Kerrytown Rock and St James Well

Like many of the ancient holy sites around Ireland, the Kerrytown Rock and nearby St. James Well require a bit of sleuthing and walking. Details about the Rock and its significance are scarce; however, the library at Dunlgoe has, posted on its interior wall, the full story.

It began in 1938 when a young girl and her sisters from Kerrytown in the Templecronas (church of St. Crones) parish were sent at night to secure outhouses for arriving guests. The young girl set about tidying up but stopped and looked at a massive wall of rock close by. The rock rose to 15 feet high. Atop the rock stood a beautiful lady dressed in white. The young girl called out to her sisters who ran over and also saw the apparition. Soon, others heard them and gathered round to witness the beautiful lady in white. Some ran for the parish priest, Father McAteer, but he dismissed them saying it was "just another ghost story."

Several days later, the apparition of the lady in white appeared at the rock again. And once again, the locals ran for the priest. He declined at first but changed his mind after a while and decided to travel to the farm to end the nonsense once and for all. He stayed at the farm for several hours but saw nothing. Convinced that his parishioners were daft, he gathered his things to leave, amidst the pleas of the young girl and her sisters and many of the locals. As he climbed onto his buggy, he looked up one more time at the massive rock. There, standing on the top of the rock was a beautiful lady dressed in white. He says in his personal account:

"Suddenly, I saw a mass of rock turn marble white. Over the Rock came a fiery golden cloud, and in front of the cloud stood a majestic lady, clothed in white...her hair hanging down on her shoulders. She looked at me with a severe look and said, "Now, will you believe!" I stretched out my arms, opened my palms, and asked for forgiveness."

Today, Templecrone Kerrytown Rock stands much as it was some seventy years ago. The cottage where the young girl and her family lived has been altered slightly but maintained as original as much as possible. Off the beaten path, it is an unadorned, simple place of sacred beauty. The family's old stove and kitchen furniture seem much as they would have been in 1939.

The Rock holds a statue now of the Virgin Mary, and the outhouses have been converted and renovated into small outdoor meditation areas. A spring running beside the Rock is called St. James Holy Well. Beside it is a rose garden. People from all around the world have taken the time to locate the site and place blessing stones inside the garden, petitioning special prayers for loved ones.

The drone of midges and bees, the sound of the running stream, the constant flapping of sea gulls' wings make a few moments in the outdoor chapel a time of peaceful reverence for the young girl...and her beautiful lady in white.

Hours:

The cottage (office) is open every day but unattended. Site is off the beaten path but well signposted. Donations can be made inside or outside the cottage in one of several donation boxes. No official hours are posted. No admission fee required.

How to get there:

From Dublin: 3 hours, take N3 and A509 to Enniskillen. Then A46 to Belleek (scenic route) then N3 to Ballyshannon where it joins N15. Most direct route is N4 to Sligo Town, N15 to Donegal Town, N56 to Dungloe. Take N56 5km to sign.

From Belfast, A6 to Derry, N13 to Letterkenney, R250 to Fintown, R252 to Dungloe. N56 5km to sign.

Address:

Templecrones Kerrytown Rock

Kerrytown, Co. Donegal

Additional information available at Dungloe Library and Tourism Office, Downtown Dungloe.

Written by Joy Davis - Summer of Travel 2007