Architectural fragment, Conwal, Co. Donegal

Still serving as an active burial ground following recent extensions, the site encompasses the ruins of Conwal Old Church, a holy well, and a fascinating assemblage of ancient stone monuments. The graveyard underwent significant tidying in 1968, during which a grassy rectangular mound perpendicular to the church's south wall was transformed into a distinctive stone cairn, its flat summit now paved with historic graveslabs.

The church itself tells a story of gradual decay and survival. Already in ruins by 1622, the structure had deteriorated further by 1835 when only the 15-foot-high south wall and remnants of the north wall remained standing. Today, visitors can still observe the central ivy-covered section of the south wall, rising to 4.5 metres, alongside the lower courses of the north wall. The church's original footprint measured 17.5 by 6.5 metres internally, though much of what remains has been rebuilt to a height of 1.5 metres, including a doorway in the south wall and a dividing wall at the western end that may not be original features.

Perhaps the most intriguing elements are the carved stones scattered throughout the site. Six upright slabs bear cruciform designs, whilst another displays a human figure, and three stand uninscribed. The stone cairn serves as a repository for numerous graveslabs; five cross slabs rest unfixed upon it, three recumbent cross slabs are set into its structure, and twelve other graveslabs crown its surface, ranging from plain, uninscribed stones to one dating from the late 19th century. At the church's eastern end, within a modern enclosure, sits a broken altar base with chamfered sides and evidence of diagonal corner pillars. Atop this base, amongst cut stones and fragments of four rotary quern stones, lies a small rock basin with a shallow depression, accompanied by dressed stonework featuring medieval moulding profiles and sandstone fragments decorated with characteristic Romanesque ornament.