St Catherine's Church and Friary — Killybegs

St. Catherine's Church (DG097-015002-): The ruins of this church may possibly be the remains of St. Catherine's friary, founded by MacSwiny Bannagh for the Franciscan Third Order Regular (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 272). They are assuredly those which were converted for protestant worship after the establishment of the Borough of Killybegs in 1615 (Conaghan [1974], 27). The parish church of Killybegs was described in 1622 as 'newly re-edified and well repaired' (Royal Commission, 220). The church would undoubtedly have been abandoned during the troubled times of the Confederacy and the friars from Donegal may have settled here (Mooney 1952, 20-1). The Church was repaired c. 1654-6 (Simmington 1937, 79) and continued in use throughout the 18th century (Leslie 1940, 92; Taylor and Skinner 1778, 49). It was abandoned when the new church, St. John's, was built in 1829 (Lewis II, 1837, 158; Fagan Bk 19, 4-5). The church is located inside a graveyard (DG097-015005-). The remains of the Church, 15.6m by 5.2m internally, and N transept, 6.6m by 5.15m internally, testify to at least three major building periods. The main body of the church is probably 15th century and the transept a 16th century addition; the S arched transept gable, the window alterations and the W porch are probably works of the 17th/18th centuries. It is possible that some of the windows in the N and S walls are secondary insertions; the inner wall-faces are covered in plaster. The walls of the church stand to full height. They are built of irregular rubble blocks with small pinnings and have rough ashlar quoins. The eaves-coping on the N and S walls is composed of regular dressed blocks and the footings and bond stones of a secondary buttress survive at the SE corner of the building. The splayed ingoings of the E window are secondary and the head and rear-arch have fallen. There are three smaller splayed windows in the S wall. Only the E retains its segmental head and rear-arch; all had timber frames. Between the two western-most windows is a blocked-up door with pointed head and segmental rear-arch. The jambs and head have a wide chamfer and the exterior is crowned with a chamfered hood-mould. The whole is undoubtedly an original feature and the dressing is of 15th century character. The doorway in the W gable had a timber lintel with fan-light above. The window at the W end of the N wall is represented by a W ingoing; the remainder has been dislodged by a tree growing through the thickness of the wall. The N transept is not perpendicular to the main body of the church. It is entered beneath a double chamfered segment-headed arch of two orders composed of blocks with typical 16th century punch dressing. Immediately N of this, a second arch of corresponding dimensions supports a secondary transept gable. The N quoins are ashlar and a chamfered stone has been re-used as a voussoir. Just below eaves level, the gable is offset c. 20cms from the exterior face of the N wall and has a compensating overhang on its interior. The NE and NW quoins of the transept have been partly displaced by ivy; the latter has been rebuilt with rubble. The window in the N gable had a timber frame; the ingoings are secondary. The roundhead, jambs and short splayed ingoings of the window in the E wall are also insertions; the sill is re-used and retains its interior rebate and shutter pivot-hole for a small ope. The opposing jambs at springing level are re-dressed moulded fragments. The embrasure has ashlar trim and some of the voussoirs of the round-headed rear-arch have been replaced by small stones. Small, thin slabs were used as coping on the E and W transept walls. Similar coping survives on the church porch of which the N and W walls with splayed window remain; the head and rear-arch of this window have fallen. The exterior of the church is harled and at least three, superimposed coats of plaster are discernible on the interior wall faces. 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