Shrine

The National Monuments Service's description

The early ecclesiastical site here consists of a sub-rectangular shaped graveyard inside of which are a number of earlier features. The site is located on excellent land sloping to Lough Foyle to the E and is traditionally claimed to have been founded by St. Patrick (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 399; Lacy et. al. 1983, 261). To the W outside the entrance to the graveyard (DG021-008001-) is a tall, plain, ringed high-cross (DG021-008005-). Inside the graveyard are the remains of two churches (DG021-008002-/003-) and a mortuary house or tomb shrine (DG021-008004-). One of the churches served as a medieval parish church (Leslie 1937, 265).
Mortuary House or tomb shrine known locally as the 'Skull House' (DG021-008004-): NE of the South Church (DG021-008002-) is a small gabled structure with a stone roof, built of rubble masonry 2.6m × 1.8m externally. The gable is 2m high. It contains a single chamber with a corbelled roof rising to a central capstone. The E wall has a small light 0.38m × 0.12m with slightly splayed ingoings. There is a small lintelled door 0.37m square in the W gable (Waterman 1960, 82-8). E of the Mortuary House is a small basin stone or possible bullaun stone (DG021-008007-) and to the NW a small cross-inscribed stone (DG021-008006-). A fragment of a cross-slab (DG021-008018-) with a wheeled-cross was found lying in the interior of the South Church.

The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload/revision: 24 February 2015

References

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.

Leslie, J. 1937 Derry clergy and parishes. Enniskillen.

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.

Waterman, D.M. 1960 An Early Christian mortuary house at Saul, County Down. Ulster Journal of Archaeology Ser. 3, 23, 82-8.