Saturday, October 24, 2015

inSPIREd Sunday


Sally hosts inSPIREd Sunday!

September 2015 - CAHERCIVEEN Ireland

Check out what else we did on this day.  For some reason I never mentioned our driver, Mick, indulging my passion for churches in the daily post. I was probably saving it for inSPIREd Sunday!





This large, elaborate, neo-Gothic structure dominates the main street. It was built in 1888 of Newry granite and black limestone to honor the local hero Daniel O'Connell—the only church in Ireland named after a layman.



My girlfriend and I had discussed how unusual it was that a church was named for a layman even a large hero like O'Connell.

Construction began in 1875, to commemorate the birth of Daniel O’Connell, who was born in Cahersiveen 100 years previously, and remains the town’s most famous son. The church opened for its first mass in 1902.


 Who Was Daniel O’Connell? I'll be mentioning him again in a few weeks when I do a post from Dublin.

Known as the Liberator and the Emancipator, O’Connell is best remembered for working tirelessly and peacefully to bring about Catholic emancipation in Ireland. He fought for the rights of Irish Catholics to be represented in Parliament at London. He also tried to repeal the Act of Union, which combined Great Britain and Ireland.

His strategy of using peaceful mass gatherings to bring about political change would later inspire other historical leaders, including Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King.


Daily Mass was being said so we went around the back of the church. These graves appeared to be the final resting places for various clergy.









Here he is standing on O'Connell St. in Dublin.


2 comments:

  1. The church has an imposing, enduring quality to it. The statue of a woman atop the grave is my favourite of these shots.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like the looks of the church. It's awesome.

    ReplyDelete

This blog does not allow anonymous comments.