Ballysaggart Friary

Fan an Charta Friary, a Franciscan Third Order Regular friary, was founded by MacSwiney Banagh, probably in the second half of the 15th century; the community was driven out soon after the Irish defeat at Kinsale in 1601 (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 269). The surviving church ruins stand beside the shore on the E side of St. John's Point. The remains are in a parlous condition. In 1907, the W gable fell and there was a large gap below the E window (Bigger 1908, 6-7). About 30 years ago the latter was built up and the interior and exterior faces of the S and E walls repointed. The church consists of nave and chancel without structural division, 20.25m by 6.20m internally, and is built of roughly coursed rubble and split stone. The E gable, almost at full height, has the remains of a two-light, pointed window with chamfered hood-mould and splayed ingoings. Though mullion and switch-line bars are missing the remaining tracery indicates a vesica-shaped centrepiece with ogee-pointed bottom, above the pointed lights. The upper voussoirs of the double-chamfered rear-arch have fallen away. The sill and the wall below it are modern. Piercing the base of the wall beneath the window is a small rectangular drain-like feature which may have been inserted when the wall was rebuilt. A small corbel-like stone, 30cms square and of unknown function, projects from the interior face, 60cms above present ground level. At the E end of the S wall are a wall-press and the ruins of a single-light window with splayed ingoings and modern jambs. The window head has fallen away; the sill, with central sinking for a vertical bar and interior pivot hole for a shutter, lies among other fragments on the ground outside the church. Below the window are the remains of a sedilia. Only the W capital survives in situ. The shaft and capital (DG098-031002-) from the E side were removed in 1868, to St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Killybegs and are built into the pier of a garden gate opposite the W gable of the Church. The MacSwyne coffin lid was likewise removed in the same year and erected outside the W gable of St. Catherine's Church (Bigger 1908, 7). The footings of a door, with chamfered jambs and splayed ingoings, survive at the W end of the S wall. All that survives of the W gable and its central door are a fragmentary section of wall and N jamb. Numerous door and window fragments litter the immediate area. There is a wall-press in the N wall beside the E gable. Also at this end are the remains of two blocked-up doors with chamfered jambs. Both doors are missing their heads and are covered by modern walling. Between them, at present ground level, is a broken stoup in situ. Bigger (1908, 7) noted that there was evidence on the N of the church for an adjoining building. The presence of the two doors would certainly suggest this, the easternmost one undoubtedly leading to a sacristy. However, a few protruding stones, 11m from the N wall of the church, are the only visible remains of a possible structure. A cattle-crush was built inside the church in 1980. Tomb-slab (DG098-031003-): Set against the exterior face of the W gable of St. Catherines Catholic church in Killybegs is a medieval tomb-slab. It was brought to Killybegs from Fan an Chartha friary on St John's Point in 1868 (Patterson 1872, 129). A small stone cross (DG098-031004-) was originally located in the garden of the thatched house to the NE of the friary and has been reset into a roadside wall to the SE of the thatched house. 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/revision: 03 July 2010