Aug
02
2023
This is the Catholic Church in Mitchelstown. It is in the townland of Brigown, in the parish of Mitchelstown and in the barony of Fermoy.
It is located on Church Hill off the east side of Main St. in Mitchelstown and overlooks New Market Square. To the west of the church lies the d-shaped graveyard. It is enclosed by a stone wall on the west side. Elsewhere it is bounded by a low curving stone wall topped by iron railings. There are stone piers at the entrance. Memorials in the graveyard date from the 19th century to present. South of the church are 20th century burials.
A total of 159 memorials were recorded.
Surnames include Meagher, O’Brien, O’Sullivan, O’Mahony, Sheridan, Lynch, Walsh, King, Garland, Barnett, Roche, Byron and Fitzgerald.
Interesting Facts
The earlier church, known as St. Fanahan’s Church, dated to 1845-50, but all that survives is the square tower and 40 metre high spire, built in 1847. The church was renamed Church Of The Immaculate Conception in 1854. The rest of the church was demolished in 1978. The present church was consecrated in 1980 and given its new name.
North of the church is St. Fanahan’s Catholic Cemetery, which appears on the 1935 Ordnance Survey 6 inch map of Mitchelstown. St. Fanahan is the Patron of the Parish of Brigown and the town of Mitchelstown. The Saints feast day is on the 25th November every year.
This post was researched and written as part of a grassroots heritage tourism project (www.incultum.eu) in collaboration with Ballyhoura Development CLG (https://www.ballyhouradevelopment.com/), Cork Co. Council (https://www.corkcoco.ie/en) and Limerick Co. Council (https://www.limerick.ie/council). The stories were initially gathered during a community survey of the graveyard. They form part of the Historic Graves Project Destination for Ballyhoura (https://historicgraves.com/destination/ballyhoura).