St. Catharine's Church, Killybegs, County Donegal, Ireland
Main / Killybegs / Fintra House / Ancient St. Catherine's Church and Burial Ground / St. John's Church, Hamilton monuments

SAINT CATHERINE'S CHURCH
and Burial Ground, with Hamilton Graves

Pictures taken in 1991.
Note: The church property has been cleaned up since my visit in 1991. It looks entirely different now.
The Ancient Parish Church of St. Catherine, on the west side of Killybegs Harbour, dates back probably to the 12th century. It was commandeered ("sequestered") by the planters around 1610. The Protestants added  to the structure and used the burial ground until as late as 1902, although they built a cemetery at their new church, St. John's,  in 1829. 1 The ancient church is in ruins now. A visit to the site is a somewhat mystical experience. Unfortunately the burial ground is badly overgrown, the broken stones covered with moss and lichens.

1. Source: History and Antiquities of Killybegs, Charles Conaghan, 1974.

Left -The pathway to St. Catherine's Church
Above - a tree and stone wall alongside the path

 

 
The first gate...........................










 

 
The second gate..... 
You can see the church
in the background 









 

 
Over the stile....










 

 
The ruins of the Ancient
St. Catherine's Church










 

 
Arch in the wall










 

 
Side wall of church










 

 
When we visited in June of 1993
the yellow flags were in  bloom 









 


 

Three Hamilton Gravestones, 1991 










 

 
 

 
 
 

Gravestone of James Hamilton:

James Hamilton Esq
.....................May 1815
....93 years










 

 
 

 
 
 
 

Gravestone for James Hamilton:

James  Hamilton of
Fintra Esq who departed
this life 2[3] Sep. 1811
Aged 50 years












 

 
 

 
 
 

Gravestone for Richard Hamilton (broken):

Richard Hamilton Esq
of Fintra
who departed this life
on 22 day of April 1817
Aged 43 Years










 

 
 
Bottom of Richard Hamilton's gravestone:

......Daughter Hannah Hamilton
who departed this life
the 4[th] day of May 1816
Aged 12 years
This stone is erected to their
memory by Ann Hamilton
the affectionate wife of said Richard










 

 
 
 
This is the view from the Burial Ground - overlooking the harbor at Killybegs
1991
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

TOP

 

 

Main / Killybegs / Fintra House / Ancient St. Catherine's Church and Burial Ground / St. John's Church, Hamilton monuments

***************************************
HOME / Hamilton / Williams / Dennis / Mills / McQuiston/ Moody / Robinson / Brenner / Hesse / Mueller