Donegal, Ulster Grade: 3 - 4 4k
0.364 m steady No current reading or no levels setThis river is graded from 3-4, it needs to be bank inspected in its entirety as trees can be washed in and pose a serious hazard.
Do not assume it is clear of trees.
For the record this river was first paddled by Bernard Doherty, Seamus Kelly and Patrick Kelly, big thank you to Terence Gallagher for the heads up on this one many moons ago.
The run starts out as a steady grade two with a short technical section after one hundred meters. If you are having problems with this GET OUT NOW.
This is followed by a small series of rock ledge type drops of grade three leading to a two meter drop.The Beast Hole follows shortly after this drop. It requires scouting and safety. The drop consists of a slide of approx. twenty meters into a deep pool, at the bottom of which is a severe stopper in high water.The Coffin hole is immediately after this pool and must be portaged as it contains a siphon which can only be seen at low water and is severely undercut. Portage on river left.After this the river contains a few small grade three features following on to the second bridge.
Coffin Hole is a death trap.
Beast hole has a difficult stopper and as it comes so close to the coffin hole careful consideration must be given to rescue.
Rocks are particularly slippery in this area.
No known issues
This guide has a gauge but no paddling levels yet.
If you have run it, you can help. Tell us the level it needs to be worth doing (Low), and the best and highest levels if you know them. Once an admin approves them, this guide gets level colours, a place in "Running now" and a count of paddle days per month.
Suggest levels for this guideLoading levels...
Written by paddlers. If you know this river, sign in and edit these notes. Changes are reviewed before they appear.
From bridge at take out, if water is covering all rocks this is a nice run. If there are large stoppers, you had better know what you are doing.
How high the river usually gets each day, from 8 years of readings (2018 to 2026)
| Month | Typical daily high | 8 days in 10 between |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0.526 m | 0.345 and 1.179 m |
| February | 0.639 m | 0.353 and 1.549 m |
| March | 0.431 m | 0.282 and 1.232 m |
| April | 0.337 m | 0.227 and 0.713 m |
| May | 0.27 m | 0.193 and 0.519 m |
| June | 0.265 m | 0.176 and 0.722 m |
| July | 0.275 m | 0.195 and 0.805 m |
| August | 0.34 m | 0.206 and 0.866 m |
| September | 0.365 m | 0.246 and 0.965 m |
| October | 0.575 m | 0.363 and 1.626 m |
| November | 0.597 m | 0.345 and 1.333 m |
| December | 0.674 m | 0.369 and 1.697 m |
How to read this graph. The line is the typical daily high; the shaded band covers 8 days in 10. This guide has no paddling levels yet.
Past levels are no guarantee of future conditions. Readings can be late or wrong: check the river on the day. Level colours, "Running now" and paddle days are a guide only, not a sign that the river is safe to paddle. Read about gauge data and levels.
Contains Irish Public Sector Information licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence (source waterlevel.ie, provided by the Office of Public Works).
To reach the put in you turn right into Drumkeen village coming from Letterkenny and follow the main road for approx 1 mile. The put in is at the first bridge on your left. There is parking for two cars.
The take out is on the main Letterkenny to Ballybofey road at the lower side of the bridge.
The take out is immediately below the bridge on the main Letterkenny/Ballybofey road.
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