Moybologue Church and Graveyard is nestled on a hillside in east County Cavan. This is an ancient place, overlooking a truly historic landscape. Within its peaceful walls are the ruins of an old church, many memorials and other interesting features that hide an interesting tale.

The circular enclosure of Moybologue Church and Graveyard holds within it the ruins of a medieval stone church and many gravestones and memorials ranging in date from about the 8th century AD to today. However, the earliest stories link the location to the mythical Fir Bolg, after whom it got its name, and who fought a battle here against the Milesians in the 1st century AD. It is also associated with Saint Patrick who is believed to have founded the church in the 5th century and, as the legend goes, encountered a dangerous opponent here in the form of a man-eating pig!

Over the centuries this peaceful, rural graveyard has been a place of hospitality for the sick and the poor, a gathering place for clerics, a renowned place of Classical learning, as well as the resting place of bishops, famine victims, Freemasons, scholars and more. Today it is valued by the local community as a repository of both their historical and natural heritage.

We hope you enjoy this free audio guide which shares the story of a place and its people over two millennia. And if you’d like to experience the Moybologue Church and Graveyard as an interactive map, try our companion StoryMap for a visual exploration through the site. You can find that StoryMap here.

The Moybologue Church and Graveyard Audio Guide

This audio guide was produced by Abarta Heritage on behalf of Moybologue Historical Society. It was funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Community Monument Fund 2022. The audio guide was written by Sharon Greene and edited by Neil Jackman. It was recorded at Bluebird Studios with narrator Gerry O’Brien, sound engineer Declan Lonergan and producers Tara Clarke and Sharon Greene.