Old St Lurachs Church

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About this place

Maghera Old Church (also known as Old St. Lurach's Church) is the ruins of a church in Maghera, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is a scheduled monument and a Monument in State Care. It was originally founded by St Lurach at some point during the 6th century, likely as a monastery. It is mentioned in the Annals of Ulster when it was plundered by Vikings in 832 and many of its abbots killed. The church later suffered significant damaged when it was burned in 1135. From the mid-12th century until 1245 it was the seat of a bishop, after which it became a parish church. It was damaged due to warfare in 1688, but rebuilt. It was later abandoned in 1819 when the new St. Lurach's Church was built across the road. In 1880, following the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland, it passed into state care. An extensive conservation effort was completed in 1984. In the graveyard, west of the church, is a cross-carved pillar stone, which is traditionally believed to hold the remains of St. Lurach. The church also contains one of the earliest depictions of the crucifixion in Irish architecture, and is one of the most important Romanesque monuments in Ulster.

Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Updated 2026-11-14 Suggest an edit / Report issue

Getting There & Parking

Old St Lurachs Church is located in County Derry/Londonderry, roughly 70 km (1h drive) from Belfast and 215 km (3h 10m) from Dublin. The nearest public car park is 55 m away. Nearby highlights within a short drive include Grillagh Waterfall (3.2 km away).

Belfast70 km

~1h drive

Dublin215 km

~3h 10m drive

Nearest car park

55 m from landmark

Directions to car park ↗