Castlegar Church Galway

Castlegar Church ( Saint Columba 's ) is one of three Churches in Castlegar and is located a few hundred yards on the South side of the Galway to Tuam Road ( formely the N17, and now the N83 ), up by the landmark of Leader's Shop .

• Contact
• Coordinates, for Sat. Nav;       53.294926, -9.013467
  Have Google Earth? Download a K.M.Z. for this location.
  Elevation; about 96 feet / 29 metres.
• Townland  and Parish - Castlegar.
  County  -  Galway, Ireland.

For the remainder of the Covid Campaign,  a Web Com is available.

• This is still the Religious Mast Head, of the Parish -  now, and before Renmore, Ballybane and Doughiska  had Population levels which warranted their own Parishes.
• There is a Facebook Page with beautiful photographs, but it may or may not be monitored?
• Holy Wells.

• Re-Built -1829 and open in 1830. There was a reason for this, and Daniel O Connell had a part to play -  See Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief on Wikipedia.
• The closest Graveyard is to the North - East, within the Townland of Castlegar, and on the Galway to Tuam Road. A quarter of a Mile away, perhaps?
• In the 1970's ( '73 - '74 maybe), a Local Builder Paddy Scully added more space with extensions to the left and right hand sides . The Gallery was also removed which was to the West Gable. This may have been the period when Mass was held in both Potez and the Old School - alternate premises during renovations.
• The  two-storey Parochial House  was knocked and replaced with a Bungalow to the North. Another Bungalow is built to the East of the Church - the current address of Canon Reilly.
• Vicki Crowley is commissioned to design a Stained Glass Window, in 2014.
• A "Mass Path" is to the rear (South) of the Church, has some sort of right of way status, and connected Bothar na Mine to the Mass Rock in the current ground of the Galway Racecourse in Ballybrit.
• Bishop Fintan Monaghan, was raised locally, and went to Mass here.
• It doesn't run itself and is lucky to have a Secretary and other help.
• A Choir, helps with morale, and the acoustics are good.
• The external Bell, has been electric for years, but has a Tower, I suppose you'd call it?
• A Community Room adjoins the Church and is to the east of the structure. Wheelchair access, is from this end.
• Columba is the name of a Saint, is English for Colm Cille - Church Dove.
• See Former Clergy.

   

  

  ^" Walk" around this Church, in Google Street View, by clicking the image above (new window).

  • Grotto
  • Old names of this area - Lachtdavarna and Leaghtifarda (Hardiman's History of Galway).
  • See Canon Hyland, who administered the Church here, and is buried in the Grotto.
  • The Old Castlegar Church, was "in Ruins" by 1837, according to the old maps, 
  • Below, an Old Ordnance Map from the 1840's. ,

  see http://www.galway.ie/en/Services/Library/1842OSMaps/ For Free Maps and Copyright.

  

  Castlegar Church is marked as R.C. Chapel.
  Click on it to enlarge.

   

  

         ^ Thumb Image of the Church in 1957 ( I think ?). Clicking on it, will enlarge it enormously, and you may even recognise a few People?
  So the Door in this image above, was in the West-facing Gable - in the same centre-line as the Altar, and the Gallery was above the Door on the inside..

  That Gallery was removed, the Door position changed, and other refurbishments took place in 1973 -1974, with Mass (and other Religious functions) having to be celebrated elsewhere. Mervue, was used for Funerals and so on.

  Former Clergy

• Father Padraic Lee, O Laoi,  Author in 1996 of "The History of Castlegar Parish". See Books.
  • Fr. James Geraghty, is mentioned in the above Book. See https://historicgraves.com/blog/places/st-james-church-and-cemetery-galway
    
  • He may have been the first Parish Priest, assigned to Castlegar.
• Father Henry Joseph Feeney. AKA - Harry.  Well written about for his involvement in the Irish / English conflict. Read More....
• Reverend Michael Mulkerrins. Ordained in 1968.

• Rev. Fr. Roland - Curate, sometime before 1936 ? Instrumental in the construction of the Grotto, afaik..

• Monsignor Joseph Mitchell. I think he is in the group Photo above?

  • Resting in the Grotto with Joanne Hyland.

Power, O Connor....