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Page 14 of 14
Parish Priests
Fr. Andrew Kenny 1770-1805 Fr. Kenny left Ireland in 1750 for the University of Alcala where he studied in the College of St. George the Martyr and was ordained priest in the year 1756 by Augustinius Gonzales Piscador, D.D. Bishop of Tricomoriensis.
Fr.Andrew Kenny made a detailed return, dated 15th November 1800, that gives an invaluable picture of the workings of the parish at this period. The return was in reply to certain queries sent to parish priests by the Archbishop of Tuam, Rev. Edward Dillon at the request of the Government. He states that he was in charge of the parish for thirty years at that date. The return describes the parish income and also discusses regulations for marriage that were followed in Claregalway. The following is a summary:
The number of houses in the parish at that time was 400, and the population was 2,150. To support the priest, as well as an assistant priest, the head of each household paid eight pence twice a year, at Christmas and Easter while the woman of the house was expected to contribute one penny. Young male wage earners paid two pence and young women who were working were expected to pay one penny. The total of these dues, along with some contributions from the better off, came to £35 for the whole parish. These twice-yearly contributions were made, or expected, when the people of each village congregated at a local house with their priest who heard confessions, distributed Holy Communion, instructed the adults and children in their faith, and settled disputes between neighbours. A different house was chosen for the next community meeting.
The parish priest’s income from dues was augmented by payments made at christenings, marriages and deaths. An average of 150 christenings per year brought in about £11-10-0. Funeral offerings to the priest varied, with the more affluent paying half a guinea, while donations from the less well off varied from between half-a-crown and 6s 6d. A contribution was not expected from those of very poor means. The annual income from this source came to about £6. The annual income from wedding offerings yielded an average of £11-15-0, a not inconsiderable amount, which helped greatly towards the upkeep of the parish. At each wedding, the bridegroom placed half-a-crown on the collection plate at the end of the ceremony, while guests contributed anything from 6d to a shilling each. The priest collected anything from between five to thirty shillings for a marriage.
Fr. Kenny estimated his yearly income at approximately £66, of which a third, amounting to £22 was paid to his curate. This left him with the sum of £44, of which he spent £20 on grazing and fodder for his horse. Fr. Kenny died in July 1822 at the age of 90, having being a priest for 66 years.
Fr. Tadhg Ó’Murchú (Thady Murphy) - 1805 Fr Murphy was P.P. at the time of the French landing at Killala and when the parish church was situated opposite the village parish-pump. There is a church document that references a parish of ‘Ledicane’ with Thady Murphy as the parish priest. Was there, at least for a period a separate parish of Lydacan? If there was a parish in Lydacan then there must have been a parish church. There were reports that there was a church on the top of Lydacan Hill.
Fr. Ó’Murchú is buried in the Friary. His flagstone in the north transept has the following inscription:
“Lord have mercy on the Soul of the Rev. Thady Murphy PP of Claregalway who departed this Life the 12th day of August 1805 aged 63 years. This monument was erected by his brother Geoffrey Murphy in memory of him. Requiscat in Pace. Amen.”
The inscription is surmounted by a chalice and host with a biretta on either side.
Fr. Malachy Mannin 1816-1830 Fr. Mannin, fondly known as ‘an sagart mór’. An old document relating to the Wardenship of Galway states: ‘10th September 1809, Claregalway. Petition of Honor Higgins, widow, to the warden complaining of Rev. Malachy Mannin, who possessed himself of ground she ought to have.’ The tradition about him in the parish was that he had a strong personality, although the above extract does not show him in a favourable light.
The following is an interesting story about him. The landlord of Cahergowan had made a seizure of cattle in the village for non-payment of rent and amongst the animals seized was a poor widow’s cow. Fr. Mannin intervened but the bailiffs referred him to the landlord. The priest was getting his own milk supply from this cow but that is not suggested as the reason for his action. He set out for a place called ‘Béal Áth na Lúb’ in Co. Mayo on horseback. He received no satisfaction and thereupon he scraped the threshold of the house with the sole of his boot and departed. He had not gone very long when fire broke out and a messenger was sent after him to ask him to return and extinguish the fire but he refused. This occurred twice and the fire could not be extinguished – as soon as it was extinguished in one spot it broke out in another, until after twelve months the house was destroyed. The value of this story no doubt is that it gives evidence of a tradition that this priest was a fearless champion of the oppressed.
