Killydonnell Friary
As the name suggests Killydonnell was founded by the O'Donnells for the Fransiscan Friars, in 1471, on the site of an older church erected by the O'Tonners.It was completed in the early 16th Century by Calvagh O'Donnell but in 1522 Calvagh and his wife were captured here and carried off into captivity by Shane, the Proud O'Neill ending a long running fued.
The building and lands were granted at the Plantation to Captain Basil Brooke and subsequently closed down. Since then it has been a burial ground for the local community.
The ruins consist of a nave and chancel church with a south transept. There are a number of buildings attached to the north. These originally had two stories but the upper level is now fragmentary. The lower storeys are vaulted. There are two large recesses in the east wall of the transept. The small vaulted chambers to the north of the church may have been the sacristy and has been converted for use as a burial vault by the Stewart Family.
Getting There
Take the Ramelton Road (R245) from Letterkenny. Leave this at the signposted junction at 54°59.034'N, 7°40.264'W. Continue straight on at every junction until 55°00.336'N, 7°37.760'W where youfollow the road to the right. At 55°00.766'N, 7°36.660'W turn right for the Friary and park in the scenic viewpoint/parking area. The last two waypoints are also signposted.
The Cache
The coordinates will bring you to a door in the wall of the friary. Inside the door on the left is a black marble headstone. There is a family name on this. Convert the three letters to numbers using their position on the alphabet.
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
D
|
E
|
F
|
G
|
H
|
I
|
J
|
K
|
L
|
M
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
|
N
|
O
|
P
|
Q
|
R
|
S
|
T
|
U
|
V
|
W
|
X
|
Y
|
Z
|
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
Call these three numbers A B C.
Calculate the coords of the final cache using the following formula:
N 55 00.6 ((A x B) + (A + C))
W 007 36. C (B + 4) (B - C)
The cache box is a small green decon container with a geocaching label on the outside.
When placed it contained the usual logbook, pencil, sharpener, some small trade items and a FTF prize
PLEASE ONLY TRADE UP OR EVEN.
TBs MOVE BETWEEN CACHES AND REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF THE PERSON THAT RELEASED THEM. I DO NOT COUNT THEM AS TRADE ITEMS.
IF YOU WISH TO TAKE SOMETHING FROM THIS CACHE PLEASE DON'T LEAVE A TB IN IT'S PLACE. THANK YOU.
Visit the Geocaching Ireland discussion forum HERE