Church of the Irish Martyrs

The Church of the Irish Martyrs is a Roman Catholic church in the parish of Aughaninshin in the Ballyraine area of Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland.

History

In 1990 plans were drawn up for a new church project to cater for the growing population of the town. At the time it was estimated that a church capable of holding 800 people would be required.[1] The church project was initiated by Bishop Anthony McFeely and opened in 1994.[2] It was the first church in Ireland to be named after the Irish Catholic Martyrs.

An old abbey in the parish dates back to the 13th or 14th century. In 2000 it was decided to create a new parish and call it after the abbey. The site of the abbey is visible from the church, and its graveyard, which dates from 1756,[3] is still in use to this day. The parish has a population of 6000.[3] As of 2016 the parish priests are Fr. Brian Quinn and Fr. Joe O'Donnell.[3]

Maurice Harron carved a 9 ft-high (2.7 m) stone cross on the church altar,[4] and local sculptor Redmond Herrity created a jubilee stone that can be seen on display outside the church.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Letterkenny's New Church Project. Published in the 1990 edition of The Letterkenny and District Christmas Annual, p.34
  2. ↑ "THE  CATHOLIC  DIOCESE OF RAPHOE". Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "raphoediocese.com". Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  4. ↑ Maurice Harron - Letterkenny
  5. ↑ "Welcome to Redmond Herrity Marble Portrait Sculptor". Redmond Herrity. Retrieved 7 February 2016.

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