About
Clogher Parish would like to invite you on a guided tour of St Macartan’s Church, Augher (The Forth Chapel), the UK Church of The Year 2022. The tour will commence at 3.00pm from the Carpark at St Macartan’s Church and will conclude at 4.30pm.
This beautiful Church is located in the heart of the Clogher Valley and is one of the key sites on the Carleton Trail. The church dates from 1838 – 1846 and was once the cathedral of the Roman Catholic diocese of Clogher.
Its site is mentioned in the writings of William Carleton writer (1794-1869) in particular Midnight Mass on Ballinagurragh Fort, the site on which it was built.
The church is also notable as it is home to four Clarke Studio Stained Glass windows dating from 1922. There are four stained glass windows which are believed to have been designed by the Dublin-based workshop of Joshua Clarke & Sons, famous for the work of Harry Clarke (1889-1931). Recent restoration work on the windows was officially recognised at the 2021 Heritage Angel Award Ceremony.
There is no record of the stained glass windows at St.Macartan’s Chapel at Augher. The four Clarke studio windows within St. Macartan’s Chapel were all erected in 1922 and three of these were dedicated to the memories of the Kavanagh family, prominent local parishioners.
The Rev. Hughes window was installed to commemorate the Archbishop John Joseph Hughes (1797- 1864). Hughes was the first Archbishop of New York, he had been born in Clogher Parish but emigrated to the United States in 1817. Rising in the priesthood, the Rev. Hughes became a prominent figure for the entrenched Catholics of New York who were struggling against sectarian and political discrimination and it was largely through his influence that Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue was constructed which is today a major New York landmark.
The Rev. John Hughes returned to Clogher where he celebrated mass in the newly completed St. Macartan’s Chapel on 6th January 1846. An inscription on the Clarke Studio window reads ‘In memoriam most Revd John Hughes /First Archbishop of New York / A native of this parish / Died Jan 3rd 1864 R.I.P.’
The Saint Macartan Window was erected in memory of Rose Kavanagh (c. 1859-1891), a local poet who grew up in Mullaghmore townland. Rose Kavanagh was an influential figure during the early years of the Irish Literary Revival. She suffered throughout her life with Tuberculosis and succumbed to the disease on 26th February 1891 and was buried in the graveyard at St. Macartan’s Chapel.
The third memorial window within St. Macartan’s Chapel depicts St. Patrick and was also erected in 1922 to commemorate a ‘Mrs Campbell.’ This was Katharine Campbell (nee Kavanagh) who was the sister of Rose Kavanagh, it was she that nursed her sister during her final illness. The mother of Rose and Katherine Kavanagh was first cousin to the Rev. John Hughes, therefore making the three memorial windows within the Chapel a family set.
The remaining Clarke window does not bear any inscription or memorial, but is adorned with nine illustrations of ecclesiastical symbols and is carried out in a similar Celtic style.
After the tour at St Macartan’s there is an option to visit Carletons Cottage nearby.
Booking Required: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/st-macartans-church-the-forth-for-ehod-2023-tickets-698423572707
Guide Prices
| Ticket Type | Ticket Tariff |
|---|---|
| Ticket | Free |
Free, Booking Required
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/st-macartans-church-the-forth-for-ehod-2023-tickets-698423572707
