Stone head in Ballygorman, County Donegal

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What is recorded here

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The ruins of a simple church (DG002-002001-) stand by the shore at the base of a cliff on the N side of Malin Head. A rude face carved on the top stone of the corner between the S wall and the E gable (DA 1953-4, 503), is now in the National Museum of Ireland (Reg. No. 1972:5). This consists of a rectangular block of stone, all four sides of which are dressed. On one end there is a broad D-shaped projection on which is incised a human face, the eyes, nose and mouth of which are represented by deep grooves. The block is .41m × 0.26m × 0.25m. The site is said to be associated with St. Morialagh of Clonca (Rowan 1979, 418) but the surviving church remains are probably medieval. To the SW of the church is a rock-cut cave (DG002-002003-), known as the 'Wee House of Malin'. It is 1.3m across the opening which has been partly built up with stones allegedly from the church. It is 2.75m deep and 2.25m high. To the E of the church along the shore is a holy well (DG002-003-).

From the National Monuments Service (Archaeological Survey of Ireland) record DG002-002004

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Photo credits

Andreas F. Borchert, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dr Neil Clifton, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
David Dixon, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Dr Neil Clifton, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Maker not stated on source page, www.minube.co.uk
Maker not stated on source page, ru.needles-and-wool.com
Maker not stated on source page, www.youtube.com
Corinna Schleiffer, Geograph Ireland via Wikimedia Commons
Kenneth Allen, Wikimedia Commons
Donegal Daily; photographer not named, Source publisher

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