Donaghmoyne
Donaghmoyne
Donaghmoyne means the Church of the Precincts, referring to the territories of the Mugdorna, a tribe that in the first millennium inhabited this area. Territorially it is one of the largest parishes in the Diocese of Clogher, and is a completely rural parish, with a population of circa 2,700, almost all of whom are Catholic. There are three Catholic churches in the Parish – St. Lastra’s at Donaghmoyne, St. Patrick’s at Broomfield and St. Mary’s at Lisdoonan. There are no Protestant churches in the parish in which services are held today.
Four local saints are associated with the parish: St. Lastra and St. Victor in Donaghmoyne, St.Ciara in Lisdoonan and St. Dicuill in Broomfield. Among the holy wells remembered in the parish is one dedicated to St. Lastra, where a pilgrimage still takes place on the first Sunday of May each year.
Dunaree Mass Rock
The mass rock in Lisdoonan originally came from the townland of Dunaree, where its site is marked by a concrete cross erected by Eddie Corrigan and his neighbours in 1918. The mass rock was moved from its original site in Dunaree and it stood at the church gate for some time, where it was customary for coffins to be left on it while prayers were said before entering the church. This custom ceased after the introduction of motor hearses and the rock was left at Duffy’s workshop, where it was used as a ringstone for shoeing wheels until Fr. Drumn had it moved in June 1952 to its current location beside the bell at St. Marys Church, Lisdoonan.
The cross remains on the site of the Dunaree Mass Rock and is maintained by local neighbours. In recent years the tradition of holding mass at Dunaree has been revived. On a Sunday in mid-July the people of Lisdoonan and surrounding areas travel the path their ancestors once travelled upon and mass is once again held at Dunaree.
The making of Carrickmacross Lace originated in Donaghmoyne in the early part of the 1800s as a result of the work of Ms Grey Porter, wife of the then rector of Donaghmoyne. Henry Moris who collected much of the Irish language in the area was a native of Lisdoonan. The poet Cathal Buidhe Mac Giolla Gunna lived in the parish and is buried in the old century of St. Patrick’s. The poet Blathmac also came from the area.
Local development groups have been active in the parish for a number of years.
In Donaghmoyne a disused Catholic church, St. Micheals has been developed as a recreational centre by Donaghmoyne Community Development Committee. The finished product today is 75ft long by 34ft wide with a kitchen area, store room, office, toilets and showers, snooker room and a viewing balcony.
In July 1998 Lisdoonan Development Association opened the doors to its community resource centre. A Montessori school is located in the centre and is open five days of the week and day-care operates on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month. In December 2001 funding was granted to the Lisdoonan District Housing Association Ltd for the construction of 14 senior citizens dwellings. Work on the dwellings was completed in 2003.
The old Broomfield Presbyterian Church has been renovated to a local tourist amenity. This centre will incorporate a coffee shop, a facility for developing and displaying crafts, office spaces, and an antiques display area. From a liaison of the Development Group and the Broomfield Community alert group, funding has been secured from the Council of Social Housing, through the Department of the Environment for the provision of six dwellings for senior citizens in Broomfield
Our school Building was built in 1900 as a two-room school to alleviate over crowding in the old school, the hall, which was built in the 1860. A third room was added to the school in the early 1960 with the school being modernised and central heating added in the 1980s. Our schools has two teaching rooms and 1 room which we use for learning support and computers also a small staff room come office and indoor toilets for both boys and girls
- Donaghmoyne, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan
- +353 (0)42 9662284
- Principal: Fiona Whelan
- stmichaelsns.ie
Priests of the Parish
Fr Michael Daly P.P.
Fr Sean Nolan P.E.
