Originally marked as a ‘burial ground’ on Ordnance Survey 6-inch maps, this oval enclosure measured approximately 130 metres from east to west and 90 metres from north to south. Before its destruction, about three quarters of the enclosing banks remained intact, making it one of the best preserved examples of this rare type of early Christian site in Donegal.

The site contained substantial earthen banks and the visible foundations of a church, suggesting it had been an important religious centre in early medieval Ireland. These types of enclosed ecclesiastical settlements, often associated with early monasteries or churches, typically date from the 6th to 12th centuries and served as focal points for religious life, education, and community gatherings in their regions. The oval shape of the enclosure is characteristic of early Irish ecclesiastical sites, which often evolved from prehistoric ritual landscapes or were deliberately laid out to create sacred spaces separate from the secular world.

The documentation of this site comes from the Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, compiled by Brian Lacey and his team in 1983, which systematically recorded the county’s archaeological heritage from the Mesolithic period through to the 17th century. The loss of the Finner site sometime after this survey highlights the ongoing challenges of preserving Ireland’s archaeological heritage, particularly unprotected sites on private land. What remains now is only the historical record; a reminder of how quickly irreplaceable monuments can vanish from the landscape.