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Culdaff
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Culdaff is a picturesque village, with two
fine stone bridges and a trianagular green featuring a now dissued pump
house. In Culdaff River you can see St. Boden's 'Boat', a stone in which
he crossed from Scotland, only the sceptic will doubt the marks of his
fingers! |
Situated on a pretty estuary, there are
beautiful sandy beaches which have Blue Flag status. The Culdaff area is
fine walking country with cliff scenery stretching north-west to Malin
Head and southwards to Inishowen Head.
The Bocan Stone Circle is an impressive and evocative monument situated
on pasture land near St. Mary's Church Bocan just outside Culdaff. With
a diameter of 65-75 feet, consisting possibly of 30 stones originally,
the surviving orthostats are fine specimens up to six feet high.
The Temple of Deen is a fine and well preserved megalithic monument,
sometimes call the Laraghill Cairn lies on the opposite side of the road
to the Bocan Stone Circle atop the Hill of Deen. There are twenty large
stones remaining at the forecourt and the first chambers are well
preserved.
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In Clonca three kilometers to the
south is the impressive shaft of St. Boden's Cross rising to a
height of almost 4 metres. The cross is well carved and the east
face carving has been identified as showing the miracle of the
loaves and fishes. |
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There are, close by, the
ruins of a 17th century planters' church but incorporating some earlier
stonework. The carved lintel on the west doorway is very much older.
Inside the church is an interesting 16th centruy gravestone to Magnus
Mac Orrist in which shows a sword, hurley and ball indicating that he
was both a warrior and a sportsman. There is an Irish inscription (and
they are not very common) which reads "Fergus Mac Allan do rini an clath
sa" (Fergus Mac Allin made this stone).
Less than a kilometer from Clonca lies Carrowmore, which is believed to
be the site of the monastery of Bothchonais. The buildings there have
disappeared, the only surviving monuments being two crosses and an
incised rock. The east cross is 10ft. high, of the Latin shape and the
west is 11ft. high. |
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