About Our Churches
Barntown/Glynn
History
The church of St. Alphonsus nestled under the Three Rocks at Barntown owes its origin to the dedicated endeavours of Very Rev. Patrick Murphy P.P. Born at Cousinstown in 1786, he studied for the priesthood in a school run by the Franciscan friars in Gibson’s Lane, Wexford. He was ordained in Maynooth in 1812. Fr. Murphy was appointed parish priest in Glynn in 1817, and died as parish priest of Barntown in 1867.
During the interim years, he became obsessed with the idea of providing a suitable place of worship for his parishioners from the hill side of the parish, who worshipped in what was no more than a shelter in a barn-like structure in the village.
He set the wheels in motion in the early 1840’s and worked tirelessly during Ireland’s most desolate days of the great famine. He was a man of considerable influence in the diocese and he used his position to maximum advantage in obtaining assistance in the building of his church.
John Hyacinth Talbot was a member of one of Wexford’s most important Catholic families of the time and Fr. Murphy, through his friendship with the Talbots, acquired the assistance of Augustus Welby Pugin, who drew up plans for the church. Pugin was the most famous neo- gothic architect of the nineteenth century and he left an indelible mark on the church landscape of Ferns with his numerous commissions. His design work on Barntown church gave it the enviable distinction of being referred to as the “Gem of the Diocese”.
Fundraising got underway in the early 1840’s and the foundation stone was laid in 1844. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated in the church for the first time in 1848. During the construction, Fr. Murphy used every ploy to keep the expenses to a minimum and the locals were totally supportive of the project. In addition to finances and labour, many items of interest were donated by the more affluent members of the community.
Fr. Murphy kept meticulous financial records. These records have survived and provide fascinating reading for anyone even remotely interested in the history of the church.
ST. LAWRENCE'S CHURCH, GLYNN
The Parish of Glynn represents the older parishes of Whitechurch, Kilbride, Ardcandrisk and Carrig. It also includes Killurin Chapelry of ChapelCarron and in 1801 the parish was referred to as Boolabawn.
In 1789, Rev. Peter Devereux, the Parish Priest of Glynn/Boolabawn (1766 to 1811), built this T-Shaped Church original roofed in thatch, at a spot called Glynn (Glinn or Gleann). The land on which it was built, was provided by Robert Devereux of Carrigmannon, a relative of the parish priest. Through its association with the Devereux family, the church was known as "the Chapel of Carrigmannon".
During the 1798 Rebellion, an attempt was made by yeomen to burn it down, by setting fire to its thatched roof. Thankfully local residents succeeded in saving the main body of the church. However, the destroyed thatched roof was later replaced with slated finish and the church has continued in use ever since.
A large weather-slated porch or narthex contains a spiral stair that provides access to the first floor gallery. There is a carved wooden reredos(a large altarpiece), and the church is provided by natural light by a series of pointed arch stained glass windows.
Several wall plaques commemorate deceased clergy; one is in memory of Rev. James Harper, P.P. of Ballygarrett who died at the age of 49 in 1838.
Another records the fact that it was in Glynn Church that Rev. James Aloysius Cullen, later to found the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, was inspired during a mission held in the parish in October 1874 to initiate a Temperance Movement.
If you every passing take time to visit this beautiful church and take in its 231 years of history.
First Mission
Fr. Murphy invited the priests of the Redemptorist Order to give a mission to his flock in 1854. This mission was a huge success. Tradition has it that people came from as far afield as Kilmore to attend the sermons. Fr. Vladimir Pecherin, a convert from the Russian Orthodox Church, who became famous in church circles, was one of the crowd-drawing preachers at this mission. A Mission Cross was erected outside the church under the great east window. There was a document enclosed behind glass in this Cross. This document has long since disappeared and the Cross recently fell into disrepair and has not been replaced during the modern renovation.
An account of this mission from chronicles of Mount St. Alphonsus: –
The mission was given in the two chapels of the same parish. On the mountain was Fr. Theunis (Superior) with Frs. Petcherin and Vanderae. At Glynn, in the valley, was Fr. Bernard, with Frs. Leo and Coffin. The mission was opened on Saturday, 8th July and closed on 24th. There were 1,500 Communions in both places. We were obliged, many times to preach in the open air, and to have an altar erected for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
The church in Barntown is one of the finest specimens of a country church. It was designed by Pugin and in his best style. It was the first church in Ireland dedicated to St. Alphonsus. The parish priest, Very Rev. Dean Murphy, V.G., is a most venerable old man, of seventy years or more. He has been in this parish for more than thirty years. At the farewell sermon, Fr. Bernard bade him rise and show himself to his people. The impression was indescribable. His grey hair and wasted frame spoke of a long life of untiring zeal. Both the flock and the pastor shed tears.
The people of Wexford came in great numbers to the mission at Barntown. They remembered in their grateful hearts the mission at Wexford the previous year. Many people spoke with veneration and love of the late Fr. John Vanantwerpen. ‘The Dear Angel’ was the name they gave him.”
The church today
In past renovations the Pugin decoration and artefacts were considered old fashioned and were removed as the style of the times demanded. In the late 1990’s, a church renovation committee was formed under the chairmanship of Fr. Sean Gorman, C.C., with the primary intention of restoring the church to its former Pugin beauty. With this in mind, the committee engaged Mr. Michael Tierney, Architect, who had recently completed the renovation of St. Aidan’s Cathedral in Enniscorthy.
A local firm, Cleary and Doyle, were hired as the main contractors for the project.
When work began, major structural damage was discovered in the roof beams and walls, which was more extensive than anticipated. When carrying out these repairs it was necessary to cover the beautiful original plastered and stencilled ceiling. Some of the other major works carried out include: –
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Converting the altar boys’ vestry into a beautiful Oratory
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Re-styling of the Sanctuary area which included carpeting,
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lowering the reredos, installing a front altar and ambo;
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Renewing the heating, lighting and public address systems;
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Replacing the wainscoting and confessional;
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Repainting roof timbers, ceiling and walls which included stencilling the walls with the original pattern;
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Restoring some of the older stained glass windows;
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General improvements to the priest’s vestry, baptismal area and porches;
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Sandblasting the exterior stonework;
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Repairing the bells;
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Building an external workhouse and toilets.
The bell of St Alphonsus Church
The cost of all this work was enormous and fundraising in the parish will occupy the committee for some time.
The cost of all of this work was enormous. Thankfully though the generous support of parishioners, fiscal restraint and asset management, this debt is now fully discharged and future planning can now take place.
The parish church at Glynn
The parish church at Barntown