A sundial made of slate, which belonged to him, is preserved in the National Museum, Dublin. It bears the following inscription:
‘Constructed by R. Molloy for the Revd. M.M. P.P. C.G. 22 August 1828’
In this inscription, M.M. are his initials and C.G. is for Claregalway. In 1828, Fr. Thomas E. Gill was appointed administrator, to help the ageing parish priest, but whether he ever took up duty or not is uncertain. A Fr. B. Adams served in the parish but is not credited with the title of parish priest. His tenancy was perhaps a stopgap measure before the arrival of Fr. P. O'Kane.
Fr. P. O’Kane - 1838 Fr O'Kane is said to have been suspended or at least removed from the parish for addiction to drink. He was a native of Kiniska. After his retirement he lived in a house down the (then) bóithrín leading to the new gate into the graveyard around the Friary. He is buried in the Friary.
In 1838 a direct exchange took place between the parishes of Spiddal and Claregalway, with Fr. O'Kane moving to the coast and the ill-fated Fr. Hosty transferring to this parish.
Fr. Thomas Hosty 1838-1848 Fr. Hosty’s arrival coincided with construction of the new church, which was to replace the penal-day, thatched roof chapel, which was also situated in Lakeview, a short distance away. It was completed in 1838 but on the 6th January 1839, the ‘Night of the Big Wind’ also known as ‘Oiche na gaoithe moire’, the roof was blown off and the church was almost destroyed.
The priest and the people were shattered. They had given their money, time and voluntary labour over the years and now with many of their own homes destroyed they could not do or give any more. After reflecting on the matter for a time, Fr. Hosty concluded that the only solution was for him to go to America and appeal to the people there to help them in their plight. So he set off and travelled a good deal there, specially to cities where there were large numbers of Irish and, according to the story, collected a lot of money.
When his task was almost complete he began to prepare to return home. Things then were not the same as they are now and banks could not transact money between one country and another – it had to be carried by person. So Fr. Hosty arranged to have a friend from the parish who was already in America to travel home with him. The evening before they were due to sail home he withdrew the money he had collected from the bank and was to meet his friend at the quayside early next morning.
At that time according to the story a bell would be rung three times before a ship sailed. The first a while before the sailing, the second ringing a short time before but when the bell rang for the third time if a person was not already on board then he should get on immediately. His friend was already at the quayside before the first bell and the priest had not arrived. When he had not come by the second bell he was getting very worried. But when the third bell rang he still had not arrived. As he had an idea of the name of the place where he was staying for the night, a hotel not far from the port, he went and told his story to the police. They found the priest shot dead in a cellar underneath the hotel together with a couple of skeletons but there was no money.
It is related that when he failed to return, his sister, who had lived with him, was affected mentally and that she burned the parochial books. A successor was not appointed pending his expected return. Fr. Michael Kavanagh was appointed interim C.C. until the appointment of Fr. James Commins in 1848.
Fr. James Cummins 1850-1862 Fr. Commins, who was noted for his support of agrarian reform, served until 1862, when he was transferred to Castlegar as P.P. He died in 1880.
Fr. Thomas Walsh 1865-1876 His successor, Fr. Thomas Walsh came from Rossmuc, where he had been parish priest for 25 years. He was said to have been a great preacher and to have tried to become a ‘missioner’, probably a Redemptorist, but for health reasons could not achieve it.
Fr. Walsh is remembered as an advocate of tenant rights in the Land War and may have been one of the priests involved in the Nolan and Trench Election Petition court case that was tried by the notorious Judge Keogh in 1872.
A Captain John Nolan had been elected to Parliament by a large majority. The local bishops and clergy had strongly supported him, chiefly because the family of his opponent, a Captain Trench, was active in Proselytism. Capt. Trench appealed and the petition was heard in Galway in April and May 1872. Judge Keogh found that Capt. Nolan had been elected by the undue influence and intimidation exercised on the voters by the Archbishop of Tuam (McHale), the bishops of Clonfert (Duggan) and Galway (McEvilly) and twenty nine named priests, such intimidation being in some cases exercised in the very churches, and awarded the seat to Capt. Trench.
