Ballingarry Village , Church of The Assumption

The Graveyard is in Four Sections with 4 additional memorials embedded in the yard itself ( ref No's 140-143)
Section 1 - Right Hand Side Of Church Yard (No's 1 - 139)
Section 2 - Left Hand Side of Church Yard (No's 144 - 248)
Section 3 - High Graves (No's 249 - 467)
Section 4 - New Extension (No's 468 - 484)

PRENDERGAST, EDMOND, PP, Ballingarry, 1820—52 (See Memorial Plaque ref : TS- CAGB-0485)
Educated in Carlow College, 1809—12; ordained, 1812. In Tipperary Conference area from 1812; found as CC Knockavilla, 1818—20, and possibly spent most of his curacy days there. He paid a pastor’s cathedraticum for the parish of Ballingarry, 01/05/1820, but in 07/1820, at Dr. Everard’s Visitation of Ballingarry. it is mentioned that the parish had no PP,and that Fr. Prendergast was “coadjutor”. When Dr. Laffan became Archbishop, he questioned Fr.Prendergast’s appointment as PP, but Fr. Prendergast was able to produce a letter written to him by Dr. Everard, in which he was described as PP Ballingarry. In 1826, however, he had to surrender the townlands of Upper Crohane and Lismolin to the projected new union of Drangan and Cloneen, as his predecessor had promised to surrender that portion of his parish. On 06/05/1828, he laid the foundation stone of the present spacious church of Ballingarry, and later erected a school in the chapel yard. He also built a fine residence, which he intended to leave for a diocesan seminary; the erection of Thurles College frustrated this intention, so he left the house and land adjoining to his nephew, Mr.O’Donnell. His successor, Dr.Phil Fitzgerald, bought the house and land, and at his death left it to Abp. Leahy for a religious foundation; the Presentation nuns, Thurles, made the foundation.
Faction fighting was rife in the parish in the 1820s and caused the pastor much trouble. In 1832, Fr.Meighan, PP Gortnahoe, disputed with Fr. Prendergast part of the boundaries of their respective parishes; both arranged for a Station ‘in a house in the disputed area, and when they met they came to fisticuffs, for which both were suspended for a time. Dr. Laffan’s decision on the disputed area was in favour of Fr.Prendergast. In his later years the PP became weak in mind and childish; though never an ardent politician he revelled in excitement; when he heard of the crowds around Smith O’Brien in Mullinahone in 1848, he went down there and put himself at the head of the insurgents as they marched towards Ballingarry. A few days later he was just as happy with the military; he was incapable of realizing what he was doing. He died of apoplexy, 15/07/1852, aged 64, and was buried in the church which he had built.
Visitation, 1846: 584 confirmed;12 schools, only one National.
Visitation, 1851: 560 confirmed; 9 schools with 625 pupils.
Visitation, 1854: 552 confirmed; A National and 3 private schools for about 1000 pupils;
new church on Pennefather property, no lease but prescription since 1798, when a church was first built on the site; no CC’s collection. In 1837 there was an Erasmus Smith school at Ballingarry Lower on the Glen Road.