placenamesRosnakill
Ros na Cille
An early church, carved stonework and a thatched house preserve several layers of Fanad’s built history.
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
- Ros na Cille · Irish · main form · validated name
- Rosnakill · English · main form
Place & story
A church repeatedly renewed
The Church of Christ the Redeemer probably originated early in the seventeenth century; a 1622 report already described restoration work. The architectural inventory records further alterations in 1693 and restoration about 1830. In 1868 the architects Welland and Gillespie designed interior changes, including a rearrangement of seating, carried out by contractor John Tallon. Its plain hall form therefore contains the results of several rebuilding campaigns, rather than representing an untouched church of one date. [2]
Memorials and an older carved head
A memorial incorporated into the church’s south wall commemorates William Cunningham, who died in 1693. The surrounding burial ground contains upright stones, recumbent slabs and table monuments, some enclosed by railings. Another feature appears at the entrance: an oval carved face, accompanied by stylised foliage, is built into the northern gate pier. The national survey regards this head as probably early, but does not establish a precise date or original setting. [2]
A surviving thatched house
Beside the church approach stands a small house dating from about 1825. Its rounded thatched roof, chimneys at the gable ends and central doorway reflect a vernacular building tradition found in exposed parts of northwestern Ireland. The house lies at right angles to the road. Historic maps examined by the architectural survey show that it once formed part of a pair; the adjoining eastern building had disappeared by the early twentieth century. [3]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Donegal
- Barony
- Kilmacrenan
- Civil parish
- Clondavaddog
- Within
- Rosnakill
- Within
- Rosnakill
- Coordinates
- 55.18874, -7.70167 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 1413092 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Rosnakill. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Church of Christ the Redeemer, Rosnakill, NIAH40901701 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Vernacular house, Rosnakill, NIAH40901727 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.