Stories

St. John the Baptist Church is located on the opposite side of Bawnatemple townland to Canovee Graveyard, on the boundary with Coolnasoon and Cooldrum townlands. The church was built in 1869 on the site of an older church marked on the 1st ed. OS as 'R.C. Chapel' (1840s) and across the road from the old National School House and the site named as 'Kilcoulaghta graveyard' on the 1st Edition OS (1840s). Canon John Foley was Parish Priest of Kilmurry Parish at the time.

While the graveyard at Bawnatemple is the main burial place in the old parish of Cannaway, there are some other burial grounds in the area.

Scott Kerr is a local historian and member of the Friends of the Glasgow Necropolis. In this story he tells us something of the varied career of William McGavin a notorious anti-Catholic preacher from the early 1800s.

 

"I am going to talk about William McGavin.

Was born near Darnlaw, Aughinleck in Ayrshire.

He had very little formal education; he was, more or less, entirely self taught.

Pages