What is recorded here

Thirteen metres north of Kilkieran’s walled graveyard, a grey boulder carries a carved basin deep enough to hold water or tears. St. Kieran’s name lives beside the burial marks, penitential cairns and broken cross slab, suggesting the stone served devotion rather than decoration. People may have knelt there in darkness, poured drink for the dead or measured suffering against the rough Donegal sky. The basin still receives rain, completing what human hands began.

Marked 'Kilkieran' burial ground (DG097-019001-) on the 2nd and 3rd editions of OS 6-inch maps. The site consists of a circular area enclosed by a stone wall. There is a 5m gap to the N. A slab is set transversely to the line of the wall on the W side of this gap. The wall varies from 1.3m to 1.5m in width and from, .1m to .65m in height. There are two 'altars' in the SW sector and four small penitential cairns (DG097-019004-) in the northern half of the interior. There are also a number of uninscribed grave-markers. An old field wall runs from close to the WNW part of the enclosure in a NNW direction for 15.5m. To the E of the graveyard is Toberkieran a 'holy well' (DG097-019003-). On the S side of the well is a cross-inscribed slab the top of which is broken, .55m x .26m x .08m. A Latin cross is inscribed on the W face. The left arm of the cross and the base have 'fish-tail' terminals. 'St. Kieran's Bed' (DG097-019005-) close to NE of the graveyard is a natural slab. 11.5m N of the burial ground is a boulder (DG097-019002-) with a rock-basin carved in it. The boulder is .96 x .69m x .19m. The depression is .44m x .39m and is .1m in depth. The site is located in an area of rough grazing land with much rock outcrop. There is better land to the E. The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Date of upload: 22 September 2008

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