This evocative name appears on the first and second editions of the Ordnance Survey 6-inch maps, suggesting the field’s historical use as a burial ground. Today, little remains to mark its macabre past; just a small, grassed-over mound sits quietly in what is now fair pasture land near Mullyvea.

The site’s ominous designation hints at untold stories buried beneath the soil. Whether it served as a cemetery for locals, a mass grave following some forgotten tragedy, or perhaps a cillin (an unconsecrated burial ground often used for unbaptised infants), the exact nature and age of the burials remain a mystery. The absence of visible markers or headstones suggests either considerable antiquity or that this was a place for those deemed unworthy of formal commemoration.

The Corpse Field was documented in the Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, compiled by Brian Lacey and his team in 1983, which catalogued the county’s field antiquities from the Mesolithic Period through to the 17th century. While the survey provides scant detail about this particular site, its inclusion amongst Donegal’s archaeological heritage suggests it holds significance in understanding the area’s burial practices and social history, even if time and nature have obscured most physical evidence of its former purpose.