About a mile from Glaslough lies the ruin of Donagh Old Church, a medieval chapel that once served the local community long before the Leslies built St. Salvator’s within their estate. Though abandoned for centuries, the older church carries a story that has lingered through generations.

According to local tradition, during a period of political unrest a young volunteer from Glaslough escaped an ambush and fled across the countryside, travelling by night and hiding by day. He eventually reached Donagh, where a sympathetic priest offered him shelter in two small rooms above the chapel — a modest kitchen and a narrow bedroom.

One evening, seeking comfort, the fugitive slipped down into the quiet church to pray. Exhausted, he nodded off near the altar.

He awoke to the clear ring of a handbell.

Before him stood a priest in white vestments, calmly preparing to say Mass. Instinctively, the young man rose to serve, responding softly to the ritual as it unfolded. When the Mass ended, the celebrant turned and told him gently that for more than sixty years he had come to the chapel to say Mass — but never once had there been anyone there to assist him.

As the words settled in the air, the priest faded from sight.

Certain that he had helped a restless soul complete a duty left unfinished in life, the volunteer returned to his hiding place with an unexpected sense of calm — a peace that, he said later, remained with him ever after.