Old St. Carthach's Church in Kilcar

Kilcar Old Church (DG096-010005-): The parish church was in ruins in 1622 (Royal Commission, 221). The surviving church remains, 6.05m wide internally, are probably of a later date. It continued in use until 1828 when a new church (now disused) was built in Kilcar Village (Lewis 11, 1837, 58; Maguire 1920, 38). Only the W gable at full height and adjoining sections c. 5-6m long of N and S walls survive. They are built of rubble and had ashlar quoins, most of which are missing. The door in the centre of the W gable has very weathered, bold chamfered jambs with pointed head. The ingoings with round-headed rear-arch are set back from the jambs and the S has a draw-bar socket. The N wall c. 2.1m high is featureless. The S wall c. 2.6m high has a distinct full length break in the masonry c. 1m from the interior SW corner. The E section may be an addition; it retains the splayed ingoing for a window at its E end. The church interior is plastered and the exterior is harled. Kilcar Church is situated inside a rectangular graveyard (DG096-010005-) 28m N-S x 44m E-W. A carved stone fragment, probably part of a window from the church, is reused as a grave marker in the E half of the graveyard.

Nearby on the roadside is a stone (DG096-010007-), built into a boundary wall, with a number of random grooves. These are believed locally to be of ancient origin. About 100m NE of the church is Tobermurry which consists of a bullaun (DG096-010003-) or rock-basin surrounded by a cairn (DG096-010004-) 6m x 8.8m. Two depressions, (i) .34m x .4m and 0.23m deep and (ii). 2m in diameter and 0.05m deep, and a channel which feeds water to the first depression are carved on the top of the bullaun stone. (Ó Muirgheasa No. 22)