The Castlederg church with a 400-year-old story to tell

AT THE heart of the Derg parish lies one of the best-preserved ancient graveyards in Ireland.

It’s a sacred space that has withstood rebellion, ruin and revival. With its distinctive square tower, St John’s Church in Castlederg boasts a myriad of styles and stories that span over 400 years.

The earliest record of this Castlederg church dates back to 1619, in the era of Sir John Davis, who built many of the founding features that define the Derg.

Sir John was one of many appointed landlords during the Plantation of Ulster.

He is best known for his castles at Kirlish in Drumquin and the Red Castle in the town.

The English politician and poet was granted land in West Tyrone and Donegal, and sought to develop the land surrounding and within the Derg.

In the town, he came across a church that was in ruins, presumably from a previous skirmish between the O’Neill and O’Donnell clans, which he rejuvenated using what remained.

Yet just 20 years later, the church was again destroyed in 1641 by Phelim O’Neill during the Irish Rebellion, during an assault on the nearby castle.

The church then lay in ruins for nearly 100 years, until 1731, when a new landlord gave a new lease of life to the slowly-recovering town.

In came the Edwards family, who hailed from Wales but moved to Ireland in the 1600s, initially making their first residence in Dungiven.

However, following a purchase of 42,000 acres of land, they relocated to Castlederg, establishing the Manor of Hastings near the town’s outskirts.

Over the generations, the family built up the parish area and in the 1730s, Hugh – one of the planters’ descendants – took on the task of reconstructing the church ruins.

It is clearly seen from the church’s façade that the square tower at the west end of the church is older than the rest of the building, suggesting this was the sole structure that remained from the original church.

The entrance to the church has a fine classical doorway flanked by freestanding Tuscan columns and a high pediment with a crest carved upon it.

Edwards’ own mark on his new church is found inside the porch. The entrance door to the nave (central part of the church) is surmounted by a round-headed archway with the Latin inscription ‘auspiciis Domini resurgo’, which can be translated as ‘By the favours of God, I rise’, and is dated to Hugh’s reconstruction in 1731.

The church contains five bays, and to the left is the north aisle, which is joined by four arches. On the south wall of the church, the first window – which is the baptistery – depicts St John, and the second is of square-paned, opaque glass with an inset depicting St Luke.

The third window was donated in 1959, in memory of Andrew McCready who died two years prior, and shows Jesus blessing the children.

The fourth window depicts St Mark, and the fifth shows St Matthew.

Yet the most striking feature within this church is the well-preserved ancient graveyard, which dates back to at least 1689, from the headstones that are still readable.

One such headstone is that of Agnes Dovey, who died in 1699. A section of the headstone reads:

‘Remember man as thou pass by,As thou are now so once was I,As I am now so shall you be,Remember man must die’

Another key feature of the local church is the grand, beautifully crafted Conacher Pipe Organ. Like many churches in the early 20th century, the organ was a much sought-after feature that would raise the energy of the choir.

For St John’s, this new development came from Dublin and was built by Peter Conacher at a cost of £300.

These funds came from grants between the Beresford Fund and the Carnegie Trust, alongside funds raised by the congregation.

Initially, this organ was operated by a hand pump.

However, in 1954 a decision was made by the Mothers’ Union to donate an electric blower. Yet in times of power cuts, the church does not miss out on the booming sound, as it reverts to the hand-pump.

The font of the baptistery was presented by the children of the church’s Sunday School in 1931, and was designed specifically to match the stone pulpit and prayer desk.

In the church’s sanctuary, the panelling on the south side commemorates those who died during World War I, and that on the north side, those killed in the Second World War.

In 1971, St John’s was gifted with the addition of a new vestry room on the west end of the building. This arose as a commemorative gift from the Smyly family to mark 250 years of connection with the Ferguson family and to the parish and local district.

The Derg parish – St John’s – remains, after 300 years of history with struggle and strife, a staple of the town’s community.

It holds a key part of Castlederg’s fabric and legacy within the county and within Christianity in Ireland. As Peter Ferguson, Rector of St John’s, said, “After much hard work and planning by so many, we see (the church) quite literally shine as a beacon for the Gospel in the Derg Valley.”