Ray Church (/ˈraɪ/) is a medieval church and National Monument in County Donegal, Ireland.[1][2]
| Ray Church | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Teampall Ráithe | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
  Ray Church | |||||||||
| 55°08′51″N 8°04′14″W / 55.147379°N 8.070682°W | |||||||||
| Location | Ray, Falcarragh, County Donegal | ||||||||
| Country | Ireland | ||||||||
| Denomination | Church of Ireland | ||||||||
| Previous denomination | Catholic | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
| Founded | 6th century AD | ||||||||
| Founder(s) | St. Fionnán | ||||||||
| Architecture | |||||||||
| Functional status | inactive | ||||||||
| Administration | |||||||||
| Diocese | Raphoe | ||||||||
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Location edit
Ray Church is located 2.5 km (1.6 mi) northeast of Falcarragh, near the confluence of the Yellow River and Ray River.[3]
History edit
St Fionnán founded this church in the 6th century. Ray stood next to the Ray River, an ancient boundary between the Cenél Luighdech and Cenél Duach. Four 7th-century abbots of Iona were of the Cenél Duach; Ray was almost certainly their home church.
Ray high cross is the largest early medieval stone cross in Ireland. Local lore claims it was made by Columba (521–597) on Muckish to bring to Tory Island, but local saint Fionnán recovered Columba's Gospel Book and he gave the cross to Ray. The cross actually dates to the late 8th century.
The church was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell's soldiers in the 17th century. During Sunday Mass, the entire congregation was slaughtered in the Massacre of Ray (Marfach Ráithe). The dead are buried in a mass grave called Resting Place of the Bones (Lag na gCnámh).
The cross was knocked down in a storm about 1750, and lay broken in the graveyard until it was repaired by the Office of Public Works in the 1970s.[4]
Buildings edit
Church edit
The church is rectangular with wide round-arched windows.
Cross edit
St Colm Cille's Cross, 5.56 m (18.2 ft) high and 2.26 m (7 ft 5 in) across and made of slate,[5] was modelled on Saint John's Cross, Iona.[6][7][8][9]
Nearby edit
A basin stone and standing stone are nearby.
References edit
- ^ Lacey, Brian (1 January 2006). Cenél Conaill and the Donegal Kingdoms, AD 500-800. Four Courts Press. ISBN 9781851829781 – via Google Books.
- ^ Rowan, Alistair John (1 January 1979). North west Ulster: the counties of Londonderry, Donegal, Fermanagh and Tyrone. Penguin. ISBN 9780140710816 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Ray Church".
- ^ "Ireland Long Held in Chains Stair agus cultúr na hÉireann - Timeline - Facebook". Facebook.
- ^ "St. Colmcilles Cross and Church Ruins, Rye, Falcarragh".
- ^ "Donegal archaeological sites older than Stonehenge?!".
- ^ "2.9 Ray Church - St Columba Trail".
- ^ "Massacre of Ray". 27 July 2012.
- ^ "McGinley Clan - Home Page = McGinley - McGinlay - Ginley - MacGinley - Ginnell - Irish History Ginnell - Ginnelly - Maginly - Meginly".