The ruins of Donegal Friary are located on the outskirts of Donegal town, close to Donegal Castle. The Franciscan Observant house was founded in 1474 and for several centuries was one of the most influential Franciscan houses in Ireland. It was the place where the monks wrote the Annals of the Four Masters. The work documents the history of Celtic culture and Irish traditions and mythology, which were in danger of being expunged by English occupiers.

The abbey was destroyed in 1601 during the Nine Years War between Elizabeth I and native chieftains. Today only fragmentary remains of the church and cloister survive and the grounds are used as a cemetery.