is
part of the Swanlinbar Group in the Kilmore Diocese of the Church of Ireland History |
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History |
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Swanlinbar
Village
Swanlinbar village is situated in the northwest of County Cavan, near the Fermanagh border & 8 miles (N.W.) of Ballyconnell. It lies in a broad valley between the Cuilcagh (667 Metres), (2188 feet) and the Slieve Russel mountains (404 Metres), (1325 feet). The surrounding countryside is tranquil and beautiful, and is intersected by two rivers, the Cladagh and the Blackwater. Such rivers give opportunity to would-be fisherman. The village of Swanlinbar gets its name from four men who owned the once prosperous iron mine in the neighbouring mountain of Cuilcagh. Their names were Swift, Saunders, Finn and Barr. Two letters were taken from each of their names, and at first the village was known as 'Swadlingbar'. At a later date the letter 'D' was replaced by 'N', the `G' was also dropped, giving it the name we know today. During the 18th Century, Swanlinbar
was famous for its spas. The spas, mineral water springs, were located
at Mullan, Gortoral and Drumod, and are still present today. Nowadays,
the Maguire family maintain the Drumod spa, however, the other spas
are in poor condition. During the 18th Century, these spas attracted
hundreds of visitors from the wealthier classes, who came to drink the
water. There is said to have been a hotel at the Gortoral spa, where
some of the visitors stayed. The hotel's surrounding grounds were attractively
laid out in gardens, where the visitors could stroll after drinking
the water. You would certainly require a
good capacity for drinking fluids, if you were to endure the above for
a week! In former years, Swanlinbar belonged to Kinawley Parish. An old Minutes Book' of Kinawley and Holy Trinity mentions a Chapel of Ease at Swanlinbar, as early at 1610. The Parish Church was located at Callowhill on the way to Ballyconnell. All that remains of this building are three walls. There are some very old headstones in the cemetery, belonging to both Protestants and Roman Catholics. This Church became too small for the growing congregation, and in 1825, there was a new Church built at Cloghan, near the village of Derrylin. The 'Minutes Book' suggested that the Rector, the Rev. John James Fox, did not live at Derrylin, however he employed two curates to run the parish. Places of Worship in Swanlinbar There were four places of worship
in Swanlinbar; a Roman Catholic Chapel, a Primitive Methodist, a Wesleyan
Methodist and St. Augustines', Church of Ireland. The Roman Catholic
Chapel is said to have been built around 1850. Unfortunately a bomb
destroyed the Chapel during the early 1970's, therefore a new one was
built. This is of modem design, and was opened in 1978. The Primitive
Methodists had their meetings in "Ben View", but later joined
the Wesleyan Methodists. Ben View is now a private residence. The Methodist
Church was built around 1840, it was a small building which stood the
test of time very well. The Methodists owned a lot of the houses in
Swanlinbar, and Mr. Richard Howe gave ground to build a Manse for the
resident preacher in 1890. As the Methodist congregation declined, there
was no need for a resident preacher, so the Manse was sold in the 1960's.
The services continued until eventually the Church had to be sold in
1997. St. Augustines' Church of Ireland is now the oldest building in
Swanlinbar. It was opened on 19th June, 1849, as a Chapel of Ease for
Kinawley Parish, replacing a thatched building. The Parish In 1863, Swanlinbar became a separate parish as it is today. It lies partly in County Cavan and partly in County Fermanagh and includes the village of Kinawley. There was a rectory built a short distance from the Church, which has seen many changes, and is still occupied today. Swanlinbar Rectory with Canon Robert Keogh on the driveway. School A school was also built across the road from the Church, with living accommodation for a teacher at one end. In later years the living quarters were no longer required so this area was added to the school to make it larger. As the school consisted of one large room with a platform at one end, it was also used as a Church hall. Around 1915-16 Miss Gutherie was the schoolteacher and later, Mr. Fred Sheriff from Trivia House became teacher. In 1923 Miss Rosina Milliken came as teacher, and some years later married Mr. John Good. She continued to teach in Swanlinbar until the school was closed in 1962 due to the lack of pupils. Those children remaining went to Ballyconnell School where transport had to be provided for them. Around 1937 the platform was removed from the school, and a new kitchen was built on to the back of the hall, making a larger and more useful hall.
St. Augustines' Church When St. Augustines' Church was built, it could accommodate a congregation of 250 people. Over the years the congregation declined, so the Select Vestry decided to take away some of the pews beneath the gallery. The area was enclosed to make two rooms. One of these rooms is now used as a vestry while the other is a store room for cleaning materials. This work was carried out by Mr. Thomas Hicks, Moneenbane and Mr. William Hassard, Borim. The present day vestry is also used as a Sunday School room and part of the store room has now been converted into a toilet by Mr. Raymond Wilson. Church Heating Years later a stove was installed in the aisle, this was a good source of heat, but tended to be an obstruction when a wedding or a funeral was taking place. When electricity reached Swanlinbar, electric heaters were put on the walls, and large gas heaters were used. They were satisfactory, however they needed to be alight for quite a length of time in order to heat the Church. After some years the Select Vestry decided to install oil 'blow' heating. This present system heats the Church quickly and, having a timer, is more convenient as it can be set to switch itself on and off. Mr. Raymond Wilson installed the oil `blow' heating system in 1992. The Grounds and Church The interior of St. Augustines'
Church needed to be decorated, which was completed at a cost of £650,
and St. Paul's Church, Kinawley was decorated at a cost of £275.
