In 1622, Sir John Stewart Kent secured a warrant from the Council Table to construct a new church at St. Johnstown, contributing £100 of his own money towards the endeavour. Despite promises that the building would be completed by midsummer of that year, progress stalled dramatically; by the time of inspection, only the side walls had been erected. The original parish church was eventually repaired in 1627 by rector Thomas Bruce, whilst the incomplete structure at St. Johnstown was seemingly abandoned to the elements.

Local tradition, recorded by Fagan in 1846, maintains that the St. Johnstown church never received its roof, leaving it as a hollow shell against the Donegal landscape. Today, the ruins stand as a testament to this failed ecclesiastical venture, their stone walls weathered by nearly four centuries of exposure. The interior has become thoroughly overgrown with vegetation, creating an atmospheric if somewhat melancholic scene for visitors exploring this forgotten corner of Irish religious history.

The site encompasses both the church ruins and an accompanying graveyard, where centuries of burials have created an undulating landscape of varying ground levels. This continuous use as a burial ground, despite the church’s incomplete state, speaks to the enduring importance of the location to the local community. The archaeological remains were documented as part of the comprehensive Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, which catalogued field antiquities from the Mesolithic Period through to the 17th century, ensuring that sites like St. Johnstown are preserved in the historical record even as nature gradually reclaims them.