What emerged from the excavation was a medieval church and graveyard that had been intensively used for centuries, containing over 1,276 skeletons packed into a surprisingly small area of just 30 by 40 metres. The site sits at the base of a hill overlooking the River Erne and the town of Ballyshannon, where the low stone foundations of a 14 by 7 metre church were uncovered alongside the old East Port road, its east-west orientation confirming its ecclesiastical purpose.

The graveyard tells a fascinating story of medieval burial practices and community life. Archaeologists identified eleven distinct phases of burial activity, with the earliest graves in the western section of the site. As space became scarce, new burials were placed at the feet of existing ones, creating lines of graves stretching from west to east; when the eastern boundary was reached, the process began anew from the west, cutting through the original graves. This intensive reuse resulted in some areas containing up to seven skeletons stacked one atop another. Most of the dead were buried with their heads to the west, facing east towards the resurrection, and many clutched pieces of white quartz in their hands, a practice that speaks to local folk beliefs about death and the afterlife.

Dating evidence places the main period of use firmly in the medieval period, with silver long cross pennies and halfpennies from the reigns of Henry III (1251-1276) and Edward I (1280-1302) found amongst the burials, whilst everted-rim pottery discovered in the church also dates to the 13th century. The excavation, directed by Brian O’Donnchada for Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd and funded by Donegal County Council and the National Roads Authority, revealed that all but one of the burials respected the church foundations, suggesting the stone church predated the main cemetery phase. This remarkable site offers an intimate glimpse into how a small medieval Irish community buried and remembered their dead over several centuries, their careful placement of bodies and grave goods revealing both Christian orthodoxy and enduring local traditions.