Among the priests named was Fr. Thomas Walsh. Evidence was given by a parishioner, Edward Morris, who was active in the Trench interest, that Fr. Walsh, in the chapel on January 21st 1872, wished the people to vote for Capt. Nolan – those who had votes – and that he wished that those who voted for Capt. Trench ‘would be Trenched’. He also called a man, called Martin Cullenan, ‘a millers dog’. Cullenan was a bailiff of Lord Clanmorris and also a supporter of Trench. Lord Clanmorris was landlord of some of the parishioners and the allusion was to the fact that Cullenan acted as an agent for the purchase of corn for some miller in Galway.
Counsel for the other side in cross examination suggested that the phrase ‘would be Trenched’ was said as a joke, and the witness admitted that the people laughed, but nevertheless the result was as stated and those against whom the decision was given – in addition to the fact that Capt. Nolan was unseated, were liable to criminal prosecution.
The first to be placed on trial was the bishop of Clonfert, Dr. Patrick Duggan, in February 1873, in the first year of his episcopate. It created a major sensation. It was the first time in these islands that a Catholic bishop had stood in the dock since the trial of Oliver Plunkett in 1681. He was found not guilty and in the event, the prosecution against the others was abandoned.
Fr. Walsh was obviously not afraid of controversy. He served for twelve years, during which period he had the assistance of the following curates: Fr. James Craddock (1870-1873), Fr. Patrick Lally (1873-1874) and Fr. Malachy Hanley (1874-1878). Fr. Walsh died on the 16th March 1876 and was buried under the church - on the site of the present structure.
Fr. Martin Commins 1876-1909 Fr. Martin Commins (Mairtin O “Mullags”) succeeded Fr. Walsh and served until his death on the 14th April 1909. Fr. Commins entered Maynooth in 1862 and was ordained in 1869. After serving as a C.C. in Rahoon, Lisdoonvarna, and St. Nicholas South and West, he was appointed parish priest in Claregalway in March 1876.
He has been described as a strongly built man with a pleasant disposition. Is seems that he got on very well with the local gentry, though he didn't cultivate them ("bhi sé istigh leis na daoine móra ar fad"). It appears that his good sense of humour endeared him to all of his parishioners, rich and poor alike. He broke with the old tradition of having first communion and confirmation on the same day and he refused to confirm anyone under the age of 12. Another change was enforced upon him when he discontinued the practice of saying Mass for All Soul's Day in the Friary, due to a decline in the numbers attending and instead moved back to the church.
His tenure in Claregalway gave him the opportunity to make many improvements in the parish. As well as renovating the church, he was responsible for the construction of the parochial house and affecting improvements to the Friary cemetery. Two Connell brothers from Kiniska built the surrounding wall in 1890. A different set of brothers, Fitzpatrick's from Bohermore, were employed by Fr. Commins to build Carnmore School in 1885. He was much in favour of education and as such was very strict on school attendance. He spared no effort to get parents to send their children to school regularly.
In Fr. Martin’s time the parish had a parish clerk who was known as Micheáilín Cléireach. He served Mass for the parish priest and at the times of the ‘stations’, he brought the priest’s bag to the house in which the ‘stations’ were to be held the previous evening and helped with the preparations, the erecting of the altar etc. and usually stayed the night. He was an excellent seanachai and people from the neighbouring houses used to gather in to listen to him. Raftery’s well known poem ‘Seanchas na Sgeiche’ was first obtained by Dr. Douglas Hyde from a manuscript of Micheáilíns, either written by him or taken down from him by someone else.
He and the parish priest of Lackagh, the Rev. James Heany did the stations in common. They did them in Lackagh parish and in Claregalway parish on alternate weeks. Fr. Martin came in a sidecar and Fr. James, as he was known, came on horseback. He is remembered as a dignified and somewhat aloof figure. On his arrival, the man in whose house the stations were being held, had to rub down and exercise his horse. He heard confessions and had his breakfast with Fr. Martin.
“An t-Athair Máirtín", as he was known in the parish, was much interested in land and farmed very extensively. It was this interest in farming that eventually brought him trouble and a measure of unpopularity. His main "crime", as it was thought of at the time, was his acquisition of a large tract of land in Crusheeny and he had a lot of stock on it. It was widely believed that he had bought the land, which was to have been divided amongst the parishioners, chiefly those from Montiagh, who felt very aggrieved. To his credit he employed many men and fed them well, limiting his profits. Eventually he was obliged to give up his farm, which was divided by the Congested Districts Board.
