St Mary’s - BRIEF HISTORY

St. Mary's Church, situated in the centre of the town, is an imposing edifice of the early Gothic style of architecture. It was designed by Mr W. M. Hague a well known and highly distinguished Dublin artist. The task of carrying through the erection of this building fell to the lot of the then parish priest Reverend Thomas Fitzgerald (1872 - 1887).

His appointment to the parish of Kiltoghert in 1872, Canon Fitzgerald found himself faced with the task of erecting a suitable parish church in Carrick-on-Shannon. St. Mary's stands upon the site of an earlier small chapel erected in 1807. The site was given by Charles Manners St. George, the local landlord, who contributed towards the decoration of the church and built the gallery at his own expense. A beautiful painting of the Nativity by the Swedish artist Karl Gustau Plagemann was presented to St. Mary's by a member of the St. George family. An appeal for funds in April 1873 resulted in contributions by the parish of £2,100. The building was all but completed when it was entirely wrecked by a hurricane that swept the country on 19th January 1875. The indefatigable pastor set to work again without delay and had the satisfaction of having his church solemnly dedicated by the Bishop, Dr. Woodlock, on 19th October 1879.

Canon Fitzgerald was succeeded by Canon Hoare in 1887 (afterwards Bishop of Ardagh). With the characteristic energy that marked his long life Cannon Hoare threw himself heart and soul into the work of embellishing and completing the sacred edifice. Before his death in 1927 Bishop Hoare had arranged for the installation of the magnificent stained glass window behind the high altar, depicting the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

Canon Gilligan (1896 - 1915) is remembered as a skilled craftsman, a crackshot and an enthusiast for aquatic sports. He had a famous houseboat called "The Gipsy" on which he once entertained his friend of college days, Cardinal Logue.

Canon O'Reilly (1915 - 1932) by the directions of the Bishop, Dr. Hoare, set about the work of completing St.. Mary's Church by the addition of the massive and graceful tower the now adorns it. The tower was completed in 1925 at a cost of £6,000. Soon afterwards thesplendid organ was installed, a gift of Mr. P. Barrett, a business man from the town.

During his time as parish priest Archdeacon Donohoe (1932-1955) carried out extensive improvements both to the interior and the exterior of the church which added considerably to the beauty of St. Marys. Soon after his arrival he had all the old trees and shrubs which impeded the view of the Church removed and replaced by stone flags and rockeries. He was responsible also for the laying of the beautiful sanctuary floor, a gift from the late James Mulhern, Carrick-on-Shannon.