Donaghendry Graveyard near 5 Donaghendry Road, Stewartstowm, Dungannon, Co Tyrone

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A walled graveyard containing what appears to be the overgrown walls of a ruined church, discernible only by loose fieldstones, and a number of 19th to 20th century memorials including two vaults built into the west wall.

It stands in a rural area, sited in a field and set well back from the public road but clearly visible from it.

The graveyard is roughly rectangular in shape and surrounded by a boundary wall of rubble stonework with rough stone copings. For the most part this boundary wall acts as a retaining wall for the burial ground which is at a higher level than the surrounding field. At the western extremity of the south wall is the entrance which comprises a pair of flat ironwork gates set between square piers of roughly squared sandstone with overhanging weathered sandstone caps.
Set into the south wall is a pair of vaults of almost identical design, each one faced with smooth stucco, lined and blocked to look like masonry, with a projecting sandstone cornice, over which is the sandstone plinth wall of the enclosure above appearing as a blocking course, surmounted by cast iron railings with ornamented brackets. One of the vaults, the Stewart memorial, to the left, has suffered some spalling of stucco to reveal the brickwork carcase behind.

Each vault contains an elliptically arched opening in its front wall, the one to the left containing a recessed plate-iron door bearing an attached cast iron cartouche inscribed to the memory of Joseph Stewart of Coalisland who died on 29 July 1889.
The vault to the right contains a recessed marble plaque inscribed to the memory of Hugh Kinley who died on 20 December 1879, and other members of his family. The plaque is protected by a set of iron bars.

Within the graveyard are a number of other iron-railed enclosures with headstones bearing most early to late 19th century dates, none of special artistic or architectural interest, but one standing adjacent to the two vaults is signed by the mason John Robinson of York Street, Belfast.

The reputed remains of the ruined church, identifiable only by loose fieldstones, and a dip in the centre of a slightly raised or mounded area, have no recognisable architectural form.

SETTING: The graveyard is completely freestanding within the fields with no path leading to its gateway, but a route to it is indicated by another gateway opposite it, to the south, on Donaghendry Road. It comprises a pair of old ironwork gates set between large square piers of regular coursed sandstone with tooled sandstone caps. Attached to one of the piers is a smaller ironwork pedestrian gate for easy access. A modern sign at this gateway identifies the graveyard.

Historical information

This is reputedly the site of the old church of Donaghenry. The precise date of establishing of a graveyard here is not recorded but it appears on the OS map of 1833-4.
The present boundary walls and gateway have the appearance of being late 18th century work.
The most imposing memorials, the two vaults set in the west wall, date from the late Victorian era.
The ancient church of Donaghenry was one of seven on the west side of Lough Neath said in the 'Tripartite Life' to have been founded by St Patrick so this site may date from early Christian times if that ancient church was here.

References - Primary Sources
1. OS Map of 1833-4.

Secondary Sources
1. S. Lewis, A topographical dictionary of Ireland (London, 1837), Vol 1, p 480.
2. J.B. Leslie, Armagh Clergy and Parishes (Dundalk, 1911), p 228.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is an old graveyard of probably Early Christian origins, which has a boundary wall and gateway of probably 18th century date approached from the public road through a gateway of probably 19th century date, and contains what is a ruined church site but of amorphous form, as well as two 19th century vaults built into its boundary wall which in themselves have little intrinsic architectural merit beyond the picturesque when viewed from a distance.