Due to Fr. Commins’s failing health, Rev. J.T. O’Kelly was appointed to assist him. Fr. Commins was taken to a hospital in Dublin, where he died on 14th April 1909, having served the people of Claregalway for 33 years.
He was buried outside the walls of the Friary and a handsome Celtic cross marks his grave. The inscription reads:
‘Pray for the soul of the Rev. Martin Commins P.P. Claregalway from 1876 to 14th April 1909.’
Fr. Redmond McHugh 1909-1912 Fr. McHugh’s tenure of Claregalway was brief but it made a lasting impact in many ways. He was a native of Baile Bán, Headford and came to the parish from Rosmuc, where he had been P.P. for some years.
He was a keen advocate of the Temperance movement and lost no opportunity in urging the men to take and keep the pledge. To further this cause and to provide a counter attraction to the public house, he founded a parish band composed of members of the Claregalway Temperance Society.
Fr McHugh provided seating in the body of the chapel and put in a new high altar and made other improvements. The old altar of wood was transferred to the abbey. He liked to pay informal visits and discuss their affairs with them, prices, crops etc. He was skilled and interested in such matters and his advice, practical and shrewd was always received with appreciation.
He opposed customs that savoured of superstition e.g. the custom of three women sitting on the coffin at funerals. There was also a custom of nailing an ass’s shoe on the door of an outhouse or stable, probably for luck. He was transferred to the parish of Castlegar in 1912.
Fr. Matthew Griffin 1912-1915 Fr. Matthew Griffin, whose tenure of the parish was equally brief, succeeded Fr. McHugh. He was remembered as a gentle, kindly man. He was fond of horses and always kept a pair.
The most momentous event that occurred during his time was the outbreak of the 1914-18 war. He was remembered as exhorting the young men to join the British army in the defence of Catholic Belgium and saying that if England were defeated, Ireland’s condition would become like what it had been during the Penal Days.
He was a native of Moycullen parish. He was transferred to the neighbouring parish of Oranmore in 1915, much to his regret as he had become much attached to the parish and was well liked by the people.
Canon Moran
Canon Patrick J. Moran 1915-1946 The next parish priest was Canon Padraic S. (“Pa”) O'Morain, a native of Castlebar who was ordained on 17th of June 1900, at the age of 25. He spent time in Achonry, Kilfenora, Castlegar, Lettermore and Liscannor (twice, earlier as a C.C. and from 1914-15 as administrator) prior to his appointment to Claregalway in 1915.
In physique he was tall and lithe and active to a very unusual degree. He came to the parish in the prime of his life probably when he was not much more than forty. It is remembered that for many years afterwards he would never trouble to open a gate no matter how high. He simply placed one hand on it and vaulted over it.
A devotee of the Irish language, Canon Moran made extensive use of Irish in the liturgy, including direct translation of the epistle and gospel from Latin. He organised a "feis" every year and was also a member of Coiste Gnotha of the Gaelic League. His large collection of books, all annotated in Irish, is now housed in St. Mary’s College library in Galway.
He translated into Irish and published St. Alphonsus Liquori’s ‘Visit to the Blessed Sacrament’ (1934). It had an introduction by the Most Rev. Dr. Magean, Bishop of Down and Connor. Credited by none less than the President of Ireland, Sean T O'Ceallaigh as "one of the best Irish scholars in the country", it is said that it was largely due to his efforts that Irish is still living and in use amongst the older people in Claregalway. He promoted devotion to St. James (to whom the Claregalway church was dedicated) and he also preferred the name Bridget to Delia.
The habit of celebrating Mass in the friary, as was stated earlier, had ceased under Fr. Commins, but his two successors Fr. McHugh and Fr. Griffin, reintroduced the practice. Canon Moran had two words to describe the Franciscan abode: "Norman" and "alien", sufficient reasons for him to bring the 2nd of November Mass back to the church again. At a later stage, when some itinerants took shelter in the covered portion of the friary, he had that part of the roof removed.
