St Mary’s ‘rings’ in the changes with new bell tower

ST Mary’s in Aughabrack has rung in the changes after a new bell tower was recently erected on the site of the local church.

The bell tower, designed and built by local man John Devine, was blessed and dedicated after a mass earlier this month.

Speaking to the Chronicle, John Devine relayed how he came up with the design idea in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep.

“Back a few years ago, I got talking to Fr (Eamon) McDevitt at a wedding, and I suggested to him about maybe erecting a bell tower at St Mary’s in Aughabrack. He said that he thought it would be a great idea, and we would talk about it later. A few months passed, and I kept thinking to myself, ‘what design can I come up with that would suit the chapel and the surrounding area?’. We spoke no more about it until one night last year, I went to bed about 11.30pm, and I couldn’t sleep with different shapes and designs swirling around my head. About 2am, I got up and went downstairs, got a pencil, ruler and paper, and I started getting ideas for how the new bell tower might look, and began sketching them down. By the time half six came around that morning, I had fully planned out every aspect of the project.”

After showing the plans to Fr McDevitt, who was very impressed, John submitted the designs to the planners. Once they were passed, he immediately set to work.

In just over a year, John, with assistance from the Gallen family with the foundation work and block laying, was able to construct a new bell tower, complete with a new bell, for the church.

A project of such artistry wasn’t going to be cheap but John remarked that the overall cost of the project was funded through a mixture of his own capital alongside generous donations from the congregation.

Now that the final stone has been set and the bell at St Mary’s can be proudly rung for all to hear, how does John feel?

“I’m thrilled; absolutely over the moon that the bell tower has now been completed, and hopefully it’ll stand for a great many years, giving people a sense of happiness at weddings and respect and strength at funerals.

“The bell tower has turned out beautifully and everyone in the parish agrees. We have even had members of other churches in the area come to admire the tower. It was important to ensure that the bell tower was in step with the overall aesthetic of the church architecture, and I think we captured it wonderfully.”