2022:726 - St Catherine's Church, Killybegs, Donegal

Two phases of conservation works were carried out at St Catherine's Church (DG097-015002) in Killybegs, County Donegal in 2021 and 2022, under Ministerial Consent No. C000566. The works were funded by the National Monuments Service's Community Monuments Fund, administered by Donegal County Council's Heritage Officer and were carried out by experienced stone masons overseen by a Conservation Architect. Inspection of the works as they progressed and when they concluded was carried out by the writer. The church is located c. 300m west of a pier in Killybegs Harbour, on the southern outskirts of Killybegs.
The ruins of the church may possibly be the remains of St Catherine's friary, founded by MacSwiny Bannagh for the Franciscan Third Order Regular. They were converted for protestant worship after the establishment of the Borough of Killybegs in 1615. The church was repaired in the mid 17th century and continued in use throughout the 19th century. It was abandoned when the new church, St John's, was built in 1829.
The church measures 15.5m x 5.2m internally with a northern transept, which measures 6.6m x 5.15m internally. The church has a porch at its west end and a doorway, probably a later insertion, at its east end. There is one splayed window near the west end of the north wall and three spayed windows in the south wall. Between the two westernmost windows is a blocked-up doorway with a pointed head and segmental rear arch. The transept is not perpendicular to the main body of the church. It is entered beneath a double-chamfered segment-headed arch of two orders. The main body of the church is probably 15th century in date with the transept a 16th-century addition. The southern arched transept gable, window alterations and the porch are probably works of the 17th/18th centuries. The wall of the church stand to full height.
There was no reduction in ground levels during the project.
The 2021 works consisted of the consolidation of the western ends of the north and south walls and the west gable of the church, as well as the east wall of the northern transept, the retrieval of stone from a number of stockpiles in the graveyard and the creation of a cut-stone register.

An organic build-up on a window sill, located nearest the west end of the south wall, was excavated, following the discovery of bone by the workmen. The excavation revealed fourteen human bones and bone fragments and two animal bones. The human bone recovered represented at least one adult and one full-term infant. Thirteen of the fragments were adult in origin and all from a cranium. A single juvenile bone was recovered, the right humerus of a young infant. Two fragments of the adult cranium returned a radiocarbon date range of late 15th to early 17th century AD. Twelve small fragments of the window pane glass were also recovered.
The 2022 works concentrated on the north wall, east gable and the porch at the western end of the church, and the installation of a stone display unit and a number of gabions in which architectural fragments and much of the unused rubble from the stockpiles of stone in the graveyard are now stored. Some of the rubble from the stockpiles was used in the consolidation works. Much of the rubble is now stored in the gabions, four of which are located along the northern side of the church interior with a fifth located in the north-eastern corner of the transept. The stone display unit is located along the western side of the transept and contains two quernstone fragments, two headstone fragments, four roof tiles and fifteen architectural fragments which were identified during these two phases and previous phases of conservation works at the site.

4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, County Mayo