Historic Strabane Church Celebrates 125th Anniversary<\/span><\/p>
Tuesday, 8th June 2021<\/span><\/span><\/p>
A NUMBER of items from the beautiful Church\nof the Immaculate Conception in Strabane, which this week celebrates its 125th\nanniversary, are to go on display in the church on Tuesday September 15.<\/span>
Last year, the Church secured a grant of\n£375,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to fund restoration work on\nthe building, which was originally built in 1895, funded by the people of the\nlocal community.
The project is being delivered through the\nLottery’s Parish Church Restoration and Inclusive Participation Programme\n(Living History in the Community).
The display items will give a taste of\nwhat’s to come next year when the church restoration project is completed and\nthe full exhibition goes permanently on display.
To mark the anniversary a Special Blessing\nwill be held on Tuesday to celebrate the place the Church has occupied at the\nheart of the local community over the centuries, its heritage and its\narchitectural beauty.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District,\nCouncillor Brian Tierney, will visit the Church this week as part of the\nhistoric celebration.
Speaking ahead of his visit he said: “I am\ndelighted to see that one of Strabane’s most iconic historic buildings is to\nbenefit from this investment in its restoration.
“The Church is a beautiful building and\nthis week we have the opportunity to celebrate its place in the history of the\narea and in the lives of the parishioners who have cared for it so diligently\nover the years.”
Curator at the Tower Museum, Roisin\nDoherty, said it was timely on the anniversary to give a sneak preview of some\nof the historic objects to go on display later next year.
“We are delighted to be able to help tell\nthe story of this lovely building which is finally being restored to its former\nglory,” she declared.
“The church is special in that it really\nbelongs to the people of the Strabane area who, despite the poverty of the\ntime, put what little they could spare into its construction. It still retains\nthat place at the heart of community life, and we look forward to the\ncompletion of the project and the permanent display of some of the beautiful\nartefacts in its collection.”
The foundation stone of the Church of the\nImmaculate Conception was laid on 9 November 1890 and the work on the building\ntook five years to complete, organised by Rev Hugh O’Hagan the local Parish\nPriest.
Parishioners in Strabane weekly paid\ntowards the costs, which amounted to £18,000, and also contributed to the\nbeautiful wood carving that adorns the building.
Father Declan Boland is Parish Priest at\nthe Church, and he is immensely proud of the role his parishioners have played\nin progressing the work on the building which has a special place in their\nhearts.
“This Project is ‘Our Noble Heritage’. We\nhave in the Church of the Immaculate Conception a building of outstanding\nbeauty whose design and architectural features are second to none,” he\nexplained.
“Since 1895 generations of our people have\nworshiped here and have found peace and consolation in God’s presence.
“It’s an iconic building in which our\npeople have the utmost pride and admiration.
“To maintain its beauty and quality for\nthis generation and many to come we have had to embark on very extensive\nrenovations which are now underway.
“The history and heritage of the church is\nnow being very skilfully developed so that many people will become aware of the\nmany artefacts and features of the church which will now be professionally put\non display.
“The people of the parish are justifiably\nproud of all of this and are supporting us in every way possible. I am deeply\nhumbled and so very proud of all our parishioners.”
Paul Mullan, Director, Northern Ireland at\nThe National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “The National Lottery Heritage Fund\nis delighted to support the restoration of the Church of the Immaculate\nConception.
“This project will not only restore the\nhistoric fabric of the church but will also bring the heritage of the church to\nlife through the display of important collections like this.
“It’s a great way to mark the Church’s\n125th Anniversary and ensure the local community have the opportunity to share\nin the celebrations and have a greater understanding of its unique heritage.
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“We’re grateful to National Lottery players\nfor enabling us to support important projects like this.”
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Tuesday, 8th June 2021<\/span><\/span><\/p>
The Community Heritage Team are proud to\npresent a talk by Brian Crowley on James Pearse, 19th Century monumental\nsculptor and father of Irish revolutionary, Patrick Pearse. Click onto\nfollowing link to access the talk on YouTube on the 8th December, 8pm.
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