The town
Ramelton was built with linen money. Through the 18th and early 19th centuries, merchants shipped linen down the River Lennon to Lough Swilly, and the wealth that came back went into the tall, symmetrical Georgian houses and warehouses that still line the Mall and the quay. The town sits where the Lennon empties into the western basin of Lough Swilly, 10 km north-east of Letterkenny in County Donegal. Locals and the guidebooks have long called it ‘the Jewel in Donegal’s Crown’; the three-arch bridge and the Georgian frontages go a long way towards explaining why.
If you have an hour, spend it walking the Mall and the quay with the heritage route in hand. That is the main thing to do here.
History
The Irish name Ráth Mealtain means ‘the fort of Mealtan’, and there was settlement here long before the Georgian town: a Viking presence is recorded from the 10th century, and the O’Donnells, the ruling clan of West Donegal, held a fort in the vicinity. The town proper was laid out during the Ulster Plantation, roughly 1609–1622, by Sir William Stewart, who brought in English and Scots settlers.
One legacy of that arrival is a Presbyterian congregation founded in Ramelton in 1653. Faith stuck: by the early 20th century the town had earned the nickname ‘the Holy City’ for its eight churches, a lot for a place this size. Francis Makemie, the father of American Presbyterianism, was born here; the father of US President James Buchanan emigrated from Ramelton in 1783; and Dave Gallaher, the first captain of the All Blacks, was a Ramelton man. In fiction, the town stood in for the setting of A.E.W. Mason’s The Four Feathers and the 1995 television serial The Hanging Gale.
What to see and do
The Ramelton heritage map sets out a 12-stop route starting from Tullyaughnish Church, taking in the Old Meetinghouse, the warehouses and the Georgian houses along the way. Download it before you set off, and view the buildings from the public streets unless they are open to visitors. It is a good way to read the buildings without a guide beside you.
The Town Hall has been the home of a Saturday country market, with stalls of crafts, knitwear, baking and local produce. There is no guarantee of its current days, times or location, so check locally before planning a visit around it. From the bridge, the town’s most photographed spot, a short walk brings you to the Salmon Leap, a small cascade and a quiet place to stop.
The pubs are where Ramelton’s evenings happen, and Conway’s, a thatched bar with open fires, has a name for traditional music. Check what is on before you go. McDaid’s, the local soft-drinks maker, has bottled ‘Football Special’, a drink invented to raise funds for Swilly Rovers FC.
Two festivals are worth looking up if you are planning a visit. The Lennon Festival has a long history of music, crafts and family events, and Django Sur Lennon, a gypsy-jazz festival that began in 2015, has brought European players onto the streets in summer. Dates change, so check the current programme.
Nearby
Ramelton makes an easy base for the north-west. Cross the bridge and the Fanad Peninsula opens up, with coastal walks out to Fanad Lighthouse. Glenveagh National Park and Ards Forest Park are both within a short drive for mountain and woodland trails, and the Grianán of Ailigh ringfort is not far beyond.
Practical information
Ramelton is on the R245. TFI Local Link route 973 links Ramelton with Letterkenny and destinations towards Fanad, and it replaced the former route 300. Check TFI Live for the current stop and timetable. Buses can be infrequent, so a car is the straightforward way to get here and around the wider area.
Parking arrangements and building access are not guaranteed here.