Burial ground, Cashelgolan, Co. Donegal
In the townland of Cashelgolan, County Donegal, Kilmacanny Graveyard sits quietly in a low-lying field, surrounded by woodland to the south and west, with pasture stretching eastward and the sea visible to the north.
Burial ground, Cashelgolan, Co. Donegal
At its heart lies a curious subcircular mound, roughly 17 metres across and rising up to 2 metres high. The mound’s surface undulates irregularly, making its exact boundaries tricky to pinpoint in places, and scattered across it are several plain grave markers that offer no inscriptions or identifying features.
What makes this site particularly intriguing are the carved stones associated with it. On the western side of the mound, one stone slab bears a small oval perforation, measuring about 6.5 by 4 centimetres; a modest but deliberate feature whose purpose remains unclear. More striking still is a cross-slab found in a ditch along the southeastern field boundary. This stone, measuring 1.6 metres tall with arms spanning 30 centimetres, displays a simple cross carved in relief at the centre of a broad, cross-shaped groove on one face.
The graveyard likely dates to the early medieval period, when such burial mounds and cross-slabs were common features of the Irish landscape. The site was formally recorded during the Archaeological Survey of County Donegal in 1983, though local knowledge of the graveyard undoubtedly stretches back much further. Today, it remains a subtle but tangible link to the area’s early Christian heritage, its weathered stones marking a sacred space that has endured for centuries.





