by Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill
St Mary's was Clifden's first Roman Catholic Chapel. It was built in
1824, at a turning point in the history of the town. The town had at the
time been over twelve years in the making. John D'Arcy himself gave the
year 1812 as the foundation of the town, but we know that efforts to establish
Clifden had begun some years before that and it was many years after 1812
before there was any sign of real success.
In 1821 the population of the town stood at 290, ten years later it had
shot up to 1,257. People were at last responding to John D'Arcy's efforts
to attract them into the area. What brought them here was the possibility
of employment and the availability of land. The Government had opened
up Connemara with the construction of a network of roads cutting through
the heart of the territory, offering employment along the way and opening
up districts that were previously inaccessible.
The majority of the people who worshipped at St Mary's had come from
other parts of Ireland and were really pioneers. They came into what was
considered at the time to be a backward, lawless place. Even Clifden's
first parish priest Fr. Myles Prendergast was referred to in Dublin Castle
Documents in 1813 as a "murderer and an outlaw". Fr Prendergast
went into hiding in Connemara after the 1798 rebellion and has since become
a legend in the district.
The construction of St Mary's was a positive statement in the town's
development. Official records now referred to Clifden as a town: up until
this it was called a village. Mass must have been said in some other building
prior to this but I have yet to find reference to it. The Chapel was cruciform
in shape, a simple structure, and like the houses in the town it had a
whitewashed exterior. Inside there were three galleries, one of which
faces the altar. It served as the parish church until 1879 when it was
replaced by St Joseph's, a much more impressive building built in the
neo-Gothic style which was typical of ecclesiastical architecture in the
second half of the nineteenth century.
For the next few years St Mary's served as a parish hall until it was
pulled down in 1886 and we are told the stones went into the construction
of the Parish Priest's house close by. The graveyard holds the graves
of some of the town's earliest inhabitants. Walking around it and reading
the names on the headstones was for me like visiting old friends, I knew
so many of them. There is a Disney here - in the 1850s he held land on
the Beach Road. Walt Disney used to claim he had Irish ancestors. Could
this be one of them I wonder?
There are Lydens, O'Malleys, Connollys, Lees, all very politically active
families, and many of their stories are recounted in "History
of Clifden" and "Beyond
The Twelve Bens". Some have descendants still living here. Anthony
Gorham's impressive tomb stands close to the entrance gate. He was the
father of the well known Dr. Pit Gorham, grandfather of Maurice Gorham,
RTE's first Director of Broadcasting and great grandfather of Desmond
Morris of Ben View House.
The graveyard was desecrated by vandals in March 1886 and a public meeting
was called to discuss ways of protecting the Chapel and graveyard for
the future, after this the Chapel was demolished and the graveyard abandoned.
Down through the years there was a lot of talk about cleaning it up. At
one time the Town Improvements Committee cleared the trees and attempted
to convert it into a car park, but thankfully were prevented from doing
so.
Those of us who love Clifden and held an interest in its early citizens
were saddened to see St Mary's so neglected, but were at a loss to know
what to do about it. It took Brian Hughes of Abbeyglen
Castle Hotel to bring about some action. Brian started the ball rolling
by raising sponsorship when he ran the marathon in 1994 and with help
from the Leader Project and Clifden Chamber of Commerce, he set to work.
Trees were cut down, paths laid out and picnic tables put in place so
that all can enjoy this wonderfully peaceful spot in the heart of our
town. Brian was assisted by Catherine Pryce, the Price and Roche families,
Vincent Leggett and many others. The work was supervised by the Archeologist
Gerry MacCloskey. It took time, patience and enormous effort by all involved
but the result is there for all see. This is just phase one of the project
the next phase will require more volunteers; the graveyard has to be maintained,
in particularly during those busy Summer months.
So if you would like to join that dedicated little group, the Friends
of St Mary's, Brian and Catherine would love to hear from you. St Mary's
Graveyard was officially opened to the public on 19 September 1999 by
His Excellency Daniel Dultzin,
Ambassador of Mexico. Access to the graveyard is through the original
entrance on Main Street and by a stile opposite the Parish Priest's house.
(24 September '99)