This modest collection of buildings contains within and around it the remnants of what was once a significant early ecclesiastical complex, now designated National Monument number 24. Historical records paint a picture of a much grander religious site than what meets the eye today; the Civil Survey of 1654-56 mentions ‘five churches almost ruined’, though only one appears to have survived the intervening centuries. The island’s ecclesiastical importance stretches back to at least the 7th century, with literary references continuing throughout the medieval period, marking Tory as a notable centre of religious activity off the Donegal coast.

The harbour graveyard, enclosed by modern stone walls, likely occupies the same ground as a large walled enclosure that 19th-century antiquarian Getty documented in 1853. He called this structure Rath Finan, though he seems to have confused it with a similarly named site at Ray on the mainland. While Getty’s arched entrance and impressive walls have vanished without trace, the graveyard still holds treasures for those interested in early Irish Christianity. Midway along the western wall stands a stone altar displaying several significant artefacts, most notably a damaged cross-slab measuring 1.35 metres by 45 centimetres, its back now cemented to the graveyard wall. The slab shows signs of age and repair; its top is damaged and a split running down the middle has been carefully rejoined.

Southeast of the altar lies a socketed stone that appears to be part of a horizontal shaft from a multi-piece cross, offering tantalising hints about the site’s former grandeur. The discovery of a cross base in the graveyard in 2012 has led to speculation that this shaft fragment might have belonged to the very cross that once stood proudly in the socket. These scattered pieces, though fragmentary, speak to the sophisticated stone carving traditions that flourished here and the enduring importance of this windswept island in Ireland’s early Christian landscape.