Bundoran, a seaside town in south Donegal, relies heavily on visitors from Northern Ireland during the winter, according to several local business owners.

The town’s population drops from a peak of up to 12,000 tourists in summer to under 3,000 in winter, but businesses say cross-border traffic keeps many of them viable year-round.

Kevin Carmody, secretary of Bundoran Golf Club, says the season has extended considerably since he first arrived in 1985, when the town effectively shut down after September. He attributes this partly to day-trippers from Derry, Strabane, Omagh, and Enniskillen, all within about an hour’s drive.

“People love to come to the seaside and walk around Rougey, the famous walk around the headland here,” Carmody said. “They will come down early, go for a walk, have a lunch, go to the amusement arcades.”

Local hotelier Brian McEniff, who operates the Great Northern Hotel and Holyrood Hotel, said winter months from mid-November to mid-February are lean, but the hotels survive by offering deals and avoiding overcharging.

On Main Street, a woman originally from Bundoran who now lives in Fermanagh said northern visitors are essential. “The northerners are the people that keep Bundoran going, without a doubt, summer and winter,” she said.

Bernie Fox, manager of the Olympic Arcade, said many older visitors from Northern Ireland have been coming since the Troubles, when Bundoran was a place they felt safe and relaxed. “There’s great friendships created here,” she said.

Some businesses have begun extending their seasons. The Rusty Axe, an axe-throwing venue, will remain open this winter on reduced hours for the first time. Owner Sinéad O’Connor said women often beat men at the activity because they listen to instructions.

Foam, a cafe owned by Australian surfer Noah Lane, has stayed open year-round for several years, which Lane described as a proud achievement that provides year-round work in a volatile tourist industry.

Surf instructor Owen Murphy noted that since the Covid-19 pandemic, many former holiday homes have been converted into family homes, with residents commuting to Sligo and supporting local businesses.

In the Railway Bar, Raissa Gilligan said slot machines and surfing bring different groups to the town. She also pointed out that big-wave surfers arrive in winter, sometimes from abroad, to take advantage of large swells.

“Nature dictates when we get big swells,” said pro-surfer Conor Maguire. “People from Hawaii and Australia come here for a month or two to get good waves.”