Cross-inscribed pillar, An Baile Mór, Co. Donegal
At the edge of a narrow ridge on Slieve League in County Donegal, the ruins of Hugh MacBrick's Church stand in a state of considerable decay.
Cross-inscribed pillar, An Baile Mór, Co. Donegal
The drystone church walls, measuring roughly 6.5 by 3 metres internally, survive to about 1.5 metres in height, though fallen rubble obscures much of the original outline. The land here rises sharply towards the famous sea cliffs to the south and southwest, whilst dropping steeply to Lough Agh on the northern side. Despite the collapse, you can still make out the interior corner of a doorway in the south wall, though its upper courses lean inward precariously. The church is bounded by a thick wall section, about 2 metres wide, running at near right angles on the eastern and southeastern sides.
The site contains far more than just the church ruins. Three metres southwest of the church lies a collapsed beehive structure, partially built into the mountain slope with its entrance facing east. A cross-inscribed pillar stone stands north of the church, whilst three holy wells are marked on the old Ordnance Survey maps nearby. Perhaps most intriguingly, approximately 26 cairns are scattered along both edges of the narrow ridge; these served as penitential stations for pilgrims, though three of them may actually be the remains of ancient hut sites. Additional structural remains can be found on the north side of the church, though these too are largely obscured by rubble.
This remote ecclesiastical site speaks to the long tradition of pilgrimage and religious practice on Slieve League, where the dramatic landscape itself seems to inspire contemplation. The combination of church, beehive structure, holy wells, cross pillar and penitential cairns creates a complete early Christian religious complex, preserved in isolation on this windswept ridge between cliff and lough.





