Church, Inver Glebe, Co. Donegal

Co. Donegal |

Churches & Chapels

Church, Inver Glebe, Co. Donegal

At the mouth of the Eany Water river in County Donegal stand the atmospheric ruins of Inver Old Church, a site that has witnessed centuries of Christian worship.

These ivy-covered walls mark the location of an early Christian monastery, with the present structure dating primarily from the early 17th century. The church measures approximately 16.25 metres by 5.2 metres internally and is built from rubble stone, its walls still standing to their full height despite being abandoned for over two centuries. The building continued to serve its congregation until 1807, when a new church was constructed and this ancient place of worship fell into disuse.

The church ruins reveal a fascinating architectural timeline through their various features. Fragments of an earlier church from the late 12th or 13th century are incorporated into the structure, including keel-moulded scontions around what was once the east window and a blocked doorway on the north wall featuring a round arch with regular voussoirs. Four buttresses were added later to support the corners of the north and south walls, though these were secondary additions rather than part of the original design. The hollow chamfered eaves cornice that caps the walls was likely added in the early 18th century when the church's thatched roof was replaced with slate.

Today, the church stands surrounded by its historic graveyard, where the southwest section has been significantly raised over time and is enclosed by a curving wall. The interior reveals traces of a gallery that once occupied the western 4.5 metres of the church, evidenced by beam chases in the north and south walls. Various windows, some blocked and others with missing heads and arches, punctuate the walls, whilst a memorial dated 1751 has been inserted into one of the window openings on the north side. Despite its ruinous state, the church remains a tangible link to centuries of religious life in this corner of Donegal, from its early monastic origins through its various rebuildings to its final abandonment in the early 19th century.

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