He also had an interest in education and was responsible for the building of the new school in Claregalway and also the renovations to the Carnmore School. He visited the school in Claregalway regularly, Carnmore and Bawnmore less frequently. He used to quiz the pupils on the Gospel and such, often in Irish. Pupils whom he examined at the time admitted that Canon Moran terrified them. He was very strict with children at first confession. On one such occasion he expressed satisfaction with only two pupils from among the first communicants. He was held in awe by the older people too, many of whom openly feared him.
Householders were very terrified when their turn for the “stations” came round. Initially he would satisfy himself as to the sturdiness of the table-cum-altar, after which he invariably lifted the cloth to check for dirt. If he found it necessary to clean the table and use his own cloth it meant embarrassment for the family. By all accounts he appeared to have been a domineering man, although it seems that anybody who stood up to him fared well.
Another aspect of his character was his well-known love of dogs. The following anecdote is worth relating. The Canon met a man in Montiagh, out with his dog and because his own dogs were named in Irish and understood Irish, he said "Dia dhuit, a Sheain, bhfuil Bearla ag an madra?" to which the man replied. "Nil a Athair, ach tuigeann se.”
He was also a lover of horses and he was a member of the council of the Connemara Breeders Association. He sponsored a cup for the County Ploughing Championships and attended annually to present the trophy. His interest in matters agricultural was also evident in that he was a member of the Agricultural Production Consultative Council, and from 1931 on he was Chairman of the Galway County Committee of Agriculture. This committee printed an obituary for Canon Moran stating that he "had a major part in the successful development of agriculture" and also that "he gave his constant help and wise direction". Because of the way he worked for all farmers, especially the small farmers, his death meant "a grievous loss to the farming community...and more especially to the smaller landholders". The committee also stated that his life served three main causes, the Holy Church and agriculture being two, and along with these, his country.
Evidence shows that he was involved in the 1916 events, not directly, but he did supply two revolvers to the forces gathering at Moyode. He was also rumoured to have been a member of Sinn Fein. His close friend Eamon De Valera later confessed that he was shocked to learn of the extent of Canon Moran’s involvement in the republican movement.
The Black and Tans’ frequent raids on his house obliged him to sleep away from home, often staying as a guest of Mrs Greated in Lydacan Castle. Later when the castle was burnt down during the agrarian troubles, Canon Moran rebuked the people, and put a curse on the land saying that it wouldn't yield crops. Taking all this into account, one piece of information that doesn’t add up is that Canon Moran removed a fellow republican, and later a renowned poet, Mairtin O’Cadhain from his post as headmaster in Carnmore school. Mr O’Cadhain had been drilling the pupils in out of the way fields in Carnmore, using their 'camáns', but it appears that the single incident that precipitated the demise of the once strong friendship actually occurred inside the school building. The headmaster had a photograph of James Connolly displayed in the school and when Canon Moran saw it, he told him to take it down as he was, in the Canon's word a "communist". Mr. O'Cadhain refused and from that confrontation, things went rapidly downhill.
The Canon who had been unwell for some eighteen months prior to his death, as a result of an accident when he was knocked down by a lorry while returning from the funeral of a parishioner, became “eccentric” to say the least. On one occasion while travelling from Galway he is reported to have been so abusive to a passenger that the conductor was obliged to stop the bus.
Another close friend, with whom relations became strained, was the then Bishop of Galway, Dr Michael Browne. At a Mass in Claregalway, possibly the Confirmation Mass, Canon Moran vaulted the altar rails, an action that so displeased the bishop that he ordered him into the sacristy and reprimanded him. The coolness between the two clergymen seems to have persisted to the very end. When the Canon was on his deathbed, the Bishop visited him with a view to reconciling their differences. It is said however, that the Canon stubborn to the last, foiled the bishop’s good intentions by pretending he was already dead.
He died on 8th July 1946. Whatever differences existed between himself and Bishop Browne were not in evidence when the Bishop paid him a tribute at his funeral. Amongst the compliments he bestowed on his erstwhile “adversary” were that "he did not spare himself any privation or hardship attending to the people" and "Canon Moran gave the example of a blameless life, of unshaken fidelity to the highest ideals of the Catholic priest." He also commented on the Canon's strong feelings and positive convictions on many subjects, which, he said may have caused offence to some people, but that on that day everyone should forgive. (This message must not have made much of an impression on Mairtin O'Cadhain, who is reputed to have danced on the Canon’s grave).
