Clonca Old Church Graveyard

This early ecclesiastical site consists of a sub-rectangular graveyard (DG012-002011-) enclosing Clonca Old Church (DG012-002001-). The surviving rectangular gabled church is a seventeenth century building incorporating earlier fragments. It was built post 1622 and continued in use until 1827 (Leslie 1937, 155; Bonner 1972, 70, 93). The remains are vested in the Office of public Works and are a National Monument (No. 25). The ruins of this single hall, 14.15m by 6.15m internally stand to original height and the E gable is surmounted by a small stone cross. The church, which has an external plinth, is built of rubble and split stone, with ashlar quoins. The latter incorporate a number of punch-dressed blocks, two of which have small chamfers and two others in the NE and SE quoins, have each a small roll-moulded arris. These fragments may be from an earlier church, although the moulded pieces could be the remians of memorials. The E gable is lit by a large, round-headed window with slightly splayed ingoings. Doherty (1891, 52) records that it was of cut stone and that many of the dressed fragments and mullions (DG012-002002-) were scattered on the ground; none of these were located during the survey. There are two smaller round-headed windows, retaining indications for timber frames in the N and S walls. The church interior retains some plaster and sections of the exterior rendering survive. Above the W door into the church is a badly weathered, carved, stone-lintel but the figures represented and unclear. The lintel is checked for a narrower opening. Set into the outside wall of the church at the NW corner is a small stone (DG012-002003-) bearing a mallet and chisel device above an inscription reading (. . . . . .) An O'Dubdagan do Ri (gne. . . . . . cl) og so do Domnall o (R. . . . . .) O'Dubdagan who made. . . . . . this stone for Domnall O R. (Macalister 1949, 115-6, No. 948). Inside the church in the SW corner is a small portable bullaun stone (DG012-002004-). At the NE end of the church fixed to the wall are two grave slabs (DG012-002005; DG012-002012-). One 1.75m long × 0.45m to .3m wide is undecorated except for a thin incised frame around the edge. Beside this is the 'Magnus and Fergus' grave slab. This measures 1.85m long × 0.55m to .44m wide. The slab which is decorated with a cross, foliage, a sword, a playing stick and ball also bears an inscription indicating by whom and for whom it was made. Fergus mak Allan do rini in clach sa magnus mec orristin ia fo Tr?l seo. Fergus Mac Allan made this stone Magnus Mac Orristin under this (Macalister 1949, 116-7, No. 949). A tradition that this grave-slab was brought here from Scotland (Hamilton 1896, 143) has recently been dismissed, and an Irish origin for the slab confirmed (Steer and Bannerman 1977, 43). In the field W of the graveyard is the stem and part of one arm of a restored, deco-rated, stone cross (DG012-002007-) carved from a single slab. It is 3.95m high, the shaft is .4m wide and the arms c. O.9m wide. The cross is .2m thick. The W face of the shaft is divided into three panels. The top and bottom panel consist of two types of double-band interlace inside a frame. The central panel is divided into two parts: on top are two affronted kneeling animals with wedge-shaped faces. Above the back of each animal is what appears to be the head of a volute crozier. The bottom section has two seated figures with hands folded in front of them. The bottom part of a circle can be seen at the top of the shaft, which is carried through on the surviving right arm of the cross, only recently replaced after being missing for some time. There are other interlace and geometric designs on the arm. The left arm and top of the cross are missing but an outline restoration has been made. The surviving arm shows a slight convexity to the W. This is carried through on the restoration. The E face of the shaft is divided into four panels. The bottom panel consists of two spirals one on top of the other. These begin at their centres with triangular knots and end with opposed and adjoining zoomorphic designs reminiscent of contemporary metalwork. Gaps between the spiral ends are filled with interlace designs. The second panel from the bottom is covered with an irregular fret-pattern. The third panel consists of a double-banded interlace. The top panel, which is slightly incomplete at the top shows a figure seated on a chair. He is holding up a circular 'plate' on which are five small 'buns' arranged in the form of a cross. Beneath this, and pointing towards the figure's legs, is a small fish and on top a larger fish. The scene possibly depicts the miracle of 'the loaves and the fishes'. The surviving arm on the left side is almost fully taken up by a small figure in an 'orans' position. The left part of a circle can be seen beside this figure. This, presumably, would have been carried through on the missing parts. Further W in the same field is the ringed-head of a second large cross (DG012-002008-). This is 1.65m wide. It now survives only 1m high, however, part of a limb of the same cross is now lying inside the church. This fits on to the ringed-head and would bring its height to about 1.55m. The ringed-head is now lying on the ground and the underside was not examined; however the detached section inside the church gives some impression of what a part of the design is like. The upper, visible side of the cross consists of a ringed head with hollowed angles which, however, have not been carved right through. At the centre of the cross is a circle inside which eight coils connected by C-curves are arranged in cruciform fashion. There is a small circle at the very centre. In each of the hollowed angles of the cross there are two concentric circles. On the two arms and the top of the cross four triquetras are arranged inside a circle. The back of the top detached section of the cross has a design similar to the centre of the visible side and by analogy with the front it is likely that this is repeated on the two arms. Just beside this cross-head which is lying on the ground, is a large boulder into which a socket .6m long N-S, .17m wide and 0.22m deep has been cut. In the NW corner of the field across the road to the S is a holy well (DG012-002008) (M. R. Colhoun). To the W of the adjoining road is a field in which a small cross-slab (DG012-002009-) was found. This has been removed for safety but is very similar to a slab set into the wall at the entrance to Fahan graveyard (DG038-013004-). The site is located in generally good land sloping slightly to the S where there is an extensive area of bogland. A tochair or roadway across the bog was found some time ago (M. R. Colhoun) probably leading to the nearby Carrowmore site (DG011-049001-). (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 376) 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