Derrygrath Church (in ruins)

On a natural rise in undulating terrain, the surrounding fields under pasture, a ringfort (TS082-013----) is located c. 100m to the N. According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) the glebeland of the Vicar of 'the Parish of Derragrath' was situated 'west of the Church of Deragrath' (Simington 1934, vol. 2, 408). The graveyard (TS082-014001-) is adjacent to the road at the SE, the entrance is through an iron gate or stile. The church is located towards the W end of the graveyard. The church with nave (ext. dims. 13.75m x c. 8m) and chancel (ext. dims. 5.85m x c. 5.8m) is built of a mixture of limestone and sandstone rubble, well-coursed (nave wall 0.8-0.86m T; chancel wall 0.7m T), with a slight base-batter. There is a pronounced high batter on the S wall of the nave but this is the result of later rebuilding as it is keyed into the buttress (T 1.05m at base, tapering towards the top) supporting the S end of the W gable. This rebuild along the W end of the S wall terminates at the probable door embrasure, though there is evidence of an outward splay on the W side of this embrasure. Most of the exterior is ivy clad, though a section of wall was visible on the W gable. The E gable of the nave has a very steep-pitched roof (H c. 6m). There is a narrow single-light window in the W gable. The chamfered, sandstone chancel arch (Wth 2.6m; H 2.92m) survives in good condition. Slots on both inner faces of the arch supported a rood screen. The E gable is gone but most of the chancel is intact. On the S wall of the chancel there is a window embrasure. The return of the E gable survives at the SE angle. The N wall of the chancel is in a ruinous condition. There is evidence of two windows in the nave, on the N and S wall respectively, W of the chancel arch. The window embrasure survives on the S wall, though the single-light is broken out, while there is a breach in the opposite N wall which seems the likely location for another window. There is a break in the masonry on opposing N and S walls towards the W gable, suggesting opposing doorways, no evidence of which remains. The W gable is steep-pitched (c. 4.3m H without the apex). There are fragments of slate roof tiles in the interior of the nave, near the NE angle. The church has been assigned an early 13th-century date based on the 'Transitional chancel arch' (Killanin and Duignan 1967, 133). Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011

Derrygrath Church, now in ruins, was likely built in the medieval period, with early references dating to the 17th century; its exact builder is unknown, but it was dedicated to a local parish and served as a place of worship in a rural ecclesiastical system. The church's remains and associated glebeland indicate its historical role in the local community, though its wider significance is not well documented.