What is recorded here

St Mac Duagh’s Bed is a narrow cave under a Clare cliff where tradition holds the saint fasted and prayed for seven years. The ceiling dropped stones and scree until the chamber measured barely wide enough for one body. That restriction may have suited him, since hermits often craved solitude more than comfort. The cave still keeps its edges sharp and its darkness deep, waiting for someone patient enough to sit inside it.

Under hazel forest at the foot of an E-facing cliff, c. 15m SW of ‘St Mac Duagh’s Church’ (CL006-023001-). Indicated and named ‘St Mac Duagh’s Bed’ on the 1842 and 1915 eds. of the OS 6-inch maps. Listed as ‘Megalithic structure’ in the SMR (1992) and the RMP (1996). A natural cave shelter (Wth 1.4m; H 1.7m; D c. 3.5m) formed of large boulders and scree collapsed from the cliff face. The cave comprises part of the early medieval hermitage of St. Colman. According to tradition the saint spent seven years as a hermit praying and fasting in the cave. A large natural rock c. 10m to the N is recorded as a bullaun stone (CL006-023006-). The following image has been uploaded: CL006-023004-_01.jpg View from the interior of the cave. Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin Date of upload: 13 May 2021

St Mac Duagh’s Bed is traditionally associated with the early Irish saint Mac Duach, who is said to have lived as a hermit in the area and is linked to several holy sites in County Donegal. The site, marked on historical Ordnance Survey maps, may have been a place of prayer or pilgrimage, reflecting the fusion of early Christian and prehistoric sacred landscapes in the region.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.