Church, Rosnakill, Co. Donegal

Church, Rosnakill, Co. Donegal

Tucked away in County Donegal, the modest Clondevaddock Church of Ireland stands on what local tradition holds to be sacred ground, once home to an early ecclesiastical foundation linked to St. Davaddog.

Church, Rosnakill, Co. Donegal

The church, which remains in active use today, bears the architectural scars of multiple restorations; first documented in 1622 when repairs were underway, and again around 1830 when the building received more substantial alterations. The round-headed windows that punctuate its walls likely date from this later Victorian restoration, though closer inspection reveals traces of the church’s medieval origins. Along the north wall’s interior, two small blocked-up windows retain their original splayed openings with segmental rear-arches, silent witnesses to the building’s earlier incarnation.

The surrounding graveyard holds its own curiosities, particularly a carved corbel-like head embedded in the eastern face of the north gatepost. This weathered sculpture presents a pointed oval face, damaged especially around the mouth area, from which stylised foliage emerges on both sides; its age and original purpose remain tantalizingly uncertain. Local oral tradition speaks of early cross-slabs and a holy well somewhere in the vicinity, though archaeological surveys have yet to uncover tangible evidence of these features.

This site exemplifies the layered history common to Ireland’s rural churches, where centuries of worship, renovation, and adaptation have created complex architectural palimpsests. The blend of medieval fabric with Georgian and Victorian additions tells a story of continuous religious observance spanning nearly a millennium, whilst the mysterious carved head and tales of lost holy wells hint at spiritual traditions that may stretch back even further into Ireland’s Christian past.

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Rosnakill, Co. Donegal
55.18851802, -7.68749491
55.18851802,-7.68749491
Rosnakill 
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