Church of Ireland Monivea

Compiled by Marian Hardiman

The Church of Ireland Church, Monivea

Robert Ffrench (1716 – 1779) was one of the most progressive of the Monivea Landlords.  He built the village of Monivea with its wide greens to facilitate the bleaching of linen – an industry which he set up.  He built a Charter School (McGivern’s Mill site) also managed the widespread planting of trees on his estate.  He also changed the course of the Killaclogher river near Knockcorrandoo and his twenty years project of reclamation works on bogland earned him a Gold Medal from the Royal Dublin Society at the time.

The Board of First Fruits was an institution of the Church of Ireland that was established in 1711 by Queen Anne to build and improve Churches and houses belonging to the Church.  It granted Robert Ffrench £292 towards the cost of building a new church.  In January 1762 construction work began and in October 1769 the church was consecrated by the Archbishop of Tuam.

Robert Ffrench spent £2 3s 9d on his own pew. He later bought two extra pews, one for the children of the Charter School and the other for his servants and tenants. By the late 1700s a pulpit was installed in the church with a bible, prayer books and linen.  A substantial Protestant community had grown in Monivea at this stage. However, by the middle of the 1800’s the last of the Ffrench’s – Robert Percy, Lady Kathleen and Lady Rosamond had converted to Catholicism – leaving Robert’s brother Acheson who remained faithful to the Church of Ireland (Protestant) faith. 

Church of Ireland Monivea

By the 1920’s the church was not in use due to a dwindling population of the Protestant faith.  The roof collapsed in 1955.  The bell was removed from its tower and transported to Belfast.  It is recorded that the bell was greatly missed by the people of Monivea – especially as it rang on New Year’s Eve. In 1957 three of the stained-glass windows were removed and sent to Achill, Co. Mayo.  The spire was further damaged when lightning struck in 1979.

The bell and windows – where are they now?

The Bell

The bell at the Church of Ireland in Monivea village was removed to Cregagh Parish, Belfast following the collapse of the roof.  The Parish Secretary at St. Finnian’s Church, Linda Campbell, very kindly made enquiries with one of their oldest parishioners (aged in his 90’s) and he confirmed that the bell installed in their Church had come from a small place outside Galway City but he didn’t know the name of the place! On checking through the 1982 book “St. Finnian’s Cregagh – the story of the first fifty years 1932 – 1982” Linda confirmed that the bell was, indeed, a gift from the Church at Monivea. It has been rung ever since and has been rung in the evenings in the last year to support the Healthcare workers during Covid 19. It is now operated by a switch but was previously rung by the pulling the ropes.

Bell from Church of Ireland Monivea
St Finnian’s Church Cregagh, Belfast

The Windows

 In 1957 three of the stained-glass windows were removed and installed in St. Thomas’s Church, Dugort (Doogort), Achill, Co. Mayo (built 1850 – 1855) where they remain to this day under the shadow of Slievemore.  The windows are described as “the jewel-like “Trinity Window” reclaimed (1957) from the now-ruined Monivea Church, County Galway” in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage www.buildingsofireland.ie. (link provided by Jimmy Laffey, Skehana and District Heritage Group; Church Reg. number 31304206).