Graveyard, Eskaheen, Co. Donegal
On high ground overlooking Lough Foyle in County Donegal, the graveyard at Eskaheen continues to serve its community whilst harbouring remnants of a much older past.
Graveyard, Eskaheen, Co. Donegal
The site has long been associated with an early ecclesiastical foundation, though the exact origins remain shrouded in the mists of Irish history. Today, visitors can still trace the ghostly outline of a church that once stood here; a fragment of the western gable wall, measuring 4.4 metres in internal length, and a small section of the southern wall bearing a segment-headed opening that may have been either a door or window.
The church itself fell silent at the close of the seventeenth century, according to historical records from 1937. What remains offers a tangible connection to centuries of worship and community life that once flourished on this elevated site. The commanding views across Lough Foyle would have made this an ideal location for an early religious settlement, providing both spiritual isolation and a strategic vantage point over the surrounding landscape.
The graveyard remains active, with modern burials continuing alongside the weathered stones of earlier generations. This continuity of use creates a remarkable timeline of local history, where the living still tend to their departed in the same ground that has served this purpose for potentially over a thousand years. The site stands as a quiet testament to the enduring nature of sacred spaces in the Irish landscape, where ancient foundations continue to anchor communities to their heritage.