Saint Molua’s Church, Ardagh, Co Limerick … built in 1813-1814 and rebuilt in 1966 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
Patrick Comerford
Ardagh-Carrickerry is a parish in west Co Limerick. The village of Ardagh is situated on the R523, on the road to Foynes and Shanagolden. The nearest main town is Newcastle West, about three miles away.
The parish is bounded to the west by Athea, to the north by the parish of Coolcappa, to the east by Rathkeale and to the south by Newcastle West.
The parish is first mentioned in 1200 when it is named Ardachadh, meaning the ‘high field.’ But the discovery of the Ardagh Chalice in a ringfort nearby at Reerasta in September 1868 shows the church settlements in the area date back to many centuries. The Ardagh Chalice is regarded as one of the finest examples of early Christian Irish metalwork.
A monument in the church grounds commemorates the discovery of the Ardagh Chalice in 1868 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
After the arrival of the Anglo-Normans, Ardagh became an important centre and the manor belonged to the Bishops of Limerick. The ruins of the 15th century parish church, destroyed in the political violence in 1641, can be seen in the local cemetery, behind the church.
The post-Reformation Roman Catholic parish was amalgamated with the Newcastle West, and Father Paul Creagh was registered as the parish priest of both parishes in 1704. A separate parish in Ardagh was formed in the 1750s or 1760s.
Before the present parish church was built, the Roman Catholic parishioners in the village of Ardagh were served by a mass house near where Aherne’s petrol pumps stood.
Inside Saint Molua’s Church, Ardagh (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
The site for the present church was obtained on 2 April 1813 by the parish priest of Ardagh, Father James Corbett, one of the first priests ordained in the early years of Maynooth College, founded in 1795.
The site was donated freely by Maurice Studdert of Elm Hill, along with a subscription of £10 to the building fund. The neighbouring landowners followed his example, and building was completed before the end of 1814.
The new church was named after the patron saint of the parish, Saint Molua.
The early 19th century church was demolished in 1965, apart from the East Wall, was extended, rebuilt and extensively renovated, and opened again for worship in 1966.
The Baptism of Christ depicted in the porch window (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
The large entrance porch has a five-section window that rises above the roof of the porch to the top of the gable. The three-light stained-glass window inside the porch depicts the Baptism of Christ by Saint John the Baptist.
The main altar is made from marble. The tabernacle is placed in a marble lined recess surmounted by a large crucifix on a sanctuary wall that is otherwise without decoration. To the right is a statue of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child.
The modern nave is lighted by three five-light windows on each side.
The statues in the church and the Stations of the Cross are regarded as good examples of modern ecclesiastical art.
Inside Saint Molua’s Church, Ardagh (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
Father Maurice Cremin, who died in 1887 at the age of 31, is buried within the church. A plaque to his memory was placed in the right aisle by his fellow priests of Newcastle-on-Tyne.
A number of former curates and parish priests are buried in the church grounds: John Connors (1984); Daniel Costello (1973); John Wilmott (1952); John Sheahan (1902); Michael O hAodha (1934); John Hallinan (1917); John Reeves (1929); P Ruddle (1958); and James Liston (1945).
The monument to Father Maurice Cremin, who died in 1887 at the age of 31 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
The oldest headstone in the graveyard behind the church marks the grave of Robert de Lacey, Bishop of Limerick (1737-1759), who is buried in the family vault inside the old church.
Today, the Roman Catholic parish grouping includes Saint Molua’s Church, Ardagh, Saint Mary’s Church, Carrigkerry, and Saint Colman’s Church, Kilcolman.
The ruins of the 15th century parish church, destroyed in 1641, stand in the cemetery behind the church (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
06 February 2020
Saint John’s Church,
Kilcornan, and a visit
to Saint Brigid’s Well
Kilcornan takes is name from a sixth century saint, Saint Chúrnan, but the church is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
Patrick Comerford
Two interesting feastdays were marked in the Church Calendar last weekend: Saint Brigid’s Day (1 February) and the Feast of the Presentation (2 February).
