Scarvagherin Friary & Burial Ground
Scarvagherin, perched on a hill overlooking the River Derg east of Spamount, is the atmospheric site of a 15th-century Franciscan friary. Founded around 1456 as Scairb-an-ciothrainn and dissolved in 1603 during the Reformation, the friary once served as a centre of worship and burial for the surrounding parish. Today, a section of the north wall still stands, and the graveyard’s enclosing walls echo the footprint of the medieval church.Following the friary’s dissolution, Scarvagherin continued as a rural cemetery, used by local families from the late 1700s through the 20th century. The weathered headstones bear the names of generations – Patton, Young, Love, Henderson, Andrews, and others – offering a cross-section of local history. The hilltop setting, combined with the traces of the friary, lends the site a striking, contemplative quality, making it a place where monastic and communal memory still meet. Though often overshadowed by Castlederg’s more prominent historic sites, Scarvagherin remains a quiet but powerful link to the spiritual and social life of west Tyrone across six centuries.