O'Connell Memorial Church

O'Connell Memorial Church. Daniel O'Connell Heritage Trail Stop 9. In 1879 Rev. Timothy Brosnon was appointed Parish Priest of Cahersiveen and as a great admirer of Daniel O'Connell, he hoped to erect a Church that would suitably mark the centenary of his birth in 1775. Having received an audience with Pope Leo XIII, he got permission to proceed with the Church and the Pope gave him a 4cwt Slab of Marble for the corner stone of the Church. The architect, George Ashlin, was invited to prepare the plans for the building and to raise much needed funds for the Church, Priests were sent to America, Australia and Great Britain for this purpose., A contract was signed with John Devlin of Glasgow in May 1886 for the sum of €23,885 and out of his generosity, the contractor offered to use best Irish granite, instead of the local old Red Sandstone. The granite was brought from Newry in Co. Down. The Archbishop of Cashel, Dr Croke, laid the Corner Stone on August 1st 1888. A balance sheet dated, March 31st 1893, showed that expenditure amounted to €19,370, but only €17,685 had been collected. The work on the Church had ceased for two years due to the lack of funds. Canon Brosnan's health deteriorated and despite his best efforts, the Church was not completed in his lifetime. The Canon died on December 21st 1898 at the age of 76. His remains were interred in the Great Church, which he erected to commemorate the services of Daniel O'Connell in the cause of Catholic Emancipation. Fr Riordan became Parish Priest and he succeed[ed] in paying the monies owed to the Architect and Contractor. Four years after the Canon's death on Sunday December 14th 1902, the first Mass was celebrated in the Memorial Church by Rev. J O'Sullivan, a native of Foilmore. The O'Connell Memorial Church is the only Church in Ireland dedicated to a layman., You are at No. 9 on the Trail please continue