Maritime Museum Themes

Inishowen Maritime Memorial

The Inishowen Maritime Memorial is located at the front entrance of the Museum and commemorates all those from the Inishowen area who were lost at sea.

The centrepiece of the memorial is an Armillary sphere, an early astronomical device for representing the great circles of the heavens, to represent the navigation around the world undertaken by Inishowen seafarers.

It is set up to be used as a sundial. A table is displayed inside the museum giving corrections to be applied to convert solar time to local time.

The memorial was unveiled, in 1997, by Mary Robinson, President of Ireland.

The names on the memorial were refreshed in 2019. A register is maintained in the museum with further details of those lost and where visitors may enter details of relatives lost at sea for inclusion on the memorial at future reviews.

We highly recommend booking in advance to ensure your spot, as ticket holders will be given priority access.

Family and group rates available. School groups especially welcome!

More Maritime Museum Themes

Fishing

Lough Foyle and Lough Swilly offered diverse fishing opportunities, from shellfish gathering to offshore expeditions.

Location, Location, Location

Derry's trading port, rich fishing grounds, and deep-water loughs have deeply influenced Inishowen's seafaring culture and heritage.

Greencastle/Magilligan Ferry

For centuries, the Greencastle-Magilligan crossing facilitated trade and military control, evolving from small ferries to a modern car ferry service established in 2002.

Irish Naval Service

Chronicles the evolution of Ireland's naval forces from early coastal defense to a full naval service established in 1946.

La Trinidad Valencera

Tells the story of a 16th-century Spanish Armada ship wrecked off Inishowen, with artifacts displayed in the museum.

Lighthouses

Details the critical role of lighthouses in navigation and safety, with a focus on local lightkeeping families.

Visitor Reviews

Our visitors testimonials shine a light on the wonders, memories and moments that await you at Inishowen Maritime Museum & Planetarium

Aaron Mooney

A brilliant attraction with something for everyone. A fascinating insight into the history of Greencastle, as well as Inishowen more widely. The VR experiences were wonderfully engaging and heightened the experience. For such a small fee, the Museum is more than worth it!

Olena Anoricheva

The museum is excellent! It is really really worth it, especially for teenagers and adults. I didn’t expect the museum to be so great! Very educational. Everybody who’s interested in ships, lighthouses, radio technology and ship wreckage findings should visit it. There’s even a virtual reality simulator to play as a Lieutenant of a ship.

Fionn D

A brilliant museum with many unique and interesting artefacts. Being able to see all the items up close and being able to touch and operate some of the receivers and radios. The VR experience was also brilliant ! The collection of various items, from war medals, and pieces of shipwrecks and crashed bombers was very […]

Raymond Mackey

Brilliant local museum, housed in historic coastguard buildings. The museum has a wide range of displays, ranging from the recent history of local lighthouses right back to the ruins of ships from the Spanish Armada. There are many links drawn with the local areas history and connection to the sea and fishing. Well worth a […]

Esther Upritchard

Excellent experience, beautifully set in an amazing building . To be honest, we didn’t even know it was there (Googled for places to see in the area ). The weather made it all the more enjoyable . Lovely staff friendly and helpful, we will return to see the planetarium which we missed out on.

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