The whole townland of Maghery is going to take a contract out on my head for giving away THE best…read morekept secret in the world. i.e. The Strand Bar, a/k/a Packie James'. You will never make your way out here without secret directions given to you by a wee man standing on the corner of Main Street Dungloe and Quay Road Dungloe. Or you can use your "trusty" GPS or you can PM me for details and also some super tips about what to do or see out there in Maghery while you are in the area. It's the kind of place where you can quite "make the day of it". I have this thing about not writing reviews unless I have been a customer recently. Well, I was a customer here last week and this place is still the hidden gem it always was. If you are looking for a locals bar, this it is. This is the epitome of "local bar". In fact, I think the person who coined that phrase was actually sitting at the counter of this bar or snuggled up beside the fire when he/she thought of it. Why do I love this place? Throughout my life and while he was still able to drive, this was my dad's pub of choice. This was where he came to "get away". Some of us go to the South of Spain, some to the Ski Slopes of Switzerland. My dad? He went to Packie James'. HENCE...it was practically totally off limits to the girls in the family and the boys only went when invited. Otherwise, it was dad's place, his refuge. In the wintertime like last week..when it was freezing hard, they had a HUGE coal fire burning, which when contrasted with the red tartan carpet and blue upholstered chairs and stools makes for a very very country, cosy feeling. In situations like this, my advice is to park your car, take a brisk walk along Maghery strand just a few minutes walk west of the front door, and get yourself foundered enough to totally appreciate the fire and the hot whiskey (and you HAVE to order yourself a hot Whiskey or hot Port in a situation like this). In the summer you should wander farther afoot, maybe take a wee dander up the lane opposite, passing the tall famine walls and on out to Tearmainn to visit the ruins of a 6th centuary monastery founded by St. Crone or take a left and take a hike up the cliff road up to Crohy Head and the signal tower and breathtaking views. No Food. Pool table and dart board. Parking out front. Smoking room with seats. Picnic table and seats for outside drinking.

I hail from Edinburgh but have spent at least a fortnight the last 12 summers in Maghery or Dungloe…read morethe local town. The strand has been a fantastic place whether for a game of pool for the kids and a few day time drinks for the adults. Or a great night for all with local musicians playing away to the early hours in a packed pub. It also can be a great place to talk over the fly fishing catch of brownies where myself and Brother-in-law saw out three changes of bar staff in session of 10 hours. The locals are friendly the Guinness and Budweiser cold and smooth.A place of fantastic memories to be cherished .Not forgetting the wife and sister inlaw sneaking away from the cottage to sample the local wines and spirits.

Neat Northern Irish Pub…read more Met expectations Recommend Pub ambience with great service Elect Mussels and chips

Overall Value: This is good value and probably the best bet in the area. The food is good (though…read morecertainly not as good as other parts of Ireland), especially given the lack of other options, good portions, and friendly service. We actually came back for dinner two nights in a row, so that is a good sign. The Food: We had the chicken curry (€13.95), fish n chips (€15.45), and a half-dozen oysters on the first night. Generous portions. The fish was crispy and had pretty good flavor, I would recommend. The chicken curry was a little bland and forgettable, so I would pass. The chips were fine - we opted to get the curry with half and half (half chips/half rice), so that was a nice option. Need some rice to soak up the curry. The oysters were really nice and fresh, although not cheap, so that was probably a bit of a splurge. On the second night, it was their weekly Monday steak special, where you choose two steak dinners from a list for I believe about €25 (don't quote me exact price, but it was a good deal). We picked the 10 oz sirloin with peppercorn sauce, and the cock and bull (a dish with a strips of steak, chicken, mashed potatoes and fried onions). Both steak dishes were well cooked and had decent flavors, and at the price, I had no complaints. Space and Pace: A lively bar on both nights. Literally everyone orders steaks on steak night (who wouldn't?) so it was a bit more crowded. A nice place for dinner or a drink The Service: Really friendly staff, although they lost us for a bit when it got crowded.

Went here on a whim as it was on my way back to town…read more Ambiance was ok, it's a tavern and they're famous for their music didn't expect anything different than what it was. Three very young waitresses, poor listening skills, busy chatting with each other. They did get busy when a middle aged man showed up (owner?) ;-) Food ordered: fish and chips came with side salad. Chips arrived lukewarm and limp; fish ok; tartar sauce lacking any personality as did the side salad. Perhaps: come for the music not the food or service.

