St. Michael's , Annyalla
The Church of St. Michael the Archangel is located on an eminent site in the village of Annyalla, along the main Dublin to Derry road in the heart of County Monaghan. St. Michael’s is the parish church of Clontibret parish. The Parish Priest resides nearby. When the church and church lands at Gallagh, in the north of the parish, were confiscated in the 17th century the Catholic people of the parish did not have a place of worship. They had to resort to the Mass Rocks and to celebrating the Sacraments in the open air. The first post reformation church in the parish was a chapel built in Annyalla between the years 1796 and 1799. The church was built by Canon Michael Mc Ginn (PP 1789- 1813). This church continued to be used for over a century and a quarter. Key Dates The 75th Anniversary of the Dedication was celebrated on Sunday, 29 September 2002, when the Special Guest and Preacher was the Archbishop of Armagh & Primate of All Ireland, Dr Sean Brady. The Chief Concelebrant was Most Rev Joseph Duffy, Bishop of Clogher and the attendance also included Most Rev Brendan Comiskey, Bishop Emeritus of Ferns, a native of Tassan in this parish.
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The Church Itself St. Michael’s, Annyalla was designed by Professor William A Scott, who also designed the St Patrick's Basilica on Lough Derg. He died before the work at Annyalla commenced and his place was taken by Mr R. M Butler, Dublin. The Building Contractor was John Mc Guinness, Dundalk. Much local voluntary labour was engaged in the building work. The main external feature is the central belfry while the buttresses convey to the eye an image of strength and triumph.The large window under the belfry is in the shape of a shield and depicts St. Michael, the Archangel, Defender of the Church. This window was donated by Fr. James O’Duffy Adm. in memory of his parents, James & Bridget Duffy (nee McKearney, Lislanly), Tullynamalroe, Creighanroe. The church is cruciform in shape and is designed in the early gothic style, known as Hiberno-Romanesque. A series of nine gothic arches form a distinctive internal feature. The Altar is of fine Italian marble, the statues are by Italian sculptors, Cav Ferdinando Palla of Pietrasanta in Tuscany and Pietro Lazzerini and the furnishings were made by Kelly’s Joinery in Monaghan. |
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The stained glass in the windows in the Sanctuary depict the theme of Sacrifice. The window on the extreme left depicts the High Priest Melchisedech offering sacrifice, while the right hand window shows Abraham about to offer his son Isaac up as an offering at the command of God. The central window represents the ultimate Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross at Calvary. These windows were donated by the Connolly family, Lackagh in 1924 in memory of James Connolly, a former teacher at Lackagh National School. The stained glass in the window over the former Sacred Heart altar were donated by Elizabeth Farnan, Lisnagrieve while that over Our Lady’s altar was donated by Mrs Mary Mc Hugh, Drumquill.
Over the Years
St. Michael’s has been renovated on a number of occasions since its Dedication, most notably during the early 1960s when, under the guidance of Fr Owen McCormick Adm., the interior walls of the church were plastered, a new heating system installed and a new ceiling created. In 1983-84, under the direction of Fr Thomas Murphy PP, the Sanctuary was re-ordered in order to comply with the liturgical changes following Vatican II and the church was re-wired.
St Michael's was re-roofed during the years 1992/93. This was a major project, ably undertaken through the leadership of Fr Philip Connolly PP. A new entrance and car park at the rear of the church was created in 1999. Parochial House Lakelands, at Lismagunshin on the shores of Cremartin Lough, was built by Fr Thomas Tierney (PP 1821-1851). At one time all the priests of the parish lived at Lakelands. Fr Tierney was a fearless campaigner for the rights of his parishioners and was a close friend of the Liberator, Daniel O'Connell, with whom he was tried in the 1840s as a result of their leadership of the Repeal Movement against the Act of Union. In fact, Lakelands was used as a refuge for insurgents in the 1848 Young Irelanders Rebellion. Fr Tierney's housekeeper at Lakelands was a sister of Terence Bellew McManus, of the leaders of the 1848 Insurrection and it is said that he escaped to America from this parochial residence.
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Cemeteries
There are two cemeteries around the St. Michael’s. The old cemetery surrounded the old church built by Fr. Mc Ginn and it dates from around 1800. The oldest tombstone is a slate stone on the grave of Thomas Mc Kenny of Lismagunshin who died on December 7 1814, aged 68 years. Until 1921 the people of the Doohamlet area buried their dead here and there are a number of grave of people from the St Mary's area also.
Some graves of note include those of Sergeant John Topping of the Enniskillen Fusiliers who died at Doohamlet in 1887; the Mc Eneaney cousins, Michael and Thomas, of Billeady and Cremartin, who were killed in action with British forces at Carnagh on June 30th 1921 during the War of Independence and Sapper E. Flanagan of Tassan and of the Royal Engineers who was killed on August 13 1918, during World War I. His Army number, 115379, is shown on the war grave tombstone. Canon Thomas Tierney is buried at the apex of the triangle in front of the old church. So too is his successor, Archdeacon Duffy, (PP 1851-'58), reputed to have been an uncle of the patriot Charles Gavan Duffy. Both graves are, as yet, unmarked.
The new Cemetery to the south east of the new church was opened in 1963.
