Inside the Ruins of the Dunlewey Church of Ireland

Somehow I made it to the Poisoned Glen which sits on the shores of Lough Dunlewey. This place is probably one of the most beautiful in Donegal, and I really like the views here. Not too far from this place is also Donegal’s highest mountain, Mount Errigal. It is also Ireland’s second highest mountain. It didn’t really look very tall in fact it can be climbed in half a day but that is story for another time. For now, I was admiring the ruins of the church here. There was a gate here but it was unlocked. This was only put in place to keep animals out. I snuck in the church grounds to get a closer look at the ruins. This used to be a Church of Ireland church but it has not fallen into ruin. This place was built by Jane Smith Russell in memory of her husband James. James was buried below the church. The church was consecrated in 1853.

As you can see from the photos, the roof is all gone now, but the walls are all intact. It was made from local marble. The inside of the church is bare as well, but that not surprising anymore. I was a bit surprised to see know that this church is relatively new. Perhaps there weren’t a lot of parishioners in this part of Ireland. There were tombs outside the church as well. This place make for a great final resting place. It is too bad that this place isn’t maintained anymore. Well probably not maintained enough for have a working church. I know this is one of the most photographed sights in the area and I was trying to find where the spot was.

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