Cooly Graveyard

The early ecclesiastical site here consists of a sub-rectangular shaped graveyard inside of which are a number of earlier features. The monastery is located on excellent land sloping to Lough Foyle to the E and is traditionally claimed to have been founded by St. Patrick (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 399; Lacy et. al. 1983, 261). The first church at Cooly appears to have been know as 'Domnach Bili’ [church of the ancient/sacred tree] which was according to local tradition associated with St Patrick in the 5th-century (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 399). According to this tradition St Patrick went from Domnach Mor Maige Tochair (Donagh) into the Bretach and ordained Oengus son of Ailill at Domnach Bili (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 399). In medieval times the eastern half of the barony of Inishowen was known as Breadach [Bretach] (AFM, 1162). The church at Cooly was also known as Magh Bile (plain of the ancient tree / Moville). A second monastery can be found at Moville in Co. Down which is associated with St Finnen and it is not clear in some of the annalistic references which Moville is referred to. In 953 AD the annals record the death of ‘Aenghus, son of Loingseach, airchinneach [erenagh] of Magh-bile’ (AFM, 671). In 1167 the annals recorded that ‘Muircheartach, son of Ladhmaun Ua Duibhdhiorma, lord of Fordruim [Fordrum], pillar of the magnificence of all the north of Ireland, was treacherously slain by Donnchadh Ua Duibhdhirma, and by all the people of Bredach, in the middle of Magh-bile (Moville/Cooly)’ (AFM, 1163). The present town of Moville is located 1.2km to the E of Cooly.

A magnetometer survey carried out by the Bernician Studies Group in 2014 in the fields surrounding the churches (DG021-008002-/003-) and graveyard (DG021-008001-) at Cooly revealed the outline of the ecclesiastical enclosure (diam. c. 85m) of the Early Christian monastery (O'Brien and Adams 2014, 4). The magnetometer survey identified the arc of a curving enclosure in the fields to the SE, E, N and NW of the church and graveyard. Possible traces of a second outer bank were identified in the field to the NE of the church and graveyard, this outer arc follows the line of the inner enclosure and probably represents the remains of the outer enclosing element of the monastic enclosure or precinct boundary.

To the W outside the entrance to the graveyard (DG021-008001-) is a tall, plain, ringed high-cross (DG021-008005-). Inside the graveyard are the remains of two churches (DG021-008002-/003-) and a mortuary house (DG021-008004-) or tomb-shrine known as the 'Skull House'. One of the churches served as a medieval parish church (Leslie 1937, 265). E of the Mortuary House is a small basin stone or possible bullaun stone (DG021-008007-) and to the NW a small cross-inscribed stone (DG021-008006-). A fragment of a cross-slab (DG021-008018-) with a wheeled-cross was found lying in the interior of the South Church. On the S side of this church also is a small stone cross (DG021-008009-) with some indecipherable lettering on the E face. It is probably a modern grave-marker. The graveyard was subject to a clean-up scheme in 2010 which resulted in the discovery of several unrecorded cross-slabs. The Bernician Studies Group carried out a survey of the graveyard and recorded twenty cross, 10 of which were ring-headed cross-inscribed slabs.