Visiting Historic Sites in Newcastle
                              Sunday October 20th

The following sites will be open from 2 to 4 pm as part of the celebrations to mark the bicentenary of St Finian's. Starting from St Finian's, it is possible to visit some or all of the sites out as far as the furthest, Colmanstown Cemetery, to which a lift can be provided. A person from the Bicentenary Book Committee will provide a commentary at each site.

St Finian’s Catholic Church
1825 National School
St Finian’s Church of Ireland
St Finian’s Well
Site of Penal Mass House in Athgoe
Athgoe Castle
Colmanstown Cemetery

Parking is available at Woodlands Health Centre (Newcastle House) for St Finian’s Well. Parking along the avenue to Athgoe Castle, and parking in Nolan’s farmyard for Colmanstown Cemetery. There is limited parking in the Highdowhill  cul-de-sac for the site of the Mass house.

           Other Church Bicentenaries in 2013

Besides our own St Finian's, there are a number of other churches in Ireland celebrating their bicentenary this year. The Church of the Assumption, Booterstown, and St Manman's Church, Clonaslee, Co. Laois, are two examples. The first held its bicentenary Mass a week after we did, on the 23rd June, Archbishop Martin officiating on both occasions, while the second held its Mass, broadcast live on RTE television, on the 21st July. You will notice that St Manman's website carries bicentennial birthday greetings from us.  Other churches recorded as being built/ founded/dedicated in 2013 are : the former church of St Michael and St John, Essex Quay, Dublin (some of whose seats, in a nice coincidence, have ended up in our parish church of St Mary's, Saggart), St  Joseph's, Moneygall (of Obama fame), and St Mary's, Westport. Nearer home, Christ Church in Celbridge was built around 1813 also.

Tomorrow, Sunday 25th August, we welcome back our former parish priest, now Rector of the Irish College, Rome, Fr Ciaran O'Carroll, who is celebrating Mass in St Finian's. A church historian himself, he will, I'm sure, appreciate being with us tomorrow to celebrate our bicentenary.

As well as the video below taken (as is only too obvious) with hand-held camera after the bicentenary Mass in St Finian's, you can see some nice photos of the occasion in The Irish Catholic on the 20th June.

St Finian's Bicentenary Mass

Sunday 16 June 2013 

 

    

    The text of Archbishop Martin's sermon for the Mass can be 

    read here.