 800 ft (240 m), linking Dunree in the south with Urris in the north, and it’s the high point of the Inishowen 100 – the 160 km loop around the peninsula. It’s a 15-minute drive from both Buncrana and Ballyliffin. The hills on either side are glacial spoil, dumped here as the ice retreated roughly 17,000 years ago.
Come from the south and drive it up-and-over: the reward is the descent toward Urris, where the view opens onto Lough Swilly, the Fanad peninsula across the water, and the Atlantic beyond. Don’t judge it from the top car park – the panorama is best a little further down.
The drive and the ‘magic road’
The climb is tight and demanding, with several sharp bends. Take it slowly in wet or windy weather, and know that the pull-in area at the summit is easy to overshoot – ease off before you crest. The road is narrow and single-track in stretches, so it’s no place for a coach or a caravan.
On the descent you’ll pass the ‘magic road’, a length of carriageway surfaced with pale white stone where a stopped car in neutral seems to roll uphill. It’s a gravity-hill illusion, a trick of the surrounding slope – not real. Tempting as it is to try, the road is narrow and blind in both directions, and the main Inishowen driving guides flatly advise against stopping to test it. Enjoy the story; keep moving.
The gap is a revered climb for cyclists – that near-30% gradient is a badge of honour – and a favourite with motorcyclists. Give them room; they’ll be moving slower than you think on the way up.
St Eigne’s holy well and the pilgrimage
Beside the summit sits St Eigne’s holy well, a stone-lined spring named for an early saint linked to the Céile Dé monastic tradition. The gap was long a place of Catholic pilgrimage, and the tradition holds on. On 15 August, the Feast of the Assumption, an open-air Mass draws worshippers to the well, some walking the last stretch barefoot. A separate walk falls on Garland Sunday, the last Sunday of July, when families make the route barefoot in the old way. A small grotto to the Virgin Mary stands nearby, usually left with fresh flowers, rosaries and candles.
There’s a quieter piece of history here too. From 1812 to 1815 locals blocked the road and declared the area the ‘Poitín Republic of Urris’ to dodge the excise men and their fines – smugglers used the narrow pass to ambush the police who came after the stills. More recently the gap turned up on screen as a filming location for the Netflix series How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (2026).
Walking and viewpoints
The drive is the main event, but it’s worth parking and getting out. A clear path runs from the car park to the well and on along the ridge, with open views of the coastline and the Inishowen headlands. The lower car park, further down the descent, gives another good vantage where the road curves hard against sea and sky. The slopes of Mamore Hill bring you nearer the cliff edges – loose stone and steep drops, so mind your footing. Donegal weather turns fast, so bring boots and a waterproof even in July.
Practical information
- Access and parking: Open year-round, free. There’s parking at both the summit and the lower car park; the summit pull-in is small and easy to miss.
- Facilities: None. No toilets, shops or food on-site – sort yourself out in Buncrana or Ballyliffin first. There’s an information board at the top.
- Dogs: Welcome, but keep them on a lead near the cliff edges and around the well.
- Getting here: 15 minutes from Buncrana or Ballyliffin. Not suitable for coaches or caravans.
Nearby
The gap sits within easy reach of some of Inishowen’s best beaches. Tullagh Strand is about 14 minutes away, Pollan Strand around 18, Five Finger Strand roughly 34, and Kinnagoe Bay about 45. Glenevin Waterfall, with its short walk up a wooded glen, is a ten-minute drive.
Drive it on a clear evening, coming up from the Dunree side, and stop just past the crest rather than at the top – that’s where the whole of Lough Swilly and Fanad lays out in front of you.