Churchtown

34 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Churchtown, from 66 m² to 68,801 m² (6.88 ha, 17 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary. 12 neighbouring parcels touch it.

Download the townland as DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its boundary, parcels and buildings, or as GeoJSON or KML.

No zone of a development plan covers Churchtown in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply to each application.

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

No planning application touches the townland of Churchtown in the national file, which goes back to 2010.

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

• Special Area of Conservation: River Finn SAC 002301

Recorded monuments

• DG079-009001 Graveyard
  Description

  A small rectangular disused graveyard consisting of an overgrown mound with no discernible structures. Cemented onto the top of the N gatepost into the graveyard is a stone which seems to be the weathered remains of a carved stone head (DG079-009002-). It is .3m high and 0.25m x .25m. It is extremely defaced but the suggestions of two eyes and a nose can be seen. It is possible that this is another example of the type of head recorded in the Raphoe area by Rynne (1972, 86-88). Testing was carried out by Billy Quinn of Moore Archaeological & Environmental Services Ltd, under licence No. 07E0944 at Site No. 10, Churchtown, Co. Donegal, between 8 and 11 October 2007 for the Donegal National Roads Design Office, on behalf of the Donegal County Council. The proposed development is close to DG079–009001-, classified as a burial-ground and the former site of Ballybogan National School. The testing regime was informed by a geophysical survey that identified a number of subsurface anomalies, interpreted as representing derelict field boundaries and the remains of ploughing work. Furthermore, in the northern field a number of points of magnetic enhancement associated with isolated ferrous responses were noted on the external side of the graveyard wall, potentially indicating the presence of burials. A total of thirteen trenches were excavated throughout the subject area, with a cumulative length of c. 375m. Three of these trenches, numbers 4, 5 and 11, exposed features of archaeological significance. Excavation in Trench 11 to the south of the site near the banks of the River Finn exposed an amorphous burnt spread of fire-shattered stone in a charcoal-enriched silty matrix measuring c. 3.5m by 2.5m by 0.15m deep, with no evidence of an associated trough. This material is typical of deposits generally associated with fulachta fiadh. In Trenches 4 and 5, located in a field to the south-east of the enclosed graveyard, testing uncovered both loose and articulated human remains in association with grave-cuts. These remains extended over a minimum area of 30m east–west by 20m and constitute a cemetery associated with a church foundation (DG079-009003-) dating to at least the end of the 16th century. This interpretation is based on cartographic evidence as indicated on Mercator’s Irlandiae Regnum map, dated 1620, which shows a site known as the ‘Sanctuary’ located to the east of Castlefinn. The existing enclosed cemetery with headstones dating to the 18th century appears on the first-edition OS map, and OS Memoirs record that it was in use until the 1830s. It is likely, based on the poor preservation of the bone, that the remains uncovered to the south-east of this area were associated with a much earlier foundation. This contention is further supported by Lacy (2006), citing medieval texts referring to a ‘church in Mag nitha, known as Tech na Comairce’ meaning ‘house of sanctuary’. Archbishop Colton’s visitation to the area in 1397 as recorded in Reeves’s 1850 publication pushes the dates back further to the late 14th century. Based on the above evidence, it is likely that there was an ecclesiastical community active in the area until at least the late medieval period. The human remains exposed in Trenches 4 and 5, buried in the Christian tradition in close proximity to the recorded site at Churchtown, would seem to confirm the subject area as the site of Mercator’s ‘Sanctuary’ (Bennett 2010, 76-7). References Reeves 1850 Acts of Archbishop Colton in his metropolitan visitation of the diocese of Derry, 69–71. Lacy, B. 2006 Cenél Conaill and the Donegal kingdoms ad 500–800. Dublin. The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Compiled by Caimin O'Brien Date of upload/revision: 15 November 2011

• DG079-009002 Stone head
  Description

  A small rectangular disused graveyard (DG079-009001-) consisting of an overgrown mound with no discernible structures. Cemented onto the top of the N gatepost into the graveyard is a stone which seems to be the weathered remains of a carved stone head. It is .3m high and 0.25m x .25m. It is extremely defaced but the suggestions of two eyes and a nose can be seen. It is possible that this is another example of the type of head recorded in the Raphoe area by Rynne (1972, 86-88). The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Date of upload: 22 September 2008

