This modest cluster of buildings holds far greater significance than its size suggests; it encompasses the remnants of what was once a thriving early ecclesiastical complex, now designated National Monument number 24. The Civil Survey of 1654-56 recorded ‘five churches almost ruined’ here, though today only one of these structures remains visible. Literary sources trace the island’s religious importance back to the 7th century, with references continuing throughout the medieval period, painting a picture of Tory as a significant spiritual centre off Donegal’s coast.

Among the surviving features of this ancient religious site is a curious platform-like structure marked as ‘Altar’ on the third edition Ordnance Survey map. This modest monument serves as something of an open-air repository for various stone fragments and architectural pieces that have been gathered together over the years, presumably from the lost churches and buildings that once stood nearby. The most notable piece in this collection is a substantial granite block measuring one metre by half a metre by 30 centimetres, with a simple cross carved in relief on one of its faces; a tangible link to the island’s long Christian heritage.

The archaeological evidence at West Town offers a fascinating glimpse into Ireland’s early Christian period, when remote islands like Tory served as important monastic centres. Though much has been lost to time and the harsh Atlantic weather, the surviving cross-slab and scattered remains continue to tell the story of a community that maintained its religious significance for over a thousand years, from the early medieval period right through to the 17th century.