Building, Dún Lúiche Íochtarach, Co. Donegal

Building, Dún Lúiche Íochtarach, Co. Donegal

At the southern base of Errigal mountain in County Donegal, beside the Devlin river and the southeastern end of Dunlewy Lough, lies an intriguing archaeological site known as Dún Lúiche Íochtarach.

Building, Dún Lúiche Íochtarach, Co. Donegal

The site consists of a subcircular enclosure, its boundaries marked by the faint remains of an ancient stone wall. Within this space, visitors can trace the outline of a stone building in the mid-western section, now standing just 30 centimetres high but measuring 8 metres east to west and 5 metres north to south internally, with openings visible in the middle of both the northern and southern walls.

The southeastern quadrant of the enclosure reveals a fascinating scatter of stones that holds several remarkable features. Most notably, a cross-slab stands 50 centimetres high atop a low stone mound in the northwestern area of this scatter. Measuring 24 centimetres wide and 8 centimetres thick, the slab bears a grooved cross on its western face, complete with forked extremities on the arms and shaft, whilst the centre displays a small depression encircled by two concentric rings. Just south of this cross-slab, two standing stone slabs remain upright, partially surrounded by a semicircular arrangement of loose stones that extends 3 metres wide and rises 30 centimetres high.

Historical records from the Ulster Journal of Archaeology in 1857 paint an even richer picture of the site’s past, documenting four circular buildings, each 14 feet in diameter, that once stood to the south and southeast of the enclosure’s centre. Today, the site rests on level ground amidst wet but fair pasture, offering a glimpse into Ireland’s layered history where early Christian monuments and potentially older structures share the same sacred space. This information comes from the comprehensive Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, compiled by Brian Lacey and his team in 1983, with updates added over the years.

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Dún Lúiche Íochtarach, Co. Donegal
55.01817303, -8.11336331
55.01817303,-8.11336331
Dún Lúiche Íochtarach 
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