St. Marys, Drumlish, Ireland

The parish of St. Marys in Drumlish, Ireland, is the parish of my ancestors. We came to the town hoping to see some ancient, charming little town like in The Quiet Man or Darby O'Gill, but the town hasn't stayed in the past. It's mostly a suburb of Longford now, with the modern housing and church to go with it. Still, as modern churches go, it is a fine one.

St. Mary's, Drumlish

In the front lawn is the tomb of John Canon Keville, born in 1852, ordained in 1878, and died in 1929. He began work on the church in 1904 and it was dedicated in 1907.

Keville Tomb

The church was rebuilt and rededicated in 1969. A plaque in the back indicates various donors of church furnishings, including the ambo and sanctuary lamp by a "Mrs. Noreen Kiernan and family in memory of Charles Kiernan." Kiernan is one of the family names so perhaps they are not-so-distant relatives.

Donor list

Sanctuary lamp

The nave is nothing particularly noteworthy, though the altar has a nice front-piece with Christ fallen as He carries the cross.

Nave

Altar

The baptismal font is good though probably more recent than many of my ancestors might have used.

Baptismal font

The statues to Our Lady are nice but not outstanding. One window dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes is very nice.

Our Lady and Madonna with Child!

Our Lady of Lourdes window

We walked over to the rectory after visiting the church. If the church had the usual records, we could patch in some of the holes or confirm uncertainties in the family tree. We rang the bell for daytime and there was no answer. Looking around, we found no car, so the priest must have been out on duties. On our way back to our car, we did notice a strange decoration outside.

Shocking addition to the church

We weren't sure why the church needed an AED, especially outside tucked in a corner not easily accessible. Maybe they have lots of functions on the ground, like picnics or bazaars, and someone helpfully donated the device.

It was good to visit the church even if it wasn't what I expected.