Killymard Church — Ballydevitt

Church of Ireland church that was built in 1830. Inside the church there is a carved head which would appear to be of an ecclesiastic, probably a bishop. The face of the head is carved but the rear is unworked, it would appear that the whole was intended to be set in a wall. Beneath the head are the remains of a moulded window, top or could have been top of a tomb or wall niche. The rector of the church told us that the tradition is that the head is that of Captain Mard, the beneficiary of Killynard Church, and perhaps that a second head, depicting his wife also existed at one time, perhaps up to the 1940's. These two heads stood on the gateposts of Killynard old church and graveyard (Donegal Archaeological Survey). Date of revision : 17 May 2009 Caimin O'Brien