Mound, Cashelgolan, Co. Donegal
In a low-lying field near the Donegal coast, Kilmacanny Graveyard presents itself as an intriguing archaeological puzzle.
Mound, Cashelgolan, Co. Donegal
The site centres on a subcircular mound measuring 17 metres across and rising up to 2 metres high, though its uneven, undulating surface makes its exact boundaries rather tricky to pin down in places. The mound serves as a burial ground, dotted with several plain grave markers that offer no inscriptions or identifying features. One notable exception is a stone slab on the western side that contains a small oval perforation, measuring roughly 6.5 by 4 centimetres; a curious detail that hints at unknown ritual or practical purposes.
Just southeast of the mound, tucked into a ditch along a field boundary, lies a small cross-slab that measures 1.6 metres tall and 30 centimetres across at the arms. This stone features a simple cross carved in relief at the centre of a broad, cross-shaped groove on one face, suggesting the site’s Christian heritage and its likely medieval origins. The craftsmanship, whilst modest, speaks to the religious significance this place once held for the local community.
The graveyard occupies a rather atmospheric setting, surrounded by woodland to the south and west, with pastoral fields stretching eastward and the sea visible to the north. This coastal proximity would have made the site easily accessible to surrounding settlements whilst providing the sense of separation often sought for burial grounds. The combination of the mysterious mound, the Christian cross-slab, and the scattered grave markers creates a layered historical narrative that spans potentially centuries of use as a sacred space.





