placenamesMalin Beg
Málainn Bhig
A coastal signal tower and the remains of a small church mark different eras around Malin Beg.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Málainn Bhig · Irish · main form · validated name
- Malin Beg · English · main form
Place & story
The coastal signal tower
The signal tower southwest of Malin Beg was built around 1805 as part of a coastal warning network against French invasion. Messages passed between towers using flags and balls raised on a mast. The three-storey stone building linked visually with Glen Head and Carrigans Head; its construction cost £696. [2]
Temple Cavan
Near the pier, Temple Cavan is a small ruined church opposite Rathlin O'Birne Island. Visiting in September 2010, Jim Dempsey measured it at 3.6 metres long and 1.8 metres wide and found the east wall its largest surviving part. His account identifies an associated cross-slab but notes that he did not locate it on that visit. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Malin Beg. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Malin Beg Signal Tower, NIAH 40908901 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Temple Cavan, Malin Beg, Donegal · Jim Dempsey
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2014-01-15. How this page was prepared.