Later, St. Augustines' Church required a new roof so major fund raising
had to be carried out. Letters were written to past and present parishioners
concerning the repairs required to the Church. Waste paper was collected
and brought to Lisburn free of charge, by Mr. David Armstrong, Florencecourt,
making £169.30. There were `sales of work', sports and sponsored
walks held. Altogether, there was a substantial sum of money collected
and the Church was able to be roofed in 1979. It was rededicated in
1980. In 1980, the Rev. Jack Watson helped organise a concert in the
Wonderland Hall, Bawnboy, inviting the Garda Band from Dublin. The concert
was a great success, and the £3,000 raised was divided between
the Church and the Chapel. In 1957 Templeport Parish was amalgamated with Swanlinbar, as a result, the service times had to be changed. St. Augustines' Sunday service was held at 10.30 a.m. and St. Peter's, Templeport, was held at 12 noon on alternate Sundays, and St. Paul's remained at 3.00 p.m. In 1990 Tomeragan, Ballyconnell, was also amalgamated with Swanlinbar Parish, again, as a result service times needed to be changed. All the parishioners wanted a morning service, so Swanlinbar and Kinawley agreed to have their morning service at 10.00 a.m. on alternate Sundays; Tomeragan and Templeport also agreed to have their services at 11.30 a.m. and 12.45 p.m. on alternate Sundays.
The Rt. Hon. Earl of Enniskillen,
Florencecourt. The Rt. Hon. Earl of Erne J.P., Crom Castle. Parson Crofter,
Esq. The Church was painted in grey, with a dado rail, and pretty stencilling that added much to the appearance. The pulpit was modernised and the seats stained and varnished. Also at this time Stragowna School
had undergone repairs. The old clay flagged floor had been replaced
by boards, the walls distempered, and the seating accommodation improved.
It was re-opened on the afternoon of Sunday 12`h July, 1891, at 4pm. Select Vestry Messrs:- William Hicks, Alex Elliott, R.E.S. Johnson B.A., D. Thompson, Thos. Elliott, Thomas Trimble, John Johnson, Thomas Smith, Alex Hassard, T. Trimble, Drumcask, R. Crawford, J.H. Crawford. Sides men Messrs. John Johnson,
James Crawford, Matt Pennell, Richard Johnston, Thomas Trimble, Drumcask. |
Vestry
Members |
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1935 | Rector | G.A. Milligan, | |
Rector's Church Warden | Robert Crozier, | ||
People's Church Warden | Alex Hassard, | ||
Treasurer | J. Kerr, | ||
Assistant Treasurer | J. Kennedy, | ||
Secretary | G. Scales | ||
Select Vestry | Messrs. R.S.L. Hutton, T. Graham, W. Hassard, Thomas Crawford, R. Johnston, J.H. Crawford, T. Hicks, G. Breen, E. Breen, T. Elliott, T. Smith, G. Scales and J. Kennedy. | ||
1948 | Select Vestry | Messrs. Robert Hassard, William Howden, Alex Hassard, Thomas Hicks, John Smyth, Robert Humphries, Richard Johnston, Robert Crawford, Victor Trimble and William H. Hicks. | |
1958 | Select Vestry | Messrs. R. Pennell, D. Johnston, W. Hamilton, V. Trimble, T. Hicks, W. Hassard, T. Clements, T. Graham, N. Crawford, W. Crawford, G. Veitch, W. Howden, T. Crawford and H. Scales (Treasurer). | |
1967 | Select Vestry | Messrs. Thomas Clements, William Hassard, Thomas Fisher, Andrew Smyth, William Crawford, Mackey Breen, James Wilson, Thomas Graham, William Hamilton, Richard Johnston, Walter Crawford and Stanley Moffitt. | |
1971 | Select Vestry | Messrs. James Wilson, Thomas Graham, Will Crawford, Thomas Hicks, William Hamilton, Thomas Hicks (Culkey), George Burleigh, Mackey Breen, Thomas. Fisher, Stanley Moffitt, William Smyth and Mervyn Gould. | |
1978 | Select Vestry; | Messrs. William Hamilton, Thomas Clements, William Storey, Ernest Breen, Mackey Breen, Bob Dunne, Raymond Wilson, Thomas Graham, Mrs. Ida Smyth, Mrs Eileen Moffitt, Mrs. Alice Gould, Stanley Moffitt (secretary) and Hazel Crawford (Treasurer). | |
