Cave

The National Monuments Service's description

Cut into a rock face on the N shoreline of Malin Head.

Recorded by the Donegal Survey (Lacy et al 1983, 242, no. 1516) as follows: To the SW of the church (DG002-002001-) is a rock-cut cave, known as the 'Wee House of Malin'. It is 1.3m across the opening which has been partly built up with stones allegedly from the church. It is 2.75m deep and 2.25m high. To the E of the church along the shore is a holy well (DG002-003----).

The following details have been kindly supplied by Dr Marion Dowd (August 2013):
This small cave (2.75m long x 1.3m wide x 2.25m high) is located on the seashore at Malin. It is partially, if not entirely, artificially rock-cut and a relatively modern wall has been constructed across the entrance. The cave is associated with a holy well (DG002-003----) known as Malin Well or Tobar Muireadagh and a Medieval church (DG002-002001-) known as Gorman Church (Lacy et al. 1983, 242). All three sites are associated with St. Muirdhealach, a hermit who is said to have lived in The Wee House of Malin (Ó Muirgheasa 1936, 160-1; Fitzgerald n.y., 2). Local tradition claims that the cave ‘holds all that goes into it, and the more goes into it, it holds the more’ (Beattie et al. 2000, 40). The pátrún to the site, known as Malin Well Fair, was held on the 15th of August but formerly on the 1st May and at midsummer (Ó Muirgheasa 1936; Fitzgerald n.y., 2). Pilgrims bathed in the holy well and prayed in the cave (Logan 1980, 61). The date at which this cave came to be of cultural significance is not known.

Date of revised upload: 14 February 2020

References

Ó Muirgheasa, E. 1936 The holy wells of: Donegal. Béaloideas 7, No. 2, 143-62. Corrigenda 7, No. 2, 247, 1937.

Lacy, B. with Cody, E., Cotter, C., Cuppage, J., Dunne, N., Hurley, V., O'Rahilly, C., Walsh, P. and Ó Nualláin, S. 1983 Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century A.D. Lifford. Donegal County Council.