Graveyard, Haw, Killea, Co. Donegal
The site of Taughboyne Church in County Donegal is believed to mark the location of Tech Baithin, an early ecclesiastical foundation dating back to medieval times.
Graveyard, Haw, Killea, Co. Donegal
Today, the Church of Ireland parish church stands within a modern graveyard, its weathered stones telling a story of centuries of worship and renovation. The current structure owes much to Thomas Bruce, the rector who oversaw its rebuilding in 1627, as evidenced by two inscribed stone tablets; one discovered beneath the aisle in 1887 bearing the Latin inscription ‘aedificavit restoravimus’, and another above the north door displaying Bruce’s name and the year of construction alongside his coat of arms.
The church itself is a palimpsest of architectural periods. Whilst the 17th century rebuilding forms its core, with distinctive battering visible in the lower courses of the east gable, Victorian renovations brought Decorated style windows and doorways that characterise its current appearance. More intriguing are the fragments of the medieval parish church incorporated into the fabric; 15th century carved heads and hood mould stops featuring lion like creatures entwined with vine leaves flank the north door, whilst sections of a horizontal hood mould, likely from the same medieval window, now form part of the pathway revetment. These architectural remnants provide tangible links to the site’s ancient origins.
The grounds once contained St. Boyne’s Well to the north of the graveyard, though this has since been filled in. Archaeological testing in 2007 at the adjacent Haw residential development revealed little of significance; mainly 19th and 20th century building rubble, chinaware and even plastic, alongside an 18th or 19th century wall foundation. The site enjoys an enviable position on excellent land overlooking the River Foyle to the southeast, a location that likely contributed to its selection as a religious centre spanning over a millennium of Irish Christianity.