On a final note, the esteem in which Canon Moran was held was evidenced by the presence at his funeral of an t-Uachtaran Sean T O’Ceallaigh and an Taoiseach Eamon De Valera.
Amongst the clergy present that day were some of the priests who were to serve in the parish after the Canon, and also his two living predecessors.
Very Rev. R. Canon McHugh, P.P. Clarenbridge; Very Rev. M. Canon Griffin, P.P. Oranmore; Very Rev. P. O' Dea, P.P. Kilbeacanty; Rev. M. D. Forde, Adm. Oughterard; Rev. G. Callanan, C.C. College House, Galway; Whether Canon Moran will be remembered as a champion for the Church, the Irish language or as a ferocious man who ruled with an iron hand and struck fear and resentment into many is debatable, but what is undeniable is that he will be remembered and for some long time to come.
Parish Priests
Canon Patrick O’Dea 1946-1957 Canon Patrick O'Dea succeeded Canon Moran. He was appointed parish priest on 8th August 1946 and served until his death on the 20th April 1957. A native of Kilfenora, Co. Clare, he was ordained in St. Patrick’s College Maynooth on 21st June 1914. Prior to his appointment in Claregalway, he served as curate in Rahoon, Oughterard, Lettermore, and Gort. He also served as Administrator in Moycullen and Rosmuc where he was to serve as parish priest at a later date. He was parish priest of Kilbeacanty prior to his appointment in Claregalway.
Unlike his predecessor Canon Moran, Canon O’Dea was a quiet unassuming man. At first the parishioners were very wary of him. This was understandable, as Canon Moran in his long reign had left an indelible mark on them. Gradually however the people became less apprehensive and Canon O’Dea quickly gained the respect, and admiration of his parishioners. When his health started to fail in June 1956 he was admitted to St. Bride’s nursing home. His remains were interred in the church grounds on 22nd April 1957. In the intervening period between his illness and death, Fr. Paddy Carroll was appointed as Administrator. While in Claregalway Fr. Carroll started a branch of the legion of Mary and also of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association.
Fr. M. D. Forde 1957-1969 Fr. Forde was born in Milltown on 17th August 1906. He was educated in Kilgeverin N.S., where his mother taught, and later in St. Mary's College and Maynooth. After his ordination in 1930, he served in the parish of Saint Nicholas S.W. for two months. He also served in Lettermore, Ennistymon, and Oughterard, (where he was noted for his love of drama and is remembered for his moving portrayal of Christ in the Holy Week ceremonies in the Pro-Cathedral). He later served in Gort and Rahoon (where he was also chaplain to the Central Hospital, now University College Hospital). He returned to St. Nicholas’s as Administrator and P.P. until his transfer to the parish of Claregalway as successor to Canon O’Dea.
Fr. Forde is remembered as a quiet retiring man who carried out extensive repairs to the church and had further plans for renovations which had to be shelved due to his deteriorating health. It is said that when ill, he never complained and bore his suffering very well. A man of great compassion, he had, during his years as a hospital chaplain, been a source of great consolation to the seriously and terminally ill. Fr. Forde served until his death in 1969.
Canon Gerard F. Callanan 1968-1996 Canon Gerald F. Callanan (then Fr. Callanan), who had been assisting the then ailing Fr. Forde for a year prior to his death, was appointed Parish Priest in 1968, a post he held until his retirement on 11th October 1996. Canon Callanan was born on 16th February 1920 in Ennistymon, Co Clare. He attended Maynooth and was ordained in the Pro-Cathedral Galway in June 1944.
Canon Callanan was a man of boundless energy who quickly undertook the daunting challenge of replacing the church which had served the people of Claregalway for 135 years with a modern edifice, in keeping with the changes in the liturgy arising from the second Vatican Council.. Dr. Michael Browne, Bishop of Galway, consecrated it on the 15th of August 1975. The commemorative plaque reads as follows:
Haec Ecclesia Dedicata Est
15a Augusti 1975
In Honorem
B.V. Mariae Coelum Assumptae
Et S. Jacobi
A Michaelo Browne
Episcopo Galv. et Duac
Gerardo Callanan Parocho
The first major event in the new church was the First Communion celebrations, which had been postponed until September of that year. The last funeral in the old church was of John Concannon from Montiagh and the first funeral in the new church was of James Keane from Mullacuttra.