Had THE BEST time today! Fantastic live music, awesome service and great pub food. Love the vibe…read moreand history-the bar is part of Enya's family and the town is also known for Clannad! Grab a pint, some food and enjoy!

Stop by the pub after doing a tour of Donegal castle. It must be really popular because the…read morefront was really packed with football fans. They were in there packed like sardines. Luckily this place have multiple rooms and we found a quite corner to drink our pint. Our bartender was really really friendly and gave out good pours

A great pub and must go to in Donegal! Atmosphere is the ideal pub setting. Servers friendly. Solid…read morebeer and drink selection. Walk is the front door and discover the meandering expanse to another street. Please don't pass it over.

A good basic bar with live music 7 nights a week, and a mix of locals & tourists…read more So your a tourist in Donegal during the week and all the pubs are dead. Then roll over to the Reel Inn (it's just at corner near the bridge) where they have live music every night of the week and usually a good crowd. As a local (or ex-local) going in here for the 1st time I felt like I'd walked into Deliverance (google it), some odd folk from the bogs, townies, rockers, and maybe a few fellas barred from all the other pubs in town, and then mixed in is usually a load of English tourists, and surprisingly it works! Everyone's having the craic, these bog critters are friendly and are trying to wind me up, we'll all supping our drinks and enjoying the music, the tourists are dancing away, and usually it's a great night, and everyone's good and drunk by the end of the night and I mean drunk. Sometimes the music is hit-or-miss, sometimes it's a bit of jam session, other times it's quite good. On quite nights there may not be many musicians there and the owner get's up and play. And both him and the missus are decent friendly folk. I just wish they poured a better Guinness or had a nice Heff-Weisse. ;)

For an Irish pub that makes its living on tourists, its pretty standard. There is a sign by the…read moredoor listing prices and what the offer which is incorrect--don't bother informing the bartender of that though, she will just blow you off. Live music which made about half of us want to sleep as there were no words (unless they played Johnny Cash). Never played the standard songs like Galway Girl even though we chanted for them. I also think a homeless man came in at some point and played....

If you are looking for an amazing Pub in County Donegal, Ireland.I highly recommend visiting The…read moreCorner House located on the Main Street Of Ardara. The pints are amazing! his staff are all so professional kind and genuinely care about about their customers. Amazing Traditional Irish Music and Amazing Atmosphere. This Pub establishment rates five stars and more! It should be noted I am originally from Dublin Ireland and lived in the United States for over thirty years and served in the United States Marines all over the world. I definitely know a great pub from all my life experiences and travels all over the world. I definitely will return in the near future! A must visit if you are looking for great pints. You definitely won't be disappointed!

If you're looking for traditional music in Ardara, the Corner House seems to be the place you are…read moremost likely to find it. Local musicians seem to show up for a session every Friday and Saturday night. They attract a big crowd of local residents, as well as tourists (like me). The music is lively, and everybody has fun. No food is served.

YES PLEASE!!! The…read moremoment I saw this restaurant / bar that resembled a castle I knew I belonged in this pub asap. Thankfully, the experience did not disappoint. Wide array of interesting items like Venison Pie you will see on the menu here. I did choose the Venison Pie, and it was sweet and tasty. The seafood soup was very good as well and was decorated with a puffy fish and I want to say a mint of some sort put in place of where an eyeball would go, very cute indeed! I remember loving the large oysters and great local beer on tap. Highly recommend if you are in the Donegal area. The Donegal Castle is not far from here as well if you want to make a day out of it. As always people SYOY!!!

Great atmosphere and pulls a great pint for a Kilkenny and a Kinnegar black rabbit nitro…read more We really enjoyed our Bread platter for the appetizer and the service was friendly but it was really really slow for the entree. Luckily we weren't in a rush and enjoying the experience but after 40 minutes between apps and entrees we started to worry our food went somewhere else lol. The Fish and chips and the Wild venison pie were good but pretty basic but we did enjoy the ambience.

I went into this nice looking pub, my drinks were good, but the entire time I was in there the…read moreother guys eyed me up like I was there to raid their village and steal all their women. Maybe this is a five star place for locals, but as an outsider I felt like I had two choices, have a couple quick drinks or end up getting in a fight with a group of dudes with short curly hair.