Two of us marked Saint Brigid’s Day on Saturday, seeking out Saint Brigid’s Well in a remote dale reached by muddy paths and trails across hilly fields near Kilcornan and Stonehall.
Although there was a sign by the roadside, the pilgrim route was not marked, and we were grateful to other visitors we met along the way for directing our paths and warning us about the muddy and rocky obstacles as we picked our through the fields in our wellie boots.
Inside the Church of Saint John the Baptist, Kilcornan, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
Kilcornan is 17 km west of Limerick, on the N69 from Limerick to Tralee. The name Kilcornan comes from a sixth century saint, Saint Chúrnan, whose feast is on 6 January. In his Topographical Dictionary (1837), Samuel Lewis notes that the earliest identifiable settlements in Kilcornan were Danish.
The lands changed hands several times during the Tudor era. The Rector of Kilcornan, William Casey, was nominated by James FitzGerald, Earl of Desmond, as the first post-Reformation Bishop of Limerick in 1551. He was deposed by Queen Mary in 1556, but he was restored to the see in 1571.
A large part of the parish was granted to Sir Hardress Waller (1605-1666), MP for Askeaton (1634, 1640), one of the regicides who signed the death warrant of Charles I in 1649. The parish also includes Curraghchase, the ancestral home of Aubrey de Vere and the Hunt family.
For generations, the Roman Catholic parish was usually known as Stonehall, although the names Castletown and Kilcornan were also used.
Looking towards the gallery in the Church of Saint John the Baptist, Kilcornan (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
An 18th century church in Stonehall served the Roman Catholic parishioners until 1828 when, in an unusual gesture of generosity, the local landlord John Waller (1763-1836) donated a site for a new church and paid for its building. The church in Kilcornan is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist whose feast is on 24 June.
The Church of Ireland parish church in Kilcornan is a Board of First Fruits church, designed by the architect James Pain and built in 1831. Local tradition says the two churches were designed by the same architect.
The Roman Catholic parish church was built in 1828, when the parish was still known as Stonehall. The date, 24 June, was the parish holiday until Father Patrick Condon ended this tradition while he was parish priest (1896-1917).
The Baptismal font in the church (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
Saint John’s Church, Kilcornan, is a small stone building. The porch was added in the 1950s and the windows in the porch were donated by Kathleen O’Connell in memory of John and Brigid Kennedy and her brother Dan.
Inside the church on the right, there is a mosaic of Christ donated by the Sheahan family. The altars are to the memory of John Ranahan who died on 26 August 1954.
A large Crucifix hangs above the altar, with a statue of the Sacred Heart to the left, and a statue of the Virgin Mary on the right.
The stained glass depicting Saint John the Baptist and Saint Patrick (Photographs: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
At the top of the nave, stained glass windows depict Saint John the Baptist (left), the patron of the church, in memory of a Mrs Chapman, and Saint Patrick (right), the patron of Ireland, in memory of Father Micheál Ó hAodha, former parish priest (1925-1930), who died in 1934.
Two smaller stained-glass images in windows the centre of the nave, depicting Saint Brigid and Saint Columcille, were donated by Mary O’Donoghue. These two saints are patrons of Ireland, alongside Saint Patrick, but also link the church with Saint Brigid’s Well, which is within the parish.
The large gallery covers almost half the nave area. A stained-glass window in the gallery depicting the Crucifixion is in memory of Michael McKnight who died in 1936.
Father Timothy Foley is buried before the altar (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
Father Timothy Foley, first Parish Priest of the church (1827-1849), is buried in the church before the altar. Two other parish priests are buried in the churchyard: Father Patrick Condon (1896-1917), and Father Stephen Culhane, who died on Easter Day 1920.
The parish was known as Stonehall until 1961, when Canon Bluet changed the name to Kilcornan.
Saint Brigid depicted in a window in the church in Kilcornan (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
Saint Brigid’s Well, off the road between Kilcornan and Stonehall (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
Patrick Comerford
Two interesting feastdays were marked in the Church Calendar last weekend: Saint Brigid’s Day (1 February) and the Feast of the Presentation (2 February).
