Bryansford RC chapel in the 1830's....

[sodafarl]

Looking for information on the re-building, and its first 15 years...
Interesting times!

[Cwellan CoDown]

I did a project in School on the history of the parish of Maghera - including Bryansford and Newcastle chapels.

I think it was kept somewhere - and had old photos of the church etc - I will see if I can dig it out sometime.

This is from the parish facebook page
St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Bryansford village, near Newcastle, predates the old St. Mary's chapel on Newcastle Main Street.

A chapel was built here in the 1760s by Rev. Robert Taylor and rebuilt in 1830 by Rev. John O'Heggarty. Prior to the building of this chapel, Mass was celebrated in a 'bohog' at Cross in Tullyree townland, Kilcoo parish and at Burren Rock.

The chapel holds 550 people.The parish priest in 1827 was Rev. Bernard Murray then Rev Luke Walsh until 1829. Rev. John O'Heggarty arrived in 1829 and commenced the rebuilding of the chapel. In 1836 it was described as a plain building surrounded by trees. The parish priest in 1843 was Rev. Mr. Magill then Rev. Hugh Hanna in 1845 -1885. The curate in 1910 was Rev. John McAleese.

[Cwellan CoDown]

There is a bit of information in this book also

https://archive.org/details/historicalaccoun01olav/page/62/mode/2up?q=maghera

As you say interesting times - Rev O Heggarty was responsible for the rebuilding of the chapel - and made himself personally offensive to Lord Roden - who served him notice to quit..

[sodafarl]

Yes, there was certainly no love lost between Roden and Fr Hegarty!
The book you cite may give a slightly glossy overview of things.
Roden did raise a legal claim for possession of the church, but within 2 weeks, an article appeared in the Vindicator (a Catholic-oriented paper) exposing the case, whereupon Roden withdrew the legal case.
But did he ever actually accept that he had no claim on it?
If we look at Griffiths Valuation (1864 offhand) the church  is treated uniquely:
- it is not shown as a separate (numbered) parcel, nor listed as 'exempt'.
- in fact it looks like it is just part of a field of land.

In 1843, Hegarty gets a letter published in the Vindicator in which he states:
- ".....Is it after having laid out a large sum of money improving a farm on Lord Roden's estate, and being ejected therefrom at the loss of £150, without one farthing of remuneration? - and all this for the sole crime of being a Catholic priest! I was afterwards involved in a lawsuit by Lord Roden, in order to deprive me and my congregation of our chapel at Bryansford...."

I have my own theory of things, but facts on this matter are like hen's teeth!

Hence my appeal.