About
Clonfeacle Parish Church (St Patrick's) Benburb dates from 1618. It replaced the former parish church which had been on a different site and had fallen into ruins during the conflicts of the 16th century. It is thought that the present site may have had a much earlier ecclesiastical settlement. It has been documented as the oldest church in the North West of Ireland still in regular use and has stood witness to events in Irish history over the last 400 years, notably the 1641 rebellion and the Battle of Benburb in 1646. It contains a memorial to Captain James Hamilton of the Clandeboye family who fell at the battle and is interred within the church.
Other memorials and features within the church highlight links through history to the Huguenots, the Williamite campaign (the church holds 2 cannon balls thought to be from this period), the agrarian and social unrest of the 1700s, the United Irishmen and the 1798 Rebellion, famine and emigration, the Home Rule campaign and the Easter Rising. The church has links to Trinity College Dublin, and the O'Neill, Powerscourt, Blaney and Bruce families. It was built by Sir Richard Wingfield, who had served under both Queen Elizabeth 1 and King James 1. In 1610 he had been given a grant of land previously held by the O'Neills and which had been forfeited to the Crown. He later became the first Viscount Powerscourt and the new church and lands became part of the Powerscourt estate.
In 1877 the Tyrone estate was sold to the Belfast industrialist James Bruce Esq who made improvements to the church, including the addition of the tower in 1892. The tower houses 2 bells, one known as the Limerick Bell, originally cast for the Capuchin monks in Limerick. It bears a Latin inscription with the date 1688. The second bell (cast in Taylor’s Bell Foundry, Loughborough, Leicestershire) dates from 1948 and commemorates Corporal Hamilton Wray RAF, who died in World War 2 in 1942.
There are 5 beautiful stained glass windows of note dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and 4 later commemorative windows. The stonework of the East window is reputed to have been brought from the earlier church. Located in what became known as the Linen Triangle of Belfast, Dungannon and Armagh, the church also had links to the local linen industry.
Visitors may self-guide aided by information panels displayed throughout the church. A Churchyard Trail highlighting some of the graves and monuments is also available, weather permitting. Suitable footwear required.
Guide Prices
| Ticket Type | Ticket Tariff |
|---|---|
| Ticket | Free |
Free
