Burial ground, An Chill Bheag, Co. Donegal
In the rolling pastures overlooking Tawny Bay in County Donegal lies a forgotten burial ground known as Relig Cill Mhic Stuice, also referred to as An Chill Bheag.
Burial ground, An Chill Bheag, Co. Donegal
Today, visitors to this spot would find little evidence of its sacred past; the green fields show no obvious signs of the graveyard that once occupied this site. The location offers commanding views across the bay, suggesting our ancestors chose this elevated position deliberately, perhaps believing the departed deserved a final resting place with such a splendid outlook.
Local memory and archaeological records tell a different story from what meets the eye today. Grave markers have reportedly been discovered here in the past, though none remain visible on the surface. The site’s Irish name, Relig Cill Mhic Stuice, hints at its ecclesiastical connections; ‘relig’ meaning graveyard and ‘cill’ meaning church, suggesting this may have been associated with an early Christian settlement dedicated to someone known as Mac Stuice.
The transformation of this burial ground into productive pasture land reflects a common pattern across rural Ireland, where centuries of agricultural activity have gradually obscured ancient sites. The Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, compiled in 1983, recorded what little was known of the site at that time, preserving its memory even as physical traces disappeared. Such hidden graveyards dot the Irish landscape, their stories preserved more in local tradition and academic surveys than in stone monuments, waiting for curious visitors willing to look beyond what’s immediately visible.





