The structure, measuring just 9.25 metres by 4.5 metres internally, was built from granite boulders carefully fitted together with smaller stone pinnings; a construction technique typical of early Irish ecclesiastical buildings. Today, only fragments remain of what was once a modest place of worship serving the local community.

The church’s current state tells a story of gradual decay and abandonment. While the north wall still stands at about 0.9 metres high, showing its exterior face, the south wall has completely vanished, leaving no visible trace. The interior, now carpeted with grass and slightly raised above the surrounding ground level, hints at centuries of accumulated debris and possibly earlier building phases beneath. This raised floor level is common in ancient church sites where successive generations of use have built up layers of material over time.

The site name itself, Machaire Gathlán or Magheragallan, connects this place to Ireland’s Gaelic past, with ‘machaire’ meaning a plain or low-lying grassy area. The church’s position on the northwest of a mound within the graveyard suggests it may have been deliberately placed on an existing sacred or significant site, a practice common in early Christian Ireland where new religious buildings often incorporated or superseded earlier ritual landscapes. Though modest in scale, these ruins represent the enduring presence of Christianity in this corner of Donegal, likely serving as a focal point for the spiritual life of the surrounding rural community for several centuries.