Templemoyle Old Church site, Banagher Road, Templemoyle, Dungiven, Co Londonderry

The site represents the location of an early medieval church, likely dating to the 11th or early 12th century. It is possible this church preceded the nearby Banagher Old Church. Today, only scattered stones and scrub remain visible on the site, situated within a barley field beside a laneway off the Banagher Road. No distinct plan form can be identified.

Local tradition suggests the church was founded by St Murrough O’Heney in the late 11th century, but he reportedly abandoned it due to the flat ground and relocated to Magheramore, where the ruins of Banagher Old Church are found. Accounts relate to a dispute over the original site’s location, with legends describing a deer indicating the spot and a mysterious nightly demolition of building efforts, raising uncertainty about whether a complete church was ever constructed. It was once thought that the entrance was situated near the western end of the south wall, but this cannot be confirmed by current evidence. The site was marked on Ordnance Survey maps from 1830, revised in 1905, on Londonderry sheet 30. It is considered a monument and remains in private ownership.