Graveyard, Cill Charthaigh, Co. Donegal

Graveyard, Cill Charthaigh, Co. Donegal

In the countryside near Kilcar village in County Donegal stand the weathered remains of Kilcar Old Church, a structure that served the local community for centuries before falling into disuse in 1828.

Graveyard, Cill Charthaigh, Co. Donegal

The church was already in ruins by 1622, though the surviving walls likely date from a later reconstruction period. Today, only the western gable wall stands at its full height, accompanied by fragments of the north and south walls extending roughly 5 to 6 metres eastward. Built from rubble stone with what were once fine ashlar quoins, the church measures just over 6 metres wide internally; a modest size typical of rural Irish parish churches.

The most notable architectural feature is the doorway centred in the western gable, which displays boldly chamfered jambs topped with a pointed arch, though centuries of Atlantic weather have taken their toll on the stonework. The door’s construction shows interesting defensive elements, including a draw-bar socket on the south side, suggesting concerns about security even in this sacred space. The surviving south wall reveals evidence of alterations over time, with a distinct break in the masonry about a metre from the southwest corner, possibly indicating an eastern extension that included a window opening with splayed ingoing still visible at its eastern end.



The church sits within a rectangular graveyard measuring 28 metres north to south and 44 metres east to west, where generations of local families found their final resting place. The surrounding area holds additional points of interest for those curious about ancient Irish traditions; a roadside stone built into a boundary wall bears mysterious grooves that local folklore attributes to ancient origins, whilst about 100 metres northeast lies Tobermurry, a sacred well site featuring a bullaun stone with two carved depressions and a water channel, surrounded by a small cairn. These features, along with the church ruins themselves, paint a picture of centuries of continuous religious practice in this corner of Donegal, from pre-Christian times through to the 19th century.

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Cill Charthaigh, Co. Donegal
54.63278018, -8.59781387
54.63278018,-8.59781387
Cill Charthaigh 
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