St. Mary’s Catholic Church

Freestanding double-height Catholic church, built c. 1848, comprising six-bay nave with shallow chancel to the south-east, three-stage belltower (on square-plan) to the north-west gable having corner pinnacles at parapet level, gable-fronted single-bay single-storey entrance porch to the north-east elevation, and with three-bay two-storey with attic level sacristy attached to the chancel gable (south-east), added c. 1870, having gable-fronted single-bay entrance porch to the north end of the south-east gable end. Modern single-storey toilet block attached to the north-east elevation of sacristy. Pitched slate roof to main body of church having terracotta\red clay roll and cresting ridge tiles, cast-iron rainwater goods, projecting cut stone eaves courses, raised cut stone verges to the gable ends of main body of church having gabled projections along length and with gabled kneeler stones at eaves level, and with Celtic cross finial over chancel gable (south-east). Pitched slate roof to sacristy having overhanging eaves and clay ridge tiles, pitched slate roof to porch to the north-east elevation having cut sandstone verge and with cut sandstone kneeler stone at eaves level. Raised cut stone\ashlar parapet to tower having cut stone corner pinnacles, and with stepped Irish-style crenellations\crow stepped parapet having cut stone coping over. Cement rendered ruled-and-lined walls over chamfered plinth course to main body of church having clasping stepped buttresses between each two bays with feathered cut stone capping to the nave side elevations (north-east and south-west), and with flush block-and-start quoins to the corners. Cement rendered ruled-and-lined walls to sacristy having flush block-and-start quoins to the corners. Randomly coursed and squared rubble stone construction to tower having stepped cut stone pilasters (on square-plan) to the corners with feather cut stone coping delineating stages, cut stone stringcourses (chamfered at second stage level), cut stone course to base of parapet over cut stone corbels, and with round clock openings (no clocks) at second stage level having cut stone surrounds. Pointed-headed window openings to side elevations of nave (north-east and south-west) and to chancel having smooth rendered or ashlar surrounds, stone sills, moulded stone hoodmoulding over with label stops, and with diamond-pane cast-iron windows and timber Y-tracery. Figurative leaded stained glass windows to window openings to chancel (south-east). Pointed-arched window opening to the north-west face of tower at first stage level having chamfered cut sandstone surround, chamfered cut stone sill, sandstone hoodmoulding over with carved stone mask-stops, and with replacement window over leaded window fitting. Pointed-arched openings to tower at third stage having chamfered sandstone surround, cut stone Y-tracery, and timber louvered fittings. Pointed-headed door openings to belltower having chamfered staged ashlar stone reveals, cut stone hoodmoulding over with carved stone mask-stops, timber panelled double-doors, sand surmounted by leaded diamond-paned fanlight. Pointed-arched door opening to the front face of porch to the north-east elevation having chamfered staged ashlar red sandstone reveals with chamfer-stop, sandstone hoodmoulding over with carved red sandstone mask-stops, replacement doors and fanlight. Square-headed openings to sacristy having one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows and timber doors. Interior with Gothic-style reredos having triple-shafted cluster columns to reredos, with four gable-fronted niches having statues and with painting over, decorative moulded flat panelled ceiling with Jacobean-style panels having moulded rosette to central panels, cavetto moulded coving to eaves on moulded cornice, marble altar and baptismal font, gallery over north-west end of nave having timber parapet with Gothic-style panels; gallery supported on cast-iron columns (on circular-plan) having rendered capitals over with shamrock motifs, decorative torus moulded corners to window reveals, painted moulded wainscoting, and timber pews with perforated chamfered ends. Set back from road in elevated site to the north\north-east of the centre of Buncrana. Rubble stone boundary walls to site boundaries. Main gateway to the north-west of church comprising a pair of coursed and squared rubble stone gate piers (on square-plan) having moulded capping with cornice, and having a pair of cast-iron gates. Hooped wrought-iron pedestrian gates to the west of church. Graveyard to site with collection of nineteenth- and twentieth-century gravemarkers, both recumbent and upstanding, and some surrounded by iron railings. Graveyard across road to the south-west having collection of mainly nineteenth-century gravemarkers, of recumbent, table and upstanding-types, and some surrounded by iron railings.