Two of us marked Saint Brigid’s Day on Saturday, seeking out Saint Brigid’s Well in a remote dale reached by muddy paths and trails across hilly fields near Kilcornan and Stonehall.
Although there was a sign by the roadside, the pilgrim route was not marked, and we were grateful to other visitors we met along the way for directing our paths and warning us about the muddy and rocky obstacles as we picked our through the fields in our wellie boots.
Inside the Church of Saint John the Baptist, Kilcornan, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
Kilcornan is 17 km west of Limerick, on the N69 from Limerick to Tralee. The name Kilcornan comes from a sixth century saint, Saint Chúrnan, whose feast is on 6 January. In his Topographical Dictionary (1837), Samuel Lewis notes that the earliest identifiable settlements in Kilcornan were Danish.
The lands changed hands several times during the Tudor era. The Rector of Kilcornan, William Casey, was nominated by James FitzGerald, Earl of Desmond, as the first post-Reformation Bishop of Limerick in 1551. He was deposed by Queen Mary in 1556, but he was restored to the see in 1571.
A large part of the parish was granted to Sir Hardress Waller (1605-1666), MP for Askeaton (1634, 1640), one of the regicides who signed the death warrant of Charles I in 1649. The parish also includes Curraghchase, the ancestral home of Aubrey de Vere and the Hunt family.
For generations, the Roman Catholic parish was usually known as Stonehall, although the names Castletown and Kilcornan were also used.
Looking towards the gallery in the Church of Saint John the Baptist, Kilcornan (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
An 18th century church in Stonehall served the Roman Catholic parishioners until 1828 when, in an unusual gesture of generosity, the local landlord John Waller (1763-1836) donated a site for a new church and paid for its building. The church in Kilcornan is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist whose feast is on 24 June.
The Church of Ireland parish church in Kilcornan is a Board of First Fruits church, designed by the architect James Pain and built in 1831. Local tradition says the two churches were designed by the same architect.
The Roman Catholic parish church was built in 1828, when the parish was still known as Stonehall. The date, 24 June, was the parish holiday until Father Patrick Condon ended this tradition while he was parish priest (1896-1917).
The Baptismal font in the church (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
Saint John’s Church, Kilcornan, is a small stone building. The porch was added in the 1950s and the windows in the porch were donated by Kathleen O’Connell in memory of John and Brigid Kennedy and her brother Dan.
Inside the church on the right, there is a mosaic of Christ donated by the Sheahan family. The altars are to the memory of John Ranahan who died on 26 August 1954.
A large Crucifix hangs above the altar, with a statue of the Sacred Heart to the left, and a statue of the Virgin Mary on the right.
The stained glass depicting Saint John the Baptist and Saint Patrick (Photographs: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
At the top of the nave, stained glass windows depict Saint John the Baptist (left), the patron of the church, in memory of a Mrs Chapman, and Saint Patrick (right), the patron of Ireland, in memory of Father Micheál Ó hAodha, former parish priest (1925-1930), who died in 1934.
Two smaller stained-glass images in windows the centre of the nave, depicting Saint Brigid and Saint Columcille, were donated by Mary O’Donoghue. These two saints are patrons of Ireland, alongside Saint Patrick, but also link the church with Saint Brigid’s Well, which is within the parish.
The large gallery covers almost half the nave area. A stained-glass window in the gallery depicting the Crucifixion is in memory of Michael McKnight who died in 1936.
Father Timothy Foley is buried before the altar (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
Father Timothy Foley, first Parish Priest of the church (1827-1849), is buried in the church before the altar. Two other parish priests are buried in the churchyard: Father Patrick Condon (1896-1917), and Father Stephen Culhane, who died on Easter Day 1920.
The parish was known as Stonehall until 1961, when Canon Bluet changed the name to Kilcornan.
Saint Brigid depicted in a window in the church in Kilcornan (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
Saint Brigid’s Well, off the road between Kilcornan and Stonehall (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)
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