At a spot known locally as Lough an Airne or Lus Na nAirne, archaeologists believe they’ve found the remnants of an ancient graveyard, almost certainly marking the location of the original church that gave Kiltoorish its name. The placename itself offers a tantalising clue to the site’s significance; Kiltoorish appears to mean “the Church of the Pilgrimage”, suggesting this remote corner of Donegal once drew devoted travellers seeking spiritual solace.

Just southwest of the overgrown graveyard, a holy well still survives, its roughly circular form constructed from dry stone walling that has weathered countless Irish winters. When the antiquarian Ó Muirgheasa documented the well in 1936, he lamented that despite its obvious importance to the local landscape, he couldn’t uncover any information about its history or the rituals that might have taken place there. The well remains something of an enigma, a silent witness to centuries of forgotten devotion.

Today, the entire site proves frustratingly difficult to explore, with thick vegetation making close inspection nearly impossible. Yet even in its abandoned state, the combination of church, graveyard, and holy well speaks to a once thriving religious complex where medieval pilgrims would have gathered for prayer, healing, and community worship. These tangled ruins remind us how much of Ireland’s spiritual heritage lies just beneath the surface, waiting in quiet corners of the countryside.