Service marks completion of restoration at St Mary’s

AN historic Clogher Valley church has opened its doors once again after the completion of restoration work.

A rededication Mass took place to mark the official re-opening of St Mary’s Church, Fivemiletown.

Bishop of Clogher, Larry Duffy, celebrated the Mass, which was attended by 200 parishioners, along with Fr Brendan Gallagher, Father Denis Dolan, and Deacon Martin Donnelly.

Parish priest Fr Gallagher said, “We hope that the parish and the whole community will take delight in and be proud of the restored St Mary’s.”

Work on the project began at the beginning of 2022. This involved the structural repair of the church roof, including timber treatments, restoration of stone works, repairs to defective interior plasterwork and restoration of the landmark stained-glass Rose Window.

In addition, a complete overhaul of electrical and mechanical equipment was completed, plus the introduction of new sanctuary furniture and church seating.

The total cost of the restoration was over £1m and could not have been completed without the support of partner-funding plus the support of the parishioners of Aghavea-Aughtentaine and the wider local community.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund also provided a grant of £400,000 while National Churches Trust and All Churches Trust provided funding of £24,000 and £12,500 respectively.

Nikki McVeigh, NI committee member of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said, “Thanks to National Lottery players, we were delighted to award St Michael’s Diocesan Trust with a grant that has carried out urgent repairs and explored and shared the historic church’s heritage with schools and the community.”

Copies of a booklet outlining the church’s history, ‘The Church of St Mary the Immaculate: A Short History by Margaret Kane and Beverley Weir’, are available from the Parochial House, and in local libraries.