Measuring roughly 8 metres north to south and 4 metres east to west, this modest site is surrounded by what remains of a drystone wall, now collapsed and overtaken by vegetation. Despite its unassuming appearance, this place holds deep significance; it was marked as a ‘Children’s Burial Ground’ on the 2nd edition Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, a designation that speaks to centuries of local memory and tradition.

These types of burial grounds, known in Irish as cillíní, were typically used for unbaptised infants and young children who, according to Catholic doctrine of earlier times, could not be buried in consecrated ground. The practice reflects a harsh reality of infant mortality in rural Ireland, where communities created their own sacred spaces for those denied formal burial rites. Such sites were often established in liminal places; on boundaries, near ancient monuments, or as in this case, beside natural features like rock outcrops that already held some significance in the landscape.

The archaeological record of this site comes from the comprehensive ‘Archaeological Survey of County Donegal’, compiled by Brian Lacey and his team in 1983, which documented field antiquities from the Mesolithic period through to the 17th century. Whilst the exact age of this particular burial ground remains uncertain, similar sites across Ireland typically date from the medieval period onwards, with many continuing in use well into the 19th century. Today, the quiet enclosure stands as a reminder of both the harsh realities of past life and the enduring human need to commemorate even the smallest and most vulnerable members of society.