Dunlewy Early Church Enclosure

Internal diam. c. 40m N-S, c. 35m E-W. A subcircular area defined by slight remains of an enclosing stone wall. At the mid W part of the enclosure are the remains of a stone building (DG042-002002-) only surviving .3m in height, 8m E-W and 5m N-S internally. There are breaks in the middle of the N and S walls. The SE quadrant of the enclosure is covered by a scatter of stones. In the NW area of the scatter is a cross-slab (DG042-002003-) .5m high standing on a low mound of stones. It is .24m wide and 0.08m thick. A cross is grooved on the W face. There are forks at the extremities of the arms and shaft and at the centre, a small depression surrounded by two concentric circles. To the S of the cross-slab are two standing stone slabs (DG042-002004-). Partly surrounding the cross-slab on the S is a semicircle of loose stones 3m in width and 0.3m in height. An earlier report of the site (UJA 1857, 253) records four circular buildings (DG042-002005-), each 14 feet in diameter, to the S and SE of the centre of the enclosure. The site is located on level ground beside the Devlin river at the S base of Errigal mountain in wet but fair pasture at the SE end of Dunlewy Lough. 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