Days Out NI
Castle & ruin Dungiven

Bovevagh Old Church

A free roofless medieval church above the Roe, with a saint's stone tomb-shrine outside the wall.

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Check hoursDaylight hours. Occasionally closed for m…
FreeNo ticket needed
DungivenCastle & ruin
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40 minutesHow long
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Bovevagh Old Church — A free roofless medieval church above the Roe, with a saint's stone tomb-shrine outside the wall.

  • Getting in: Free, open-access site in state care under the Department for Communities. No ticket or charge.
  • Opening: Daylight hours. Occasionally closed for maintenance work; check before you travel.
  • Inside: It is a roofless ruin, so no enclosed interior, but you can walk through the open church and around the mortuary house.
  • Dogs: No official guidance; a working graveyard, so keep dogs on a lead and clean up.
  • Parking: No formal car park listed; roadside parking near the site off the B192.
  • Food: None on site. Nearest options in Dungiven; cafe at Roe Valley Country Park near Limavady.
Plan your visit

Walk the roofless church and the saint's shrine

The church you see today is medieval, with later alterations, and was patched up and used into the 19th century after being reported ruined in 1622. You enter the open shell through a south doorway and can trace the window openings in three walls. The standout is the mortuary house at the south-west corner: a small rubble-built structure with a stone slab roof, a body-shaped hollow inside and a hand-hole at the east end that once let pilgrims reach the relics. Local tradition links it to a saint, and the wider site is said to trace back to an early monastery.

Free Medieval church ruin Saint's tomb-shrine Open daylight hours Roe valley setting Quiet and uncrowded
Good to know before you go:

Bovevagh is a quiet open-access ruin rather than an events venue, but heritage sites across Northern Ireland host living-history days, guided tours and seasonal walks through the year. Check what is on if you are planning a wider heritage day around Dungiven and the Roe valley.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 👟Sturdy shoesRuins mean uneven ground, worn steps and the odd spiral stair.
  • 🧥A coatMost of it is open to the sky, so dress for the day and enjoy the fresh air.
  • 📷A cameraThe old stonework and the views are the whole point — you will want photos.
  • 💧Water and a snackFew ruins have a café right on site, so bring a little something.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Getting in
Free, open-access site in state care under the Department for Communities. No ticket or charge.
Opening
Daylight hours. Occasionally closed for maintenance work; check before you travel.
Can you go inside
It is a roofless ruin, so no enclosed interior, but you can walk through the open church and around the mortuary house.
Food
None on site. Nearest options in Dungiven; cafe at Roe Valley Country Park near Limavady.
Dogs
No official guidance; a working graveyard, so keep dogs on a lead and clean up.
Parking
No formal car park listed; roadside parking near the site off the B192.
Accessibility
Rural graveyard on a promontory with grass and uneven ground; limited for wheelchairs and prams.
How long to allow
20 to 40 minutes.
Address
Bovevagh Road, Gortnahey, Dungiven, Co. Londonderry, BT47 4PZ
Questions

Before you go

Is it free to visit?
Free, open-access site in state care under the Department for Communities. No ticket or charge.
Can you go inside?
It is a roofless ruin, so no enclosed interior, but you can walk through the open church and around the mortuary house.
When is it open?
Daylight hours. Occasionally closed for maintenance work; check before you travel.
Can I bring the dog?
No official guidance; a working graveyard, so keep dogs on a lead and clean up.
Where do I park?
No formal car park listed; roadside parking near the site off the B192.
Getting there

Bovevagh Old Church is at Bovevagh Road, Gortnahey, Dungiven, Co. Londonderry, BT47 4PZ. No formal car park listed; roadside parking near the site off the B192. Tap below for directions.

Directions on Google MapsOfficial website See it on our map
Nearby

Make more of the day

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The story

The story of Bovevagh Old Church

The name Bovevagh is usually read as 'Both Maeve', the church or hut of Maeve, and the site is traditionally said to have begun as an early monastery, with foundation legends reaching back to Colm Cille in the sixth century. A timber church is recorded here around the year 1100, when an oratory on the site was burned, marking it as a place of worship long before the present stone walls went up.

The church standing today is medieval, with later alterations. It was reported as ruined in 1622, during the upheavals of the Plantation period, but was then repaired and kept in use as a parish church right through to the 19th century before finally being abandoned to the graveyard that surrounds it.

Its most unusual survival is the mortuary house, or saint's grave, near the south-west corner. Built of rubble with a stone slab roof, it has a hollow shaped to hold a body and a hand-hole at the east end so the faithful could touch the relics inside. Local belief ties it to a saint, and it belongs to a small group of early Irish tomb-shrines that includes the better-known examples at Banagher and Tamlaghtard.

Today the church and its shrine are in state care under the Department for Communities, conserved as a free open-access monument. What survives is a roofless church with its doorway and windows, the rare mortuary house alongside, and a quiet hilltop graveyard above the Roe valley.