The church, also known as Taughboyne, sits alongside its ancient burial ground, whilst a holy well once marked this site as a place of particular spiritual significance. When developers planned new housing immediately adjacent to the boundary wall, archaeologist Maurice F. Hurley was brought in to assess what might lie beneath the surface.

What Hurley discovered in 2007 tells a story of continuous human activity and alteration of the landscape. The ground had been heavily modified over the centuries; bedrock had been exposed through scarping in recent years, whilst layers of made ground covered other areas. Most intriguingly, the foundation of a wall dating to the 18th or 19th century was uncovered, suggesting that structures once stood here that have since vanished from local memory.

The excavation also turned up a dump of building rubble from the 19th and 20th centuries, packed with everyday objects that paint a picture of domestic life. Fragments of chinaware speak to the Victorian and Edwardian periods, whilst pieces of plastic bring the story into living memory. These finds, though modest, demonstrate how this corner of Donegal has been continuously inhabited and reworked, with each generation leaving its mark on the land around this medieval religious site.