St Mary's Roman Catholic Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A free-standing rendered Roman Catholic church, built c.1840 on the site of an earlier church, with later square blackstone entrance tower (dated 1899). Located to the west side of Boleran Road northwest of Garvagh. Rectangular plan with three-stage square tower to south; single-storey gabled annexe to north (c.1910).

Pitched natural slate roof with angled ridge tiles and raised painted masonry verges with kneelers; metal cross finials to gables. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on projecting stone eaves. Walling is painted roughcast render on a painted smooth rendered plinth with raised quoins; uncoursed squared rock-faced blackstone to tower, with sandstone dressings and moulded sandstone string course between stages. Windows are Y-tracery timber lattice lancets or early twentieth-century leaded-and-stained glass lancets, all in smooth rendered surrounds with hood mould and painted or concrete sills. Pointed-headed leaded lattice windows with coloured glass to tower, in sandstone blocked surrounds with chamfered sills and hood moulds, surmounted by blackstone voussoirs. Pointed-headed double-hung multi-paned timber casements to annexe (unless otherwise stated).

South-facing gabled front is abutted to centre by the blackstone square tower. To right of tower is a Y-tracery window and to left, part of a Y-tracery window over modern doorcase insertion, containing a modern glazed timber door with lead lined canopy and paved step.

Square tower has castellated parapet with circular corner pinnacles; belfry stage has, to four sides, paired pointed-headed louvered openings in blocked sandstone surround, with moulded archivolts and hood moulds. Second stage has paired leaded lattice windows to east and west face; single leaded lattice window (lower) to south face. First stage has leaded lattice window to south face and opens to east with a replacement double-leaf timber-sheeted door, surmounted by leaded-and-stained glass pointed-headed transom light, all in a sandstone ashlar recess with blocked surround, hood mould with carved stops and blackstone voussoirs. Door is accessed via two terrazzo steps.

The west elevation is five evenly-spaced lancets wide.

The north gable has large early twentieth-century leaded-and-stained glass windows at left and right; abutted to centre by the single-storey modern gabled annexe, detailed as main church. Annexe has window and modern timber-sheeted door with pointed-headed transom light to north gable; west elevation has five square timber casements windows; east elevation has four windows and a modern timber-sheeted entrance door with pointed-headed leaded-and-stained glass transom light, accessed by two concrete steps.

Setting:
Situated on a rectangular plot to the west side of Boleran Road, directly facing the junction of Mayboy Road. Set back from the road with large graveyard to front. To southeast is a large tarmacadamed carpark, to north is a large tarmacadamed lay-by. Church is slightly elevated and to rear is a grassy bank, enclosed by roughcast rendered wall having concrete coping topped by modern steel railings. Tarmacadamed pathway to front. To south is a modern graveyard and tarmacadamed pathway with metal handrails to carpark at southeast, bounded by roughcast rendered wall with concrete coping. Variety of headstones to graveyard at front of church, dating from the mid-nineteenth century, some plots with Victorian cast-iron railings. Modern shrine to south.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Roughcast render
Windows: Y-tracery timber casements and leaded-and-stained glass casements
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

St Mary’s RC Church, parish of Errigal (Ballerin), was built c1840 as a simple hall with sacristy and replaced an earlier chapel on the site.

The parish of Errigal comprises the two areas of Ballerin and Glenullin which are served by their respective churches of St Mary’s and St Joseph’s. Errigal parish has an ancient ecclesiastical history and tradition has it that St Adamnan or Eunan founded a monastery in Ballintemple c600 AD which was destroyed by the Vikings in the ninth century. The abbey was rebuilt and survived until the late sixteenth century, the cemetery of the abbey church remaining in use until the 1960s. A further, ninth-century monastic settlement was situated at Aghadowey. At plantation the parish of Errigal was granted to the Ironmongers and during the subsequent penal law period local catholics worshipped at mass rocks, one of which can still be seen in a field opposite St Mary’s, marked with a cross and the letters ‘IHS’. In 1775 the present site was acquired from the Canning family, descendants of George Canning, the first agent of the Ironmongers in Londonderry.

The earlier Boleran Chapel was built on the site in 1775 and is shown on the first edition OS map of 1832, orientated west to east and slightly to the right of the present church. This early structure was a simple low thatched building with an earthen floor. There were no fixed pews but forms were provided which would accommodate 400. The chapel was built in the time of the penal laws and constructed to resemble a weaving mill so that it would evade detection. (OS Memoirs; HB file) The foundation stone of the new church was laid on Easter Sunday 1840 and the first mass was held in the new church on Christmas day the same year. (HB file)
The current church first appears on the second edition of 1849-53, captioned ‘R C Chapel’. A ‘Grave Yard’ is also captioned. The church, built on land owned by the Marquess of Waterford, is listed in Griffith’s Valuation of 1856-64 at £10 and 10s for the grave yard. The marble altars were placed in the church c1888, the marble rails being added in the 1950s. (HB file)

A square tower of basalt and sandstone was added in 1899, the gift of Bernard O’Kane of Mobuoy, a merchant banker who owned property in the area. (Rowan; HB file) The ‘brilliantly coloured’ windows by Clokey of Belfast and Mayer & Co of Munich are of high quality. The six windows by Mayer & Co illustrate trace the foundations of Christian faith from the Annunciation to the Ascension. Two later lights by Clokey & Co depict the Holy Family. (HB file)

The First General Revaluation of the 1930s states that the church could accommodate 420. The church escaped internal alteration following the liturgical changes of the 1960s, but underwent renovation c2004. The front elevation was altered to provide a side door into the church and the sacristy was extended. Internally the position of the gallery stairs was changed and the pews, gallery and roof structure appear to have been replaced. The architect was FM Corr and Associates of Londonderry. (HB file)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/18/1 First Edition OS Map 1832
2. PRONI OS/6/5/18/2 Second Edition OS map 1849-53
3. PRONI OS/6/5/18/3 Third Edition OS Map 1904-5
4. PRONI OS/6/5/18/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1924-33
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/56 Townland Valuation (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/13A-F Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/2 First General Revaluation 1933-57
8. PRONI VAL/3/D/6/3/L/2 First General Revaluation 1933-57
9. Griffith’s Valuation online
10. HB file – 03/04/010

Secondary Sources

1. Day, A., P. McWilliams, English L., eds. “OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Londonderry VIII, 1830, 1833-7, 1839, Vol. 27.” Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1994.
2. Rowan, A “The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster” Penguin, 1979

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

A free-standing double-height rendered Roman Catholic church, built c.1840 on the site of an earlier church, with square blackstone entrance tower (dated 1899). Located to the west side of Boleran Road northwest of Garvagh. Refurbished at the beginning of the twentieth-century, much of the detailing dates from this time. Modern hardstandings have compromised the historic setting, but otherwise, the church retains an unspoiled rural setting. Of significant social importance St Mary’s Church consolidates the local Roman Catholic community and is of considerable local interest.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age; S - authenticity and T - Historic Importance also apply