Cooly Graveyard

The early ecclesiastical site here consists of a sub-rectangular shaped graveyard inside of which are a number of earlier features. The site is located on excellent land sloping to Lough Foyle to the E and is traditionally claimed to have been founded by St. Patrick (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 399; Lacy et. al. 1983, 261). To the W outside the entrance to the graveyard (DG021-008001-) is a tall, plain, ringed high-cross (DG021-008005-) 2.87m high and 0.8m wide at the arms, orientated N-S. Inside the graveyard are the remains of two churches (DG021-008002-/003-) and a mortuary house (DG021-008004-) or tomb-shrine known as the 'Skull House'. One of the churches served as a medieval parish church (Leslie 1937, 265). E of the Mortuary House is a small basin stone or possible bullaun stone (DG021-008007-) and to the NW a small cross-inscribed stone (DG021-008006-). A fragment of a cross-slab (DG021-008018-) with a wheeled-cross was found lying in the interior of the South Church. On the S side of this church also is a small stone cross (DG021-008009-) 0.73m × 0.6m with some indecipherable lettering on the E face. It is probably a modern grave-marker. A graveyard clean-up scheme discovered half of a circular shaped millstone (diam. 0.84m; T 0.14m) with central hole (diam. 0.19m) defined by a slighlty raised band (Wth 0.09m) running around the edge of the central perforation. This millstone may have been reused as a headstone to mark a grave located in the E end of the graveyard adjacent to the graveyard wall and a few metres N of the Skull House. The millstone may have belonged to an unlocated mill in the nearby vicinity of the graveyard. The graveyard clean-up scheme carried out in 2010 has discovered the remains of seven new cross-slabs and one stone figure (DG021-008014-) carved in relief, all of which appear to date from the medieval period. A graveyard plan drawn by the Cooley Cross Heritage Committee shows location of monuments uncovered during graveyard clean-up scheme carried out in 2010. The attached image (DG021-008001-_04.jpg) is a plan of the church and graveyard commissioned by the Cooley Cross Heritage Committee showing location of monuments inside graveyard. 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. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 24 February 2015

Early medieval Christian graveyard with prehistoric or early historic features within; situated near Lough Foyle, reflecting long-term sacred use of the landscape.