Donaghendry Graveyard near 5 Donaghendry Road, Stewartstowm, Dungannon, Co Tyrone

Donaghendry Graveyard

This is an old graveyard of probably Early Christian origins, located in a rural field well back from Donaghendry Road but clearly visible from it. It is approached through a gateway on the public road comprising a pair of old ironwork gates set between large square piers of regular coursed sandstone with tooled sandstone caps. A smaller ironwork pedestrian gate is attached to one pier for easy access, and a modern sign at this gateway identifies the graveyard.

The graveyard itself is roughly rectangular in shape and surrounded by a boundary wall of rubble stonework with rough stone copings, which dates from probably the late 18th century. For the most part this boundary wall acts as a retaining wall, as the burial ground sits at a higher level than the surrounding field. At the western extremity of the south wall is the entrance, comprising a pair of flat ironwork gates set between square piers of roughly squared sandstone with overhanging weathered sandstone caps, also of probably 18th century date.

Within the graveyard are the remains of a ruined church identifiable only by loose fieldstones and a dip in the centre of a slightly raised mounded area, with no recognisable architectural form. Set into the south wall are two 19th century vaults of almost identical design, each one faced with smooth stucco lined and blocked to look like masonry, with a projecting sandstone cornice. Over this runs the sandstone plinth wall of the enclosure above, appearing as a blocking course and surmounted by cast iron railings with ornamented brackets. The vault to the left, the Stewart memorial, has suffered some spalling of stucco revealing the brickwork carcase behind. Each vault contains an elliptically arched opening in its front wall. The left vault contains a recessed plate-iron door bearing a cast iron cartouche inscribed to the memory of Joseph Stewart of Coalisland who died on 29 July 1889. The right vault contains a recessed marble plaque inscribed to the memory of Hugh Kinley who died on 20 December 1879, and other members of his family, protected by iron bars.

Within the graveyard are a number of other iron-railed enclosures with headstones bearing mostly early to late 19th century dates. One standing adjacent to the two vaults is signed by the mason John Robinson of York Street, Belfast.

The graveyard appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1833–4. The precise date of establishing a graveyard here is not recorded, but the present boundary walls and gateway have the appearance of late 18th century work. The most imposing memorials, the two vaults set in the west wall, date from the late Victorian era. The ancient church of Donaghenry was one of seven on the west side of Lough Neagh said in the Tripartite Life to have been founded by St Patrick, so this site may date from Early Christian times if that ancient church was located here.