The current 19th century Church of Ireland building was constructed atop the foundations of an earlier 17th century parish church, which itself was surrounded by a graveyard containing gravestones dating back to around 1620. This continuous use of the same sacred ground for centuries speaks to the enduring importance of this location to the local community, with each generation building upon the legacy of those who came before.

The site’s significance becomes even clearer when examining historical records from the 1654 Civil Survey of Donegal, which provides a vivid snapshot of Letterkenny during the Commonwealth period. The survey describes the town as having “a Markett every ffryday, and two faires in the yeare”, along with “a Larg dwelling Stone house haveing a Bawne of fower fla[n]ckers a fair Church And a bridg[e] at the End of the sd. towne over the sd. River of Swolly”. This description reveals Letterkenny as a thriving market town, complete with fortified dwellings (a bawn being a defensive wall with flankers, or projecting towers), regular commerce, and crucial infrastructure like the bridge over the River Swilly.

The archaeological record, meticulously documented in the Sites and Monuments Record files, helps piece together this multi-period site’s evolution. From the earliest surviving graveslab of 1620 through to the present Church of Ireland structure, Conwal Church represents nearly four centuries of continuous worship and community gathering. Its location within what was clearly an important regional market town, as evidenced by the Civil Survey, underscores how religious and commercial life were intricately woven together in early modern Irish settlements.