McCoo's Shop

Detached two-bay single-storey house or office\outbuilding, built c. 1910, having projecting gabled entrance porch to south-east, and single-storey lean-to addition to the north-east. Later in use as a shop. Pitched corrugated-metal roof with timber eaves course, and having no rainwater goods. Pitched corrugated-metal roof to porch with timber finial to gable apex, and mono-pitched corrugated-metal roof to lean-to addition. Corrugated-metal sheeting to walls with rubble stone walls to lean-to. Square-headed window openings with slate sills and timber casement windows. Square-headed doorway to porch with timber sheeted door. Set at corner of road and private laneway with single-storey nissan hut to the north-west, timber post fence to east and surrounded by mature trees to north and south. Located adjacent to Glentown slate quarries, and to the west of Saint Johnstown.

This simple but appealing structure, probably dating to the very start of the twentieth century of the twentieth century, retains it early character and early fabric. It is notable for the use of corrugated-metal sheeting for both cladding the walls and as a roofing material. It was probably initially built as a temporary structure, hence the use of a cheap material such as corrugated-metal, but it has survived in good condition into the twenty-first century. County Donegal is known for the high use and survival of corrugated-metal as a building material, and this forms part of an interesting group of structures built with this material that are still extant in the county. Its original use is not known its location adjacent to a laneway leading to Glentown slate quarries suggests that it may have some connection with this industrial site, perhaps as an office or foreman’s house. It was later in use as a shop called McCool's. This building is one of the better examples of its type and date in Donegal, and makes a positive contribution to its pleasant rural location to the west of Saint Johnstown. The nissan hut to the north-west is another interesting and rare survival that adds to the context and setting.