derry churches

The south Church is the older of the two (10th - 11th century?) and has antae - projections of the north and south walls beyond the gables - which are such a typical feature of early Irish stone churches. Unusually, scaffolding holes survive within the walls. Clay, and not mortar, was used to bond the stones, a feature also found in the North Church, which has a doorway facing south and is unlikely to be earlier than the 12th century. Excavations in 1962 revealed traces of a timber and stone building under the South Church - probably a wooden predecessor - as well as a cemetery. A small cross decorated slab is displayed in the North Church.