Taughboyne Church — Haw (killea Ed)

It is believed that this is the site of the early ecclesiastical foundation of Tech Baithin (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 406). The site at present consists of a modern graveyard (DG055-016002-) inside which is Taughboyne Church of Ireland parish church. Taughboyne Church (DG055-016001-): In 1622, a new parish church was near completion in St. Johnstown. Nonetheless, it was decided to rebuild the old one which was in a more central location (Royal Commission, 213). That this was done in 1627 under the direction of the rector Thomas Bruce, is evident from the inscription on a stone tablet 'Thomas Bruce, aedificavit restoravimus 1627' which was found under the aisle about 1887 (Leslie 1940, 128). Another plaque, now set above the N door, bears the remarkably similar inscription in false relief: AEDIF CVRA/THO BRVCE/RECTOR HVOVS ECCLAESIA/1627. Beside it, a tablet of comparable size bears a false-relief coat-of-arms sur-mounted by the initials TB; presumably those of the rector. The battering of the lower courses of the E gable may be part of the 17th century building. The church was repaired in the earlier 19th century (See Lewis II 1837, 599) and the windows and door are in the Victorian Decorated style. A carved head and two hood-mould stops, comprising relief carvings of lion-like creatures with vine leaf enrichment, are set in the exterior face of the N wall on either side of the door. Opposite it, and forming part of the pathway revetment is a 17th century memorial flanked by two sections of a horizontal hood-mould which as the profiles indicate, belong to the same window as the stops. These fragments are 15th century in character and undoubtedly belonged to the medieval parish church. St. Boyne's Well (DG055-015-) to the N of the graveyard is now filled in. The site is located on excellent land overlooking the River Foyle to the SE. A residential development at Haw, Churchtown, Carrigans, Lifford, was located immediately adjacent to the boundary wall of St Baithín’s/Taughboyne church (DG055-016001-) and graveyard (DG055–016002-), originally dating to the medieval period. The graveyard also contained the site of a holy well (DG055–015----). Testing of the development site by Maurice F. Hurley under licence No. 07E1073 revealed that it was composed of made ground and ground scarped back to bedrock in recent years. A dump of 19th–20th-century building rubble lay alongside the foundation of an 18th/19th-century wall. The artefacts included chinaware and plastic (Bennett 2010, 79). 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. Compiled by Caimin O'Brien Date of upload/revision: 18 November 2011