Templemore, Clonmore and Killea

Church of the Sacred Heart
April 2010

Templemore, Clonmore and Killea is an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly.[1] The parish includes the town of Templemore and the nearby villages of Clonmore and Killea in County Tipperary.[2]

Churches of the parish

The parish, numbered 37,
within the Archdiocese

Churches in the parish are:

On 1 January 1877, the Archbishop of Cashel and Emly, Dr Thomas Croke, laid the foundation stone for the Church of the Sacred Heart. This Gothic revival church, designed by George Ashlin, is largely intact inside.[3][4]

"This building has been erected to replace the old parish church, which was ruinous. It is built of dark limestone, with light yellowish freestone dressings. The nave columns are of Aberdeen granite, the remainder of the internal stonework being of local freestone. The width across nave and aisles is 48ft., and the length 120ft. The works are being carried out by day’s work, under Mr. Redmond as foreman. The cost will be about £4,000. The architect is Mr. G. E. Ashlin, Dublin."

The spire was not completed until 1905. It was built on the site of a former residential Erasmus Smith school. The first Mass in it was celebrated by Fr (later Canon) Meagher on Saturday 28 July 1883. The building formerly used as a church, at the south-eastern end of Main Street, was transformed in 1890 into a school and now forms the part of Our Lady's Secondary School situated immediately inside the entrance gate.[5]

Religious institutions

Convent of the Sisters of Mercy,
April 2010
Christian Brothers School,
April 2010

The Sisters of Mercy arrived in the town in 1863. Their convent is located at Church Avenue, Templemore. In the previous century, they provided a primary school (for girls) and a secondary school (for girls) both for day pupils and boarders. The sisters are no longer active in the teaching profession in the town.

The Christians Brothers community is no longer active in the teaching profession in the town. The monastery has been turned over to the parish for use as a Community Care Centre. In the 20th century, they provided a primary school (for boys) and a secondary school (for boys) on a day-pupil only basis.

The two secondary schools were merged in 1986 and now operate as Our Lady's Secondary School, Templemore.

The town cemetery was opened in 1861 and was consecrated by Archbishop Patrick Leahy.

Sport

J.K. Bracken's GAC is the parish's Gaelic Athletic Association club.

References

  1. Parish details on website of Cashel and Emly Diocese
  2. Parishes list page on Cashel and Emly Diocese site
  3. The Building News, October 4th 1878
  4. Architectseek
  5. Official Parish website History of the Church of the Sacred Heart. Retrieved 27 December 2012.