History of our church

The foundation stone of Saint Malachy’s Church Kilcoo was laid on Sunday 17th September 1899 by the Most Reverend Doctor Henry, Bishop of Down and Connor. The first cross was placed on the north gable on 5 June 1900.
In November 1941, Father Charles O’ Neill had a well sunk at the top right hand side of the Parochial house garden. The well was fitted with a rotary pump which supplied running water to the Parochial house and church.
The first Midnight Mass took place in the church at Christmas 1941. This was during the blackout of World War II and to prevent light escaping outwards, the windows were covered with black paper. Carbide gas lumps provided artificial light in the church until 1942 when electricity was introduced. On 21 December of that year, Father O’ Neill bought an engine and had it installed. On 16 October 1944 this was changed to mains electricity.
On 29 April 1944, new Stations of the Cross were completed in the church.
One of Father O’Neill’s last tasks in Kilcoo was to erect a grotto to Our Lady in the church grounds. This work involved drawing large stones for the actual grotto, purchasing statues of Our Lady and Saint Bernadette, and flood lighting the grotto. In June 1951 Kilcoo celebrated the Golden Jubilee of Saint Malachy’s Church, when his Lordship Dr. Mageean was present at concelebrated Mass in the Church.

Read about the History of Saint Malachy