Canon Callanan next set about improving the educational facilities in the parish as both schools were in need of renovation. His initial plan was to accommodate all the children of the parish in one large school located in Claregalway. The old building in Carnmore had fallen into disrepair and the thinking of the time was that it would make educational and economic sense to amalgamate the two schools. This generated some heated debate in the Carnmore school area and after further discussion it was agreed to build a new school in Carnmore as well as extending and refurbishing the Claregalway School.
Canon Callanan conducted his duties without the help of a curate for the greater part of his tenure. In 1989 Fr. Raymond Browne, a priest of the Elphin Diocese, who was working in the Galway Regional Marriage Tribunal, assisted at the weekends. Due to the sharp increase in the population of the parish, Fr. Sean Kilcoyne was appointed curate on January 5th 1991, the first such permanent appointment to the parish this century. The Canon initiated the construction of a new house, adjacent to the Parish Priest’s house, on the site of the building once occupied by Tomas O’Connor, a former Principal of Claregalway N.S. Fr. Kilcoyne served in the parish until 29th September 1995.
Canon Callanan celebrated the golden jubilee of his ordination in the summer of 1994. Many tributes were paid to him for his outstanding work for the people of the parish over a period of twenty-five years and presentations were made as a token of the esteem in which he was held. On the request of the bishop he agreed to carry on until a replacement could be found, a difficult task due to the shortage of priests in the diocese as a result of the decline in the number of vocations over a number of years. He used his time “constructively” as once again he set about another construction project; a retirement home for himself at the rear of the parochial house.
The church and its surrounds were a credit to Canon Callanan, who manicured the lawns with meticulous care. He retired on October 11th 1996 and looked forward to many contented hours fishing on his beloved Clare River. He died on 15th January 1999.
Canon Mullin
Canon Noel Mullin. Canon Noel Mullin was born in Shrule on 2nd January 1938. He was ordained in Maynooth on June 23rd 1963. He served as curate in Rossaveal from July 1963 until July 1964 when he was transferred to Gort where he served until July 1965. His next position was Dean to St. Mary’s College where he served until his appointment as chaplain to Merlin Park hospital on July 12th 1968. On September 1st 1972 he became chaplain in the Galway Regional Technical College, and the Holy Family School, Renmore. On the 9th October 1981 he was transferred to Galway Cathedral as C.C. and became the Diocesan Secretary on July 10th 1987. Approaching the end of Canon Callanan’s tenure, Fr. Mullin assisted in some of the parochial duties and was appointed Parish Priest upon Canon Callanan’s retirement. On the same day, Fr. Thomas Marrinan was appointed to serve as curate.
Fr. Mullin’s arrival coincided with preparations for a historic event in the history of the parish, namely the first ever ordination in Claregalway church. David Cribbin from Cahergowan and a member of the Society of St. Columban was to be ordained in the Parish on the 4th January 1997. Fr. Mullin immediately became involved with the various parish groups involved in co-ordinating this event.
It was apparent even at this early stage in his ministry that he was willing to tap into the enormous reservoir of good will in the parish. Since his arrival, Fr Mullin has called to visit practically every house in the Parish. On September 26th 1997 Fr. Mullin was elevated to Canon of Cathedral Chapter. A fitting tribute to a dedicated and much loved Minister of the Church. On the same day Fr. Marrinan was appointed as chaplain to University College Hospital Galway. Once again the parish was deprived of the services of a full time curate. However, Fr. Ian O’Neill who was ordained on 8th June 1997 was appointed Diocesan Secretary with a brief to assist Canon Mullin, primarily at weekends.
Such is the decline in vocations, that in the not too distant future, historians may well look back to the days when each parish enjoyed the blessings of a full-time parish priest. Or then again, we might experience a substantial increase in vocations. The rule on celibacy might be revoked, or even a more radical change might allow women to be ordained. Maybe then the aspirations expressed in the opening sentences of this chapter might materialise. Things on this earth happen in cycles. God has decreed it that way, and God’s Will will prevail come what may.
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