1986 -'87 | Select Vestry | Messrs. George Graham, Robert Dunne, Bob Dunne, Thomas Fisher, Leslie Wilson, William Smyth, Mackey & Ernest Breen, Abraham Veitch, Mervyn Gould, William Hassard, William Storey, Stanley Moffitt and Miss Hazel Crawford. | |
1996 -'97 | St. Augustines' Church | St. Paul's Church | |
Rector's Church Warden | Leslie Wilson | Abraham Veitch | |
People's Church Warden | Ivan Stubbs | George Graham | |
Select Vestry | Ernest Breen, Alice Gould, Cecil Crawford, Mervyn Gould, Hazel Crawford, Alan Gould, Robert Dunne (Senior), Stanley Moffitt, Thomas Fisher, William Storey, Mary Thornton and Noel Storey. |
Clergy
in Swanlinbar Parish in the Last One Hundred and Fifty Years |
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Dates |
Name of Clergy | Type |
1807 - 1844 |
Rev. William Gratton 37 years | Curate |
1843 - 1853 |
Rev. Archibold Crawford | Curate |
1854 - 1856 |
Rev. John Johnston Eagan | Curate |
1857-1861 |
Rev. Mathew Lawder | Curate |
1875 - 1877 |
Rev. Frazer Whelan | Curate |
1877 - 1880 |
Rev. Thomas Fussell | Rector |
1880 - 1888 |
Rev. William Handbury | Rector |
1888 - 1894 |
Rev. John McKnight | Rector |
1895 - 1905 |
Rev. Thomas Torrence | Rector |
1906 - 1909 |
Rev. Ernest Alfred Killingley | Rector |
1910 - 1913 |
Rev. William Thomas Stewart | Rector |
1913 - 1924 |
Rev. Henry William Shire | Rector |
1924 - 1925 |
Rev. John Warren | Rector |
1925 - 1927 |
Rev. Charles Fredrick Carroll | Rector |
1928 - 1929 |
Rev. Thomas Percival Rose | Rector |
1929 - 1931 |
Rev. James Pontyz 1928 - 1929 | Rector |
1932 - 1939 |
Rev. George Milligan | Rector |
1939 - 1944 |
Rev. Robert Ernest Trenier | Rector |
1944 - 1950 |
Rev. Robert John Doonan | Rector |
1951 - 1956 |
Rev. John Richard Wheelock | Rector |
1956 - 1957 |
Rev. Canon H.I.K. Anderson In charge during vacancy | Canon |
1957 - 1962 |
Rev. Cecil Armstrong | Rector |
1962 - 1963 |
Rev. Canon H.I.K. Anderson In charge during vacancy | Canon |
1963 - 1965 |
Rev. Derek Cecil Dunwoody | Bishop's Curate |
1965 - 1969 |
Rev. George Kingston | Rector |
1970 - 1973 |
Rev. Derek Johnston Rector | Rector |
1973 - 1982 |
Rev. John R. Watson Rector | Rector |
1982 - 1990 |
Rev. Canon Jim Sides In charge during vacancy | Canon |
1982 - 1983 |
Rev. George Kingston Retired during vacancy work | Rector |
1983 |
Rev. Dean Clements In Charge during March - September 1983 | Dean |
1988 - 1989
|
Rev. Dean Maurice Talbot In Charge during vacancy July 1988 - May 1989 | Dean |
Services taken by Retired Clergymen: Rev. Ralph
and Rev. Canon Wheelock; Divinity Students: Mr. David Ferry, Mrs. Martha
Greystack and Mr. David Bell, during the Summer months; Lay Readers: Mr.
Noel Regan, Mr. George Brown and Mrs. Hazel Hicks, Mr. Donald Walker |
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Oct 1990 - 2002 |
Rev. Robert Keogh (Made a Canon of St. Fethlimidh's Cathedral, Kilmore on 1st November 1998.) | Rector |
2002 - 2004 |
Services taken by Retired Clergymen & Lay readers | |
Aug 2004 - |
Geoff Wilson |
Repairs on St. Augustines'
Church In 1998 the inside of the Church was painted by Mr. Barrie Hicks and all the woodwork has been stained. The Church was reopened for services on Christmas Day 1998. We hope to have a special service on 20th June, 1999. It will be a service of Thanksgiving for all God's mercy and care during the past one hundred and fifty years. < Do we have any updates, did it happen and who took the service etc.? > < Are there any photos, 'Before and after' ? >
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AcknowledgementsAll the information in this section
and on the memorials page was taken
from the booklet Acknowledgement
from book
My thanks to all who helped to make this booklet possible: • The Librarian of R.C.B. Dublin Library - Susan Hood • Rev. George Davison • Rev. Canon Robin Richey • Rev. Canon Robert Keogh • Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Moffitt • Mrs. Alice Gould • Miss Barbara Gould • Mr. Peter Barnfield • Mrs. Brigid Lenane |