Graveslab, Conwal, Co. Donegal
On the southeastern slopes of Glendoon Hill, overlooking the River Swilly in County Donegal, lies Conwal Graveyard, a site that has served as a sacred space for well over a millennium.
Graveslab, Conwal, Co. Donegal
This early ecclesiastical settlement dates back possibly to the 7th century and continues to function as an active burial ground today, having been recently extended. Within its boundaries, visitors will find the ruins of an ancient church, a holy well, and a remarkable collection of early Christian stone monuments that tell the story of centuries of religious devotion in this corner of Ireland.
The graveyard underwent significant tidying around 1968, during which a grassy rectangular mound perpendicular to the church’s south wall was transformed into a distinctive stone cairn. This flat-topped structure now serves as an open-air repository for the site’s collection of carved stones, displaying at least seventeen graveslabs alongside six upright stones bearing cruciform designs, one featuring a human figure, and three plain examples. The arrangement creates an informal lapidarium where medieval craftsmanship sits alongside more recent memorials, including one dating to the late 19th century.
Perhaps the most intriguing artefact is a weathered recumbent slab measuring 2.36 metres long, which local tradition claims marks the burial place of Godfrey O’Donnell, who died in 1258. Despite its worn condition and a broken upper corner, the slab still reveals an elaborate wheeled cross carved in light relief, its long shaft flanked by interlace patterns. The wheel itself features four sections with banded edges and traces of small bosses, whilst faint remnants of unidentifiable ornament can still be glimpsed within the lower quarters. This blend of Celtic artistic tradition with Christian symbolism exemplifies the unique character of medieval Irish ecclesiastical art, preserved here in the peaceful setting of rural Donegal.





