12 March 1997
FUNDS NEEDED TO SAVE CHRIST CHURCH
By TOM GILLESPIE
A campaign will be launched next week to raise £190,000 to save Christ Church, Castlebar, one of the oldest and most significant historical monuments in the county town.
They will be outlined on Wednesday next (March 19 by Bishop John Neill at a public meeting in the Travellers Friend Hotel, Castlebar at 8.30p.m.
All interested people willing to help out in any sway, are invited to attend the launch. Proposals have been put to the Heritage Council for funding and the project has the backing of all elected representatives in the region. Part of the work would be the restoration of the clock in the tower of the Church which was built in 1739 and the opening up of the building for public use.
The twenty Church of Ireland parishioners, who are spearheading the drive, have included in their blueprints plans to develop the tower as a tourist viewing attraction. They will also highlight the many historical aspects of the Church including the seat which used to be occupied by Lord Lucan.
The restoration work will include works on the roof, ceiling, windows, floors and the adjoining graveyard. It will also include the installation of a new heating system, electrical rewiring, and the cleaning of the exterior.
Clockmakers, John Smith & Son of Derby , who installed the original clock in 1905, said the timepiece has a quarter ting-tang hour striking movement. It was now in poor condition and needed dismantling and cleaning. Already Castlebar Urban Council have given £1,000 towards the repair of the clock.
In 1975 the people of Castlebar contributed to have the roof replaced on the Church and the building was floodlit seven years ago.
During the famed 1798 Rebellion and the Races of Castlebar six members of the Frazer Fencibles were killed by the invading French troops at the Church and the building was severely damaged and was not fully restored for thirty years. It has been in weekly use as a place of worship since the 18th century.
Mr. Derek Carson, secretary of the restoration project said: "This is a unique and authentic building of interest to the casual tourist because of its situation and view.
"It is also an attraction to the serious visitor because of its genuine historical content. It is a place of worship, particularly to the small and local number of parishioners in this area."
"The restoration work needs to be carried out now to retain the Church which is one of the oldest public buildings in Castlebar. When completed we plan to open the church to the public and for public recitals."
Mr. Carson added: "The physical location and fabric of the church, its numerous plaques, tablets, gravestones and memorials serve as an illustration of the flow and counterflow of history in Castlebar, in mayo and in Ireland, over the past two centuries.
"The essential aim of this project of restoration is to make an understanding of these processes, the heritage which they represent, and the marks which that have left behind, accessible to both residents of the town and county and visitors from further afield, in an understandable way."
Donations to the fund can be made to account number 64036555 at the Bank
of Ireland, Castlebar.
Connaught Telegraph - News & Sport - March 1997