• DG079-009003 Church
  Description

  A small rectangular disused graveyard (DG079-009001-) consisting of an overgrown mound with no discernible structures. Cemented onto the top of the N gatepost into the graveyard is a stone which seems to be the weathered remains of a carved stone head (DG079-009002-). It is .3m high and 0.25m x .25m. It is extremely defaced but the suggestions of two eyes and a nose can be seen. It is possible that this is another example of the type of head recorded in the Raphoe area by Rynne (1972, 86-88). There are no surface remains of a medieval church site which may have been located inside this graveyard or located in the field to the S or SE of the graveyard. Testing was carried out by Billy Quinn of Moore Archaeological & Environmental Services Ltd, under licence No. 07E0944 at Site No. 10, Churchtown, Co. Donegal, between 8 and 11 October 2007 for the Donegal National Roads Design Office, on behalf of the Donegal County Council. The proposed development is close to DG079–009001-, classified as a burial-ground and the former site of Ballybogan National School. The testing regime was informed by a geophysical survey that identified a number of subsurface anomalies, interpreted as representing derelict field boundaries and the remains of ploughing work. Furthermore, in the northern field a number of points of magnetic enhancement associated with isolated ferrous responses were noted on the external side of the graveyard wall, potentially indicating the presence of burials. A total of thirteen trenches were excavated throughout the subject area, with a cumulative length of c. 375m. Three of these trenches, numbers 4, 5 and 11, exposed features of archaeological significance. Excavation in Trench 11 to the south of the site near the banks of the River Finn exposed an amorphous burnt spread of fire-shattered stone in a charcoal-enriched silty matrix measuring c. 3.5m by 2.5m by 0.15m deep, with no evidence of an associated trough. This material is typical of deposits generally associated with fulachta fiadh. In Trenches 4 and 5, located in a field to the south-east of the enclosed graveyard, testing uncovered both loose and articulated human remains in association with grave-cuts. These remains extended over a minimum area of 30m east–west by 20m and constitute a cemetery associated with a church foundation (DG079-009003-) dating to at least the end of the 16th century. This interpretation is based on cartographic evidence as indicated on Mercator’s Irlandiae Regnum map, dated 1620, which shows a site known as the ‘Sanctuary’ located to the east of Castlefinn. The existing enclosed cemetery with headstones dating to the 18th century appears on the first-edition OS map, and OS Memoirs record that it was in use until the 1830s. It is likely, based on the poor preservation of the bone, that the remains uncovered to the south-east of this area were associated with a much earlier foundation. This contention is further supported by Lacy (2006), citing medieval texts referring to a ‘church in Mag nitha, known as Tech na Comairce’ meaning ‘house of sanctuary’. Archbishop Colton’s visitation to the area in 1397 as recorded in Reeves’s 1850 publication pushes the dates back further to the late 14th century. Based on the above evidence, it is likely that there was an ecclesiastical community active in the area until at least the late medieval period. The human remains exposed in Trenches 4 and 5, buried in the Christian tradition in close proximity to the recorded site at Churchtown, would seem to confirm the subject area as the site of Mercator’s ‘Sanctuary’ (Bennett 2010, 76-7). References Reeves 1850 Acts of Archbishop Colton in his metropolitan visitation of the diocese of Derry, 69–71. Lacy, B. 2006 Cenél Conaill and the Donegal kingdoms ad 500–800. Dublin. The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Compiled by Caimin O'Brien Date of upload/revision: 15 November 2011

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands in the townland of Churchtown.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Radon

At the centre of the townland of Churchtown, about 1 in 10 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

The 1:50,000 map rates the landslide susceptibility here as moderately high, moderately low, low, partly inferred.

Terrain model

LiDAR of the Office of Public Works, flown in 2011, at 2 m: tile OPW_1929 (ZIP).

Flooding

The Office of Public Works publishes its flood maps on floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, and Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland, both under CC BY 4.0. LiDAR: contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

No address of the register names Churchtown with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Donegal.

Name

Churchtown · Baile an Teampaill

Area

884,338 m² (88.43 ha, 218.52 acres)

Civil parish

Clonleigh, and its townlands

Barony

Raphoe North

Electoral division

Clonleigh South, the unit of the census

Census 2022

2,156 people lived in 853 households in the Clonleigh South electoral division. 64% of households owned their home. 32% of homes were built since 2001. 9% of dwellings stood vacant on census night, and 0% were holiday homes.

Neighbouring townlands

Aghawee, Ballybogan, Camus, Unshinagh Lower, Unshinagh Upper

Placenames

Churchtown on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. Census 2022, Small Area Population Statistics by electoral division, Central Statistics Office, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address. Old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.