Fahan

Fahan (Irish: Fathain) is a district of Inishowen, in County Donegal, located five kilometres south of Buncrana. In Irish, Fahan is named after its patron saint, St. Mura, first abbot and patron saint of Fahan, an early Christian monastery.

Views of Fahan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Points of Interest

 

» The walled graveyard, located to the west of The Rectory, is home not only to the resting place of pioneering nurse Agnes Jones, but also to the ruins of a 6th century monastery, which features a 7th century cross-slab of St. Mura. In both the 10th and 13th centuries, the village was ransacked by Vikings. A second monastery was built in the 16th century, but fell later into decay. Cecil Frances Alexander lived in the Old Rectory in the late 19th century. Her contemporary, Agnes Jones, who trained with Florence Nightingale and nursed in the Crimean War, was born in Fahan House. The church to the north of The Rectory contains an early 20th century stained-glass window by Evie Hone which depicts St. Elizabeth of Hungary.

 

» Fahan railway station opened on 9 September 1864, closed for passenger traffic on 6 September 1948 and finally closed altogether on 10 August 1953.

 

» The Fahan Mura Cross is located in a graveyard of a ruined church, Fahan, and was the site of a monastery founded by St. Colmcille for his disciple St. Mura. This early 7th century cross-slab is 6 1/2 feet and demonstrates a close connection with Scotland, where the shape is more common. The intertwined ribbon knotwork is thought to represent the Tree of Life and the five circles symbolizing fruit. The Tree of Life with its roots on the earth and its branches high in the air symbolized a connection between heaven and earth. The seasonal cycles of the tree links it with growth, death, and rebirth. Archaeologists have deciphered the writing on the north face as the greek versin of Gloria Patria which dates from the mid-seventh century.