Carmelite Friary - Kinsale

The church probably was restored by Fr. Lawrence Callanan the local young man from Kilbrittain who in previous decades walked from there to Kinsale to join the novitiate before being sent to the Continent to study for priesthood. He became a well-known figure as he walked the roads on pastoral ministry and as he prayed in the gallery of the chapel. Together with Fr. Lulum, O.Carm he probably although well on in years involved himself in the Famine time new Friary church. Fr. Lulum quested in England for the funds to defray the cost of the Friary project together to add help for the local Sisters of Mercy Famine food Relief Fund.

The church was built around the original chapel on the site. The facade consists of cut limestone hewn in Kilnacloona Quarry on the Ringrone bank of the Bandon river and ferried across the river to be hauled up to the friary site from Ferry Point. In the construction of the church the friars were able to provide local people with employment and the cash therefrom enabled their families to purchase food and pursue schooling. Their human dignity was therby preserved. In constructing the new road from Kinsale to Bandon via the World's End the Civil Authorities implemented the same principle through the disbursememt of the Government's Famine Refief Funds. The new friary church was built around the original site possibly the Lady chapel which has a corbel with the inscription " tu es Petrus et super hanc petram" a statement that may be pointing to a foundation stone? During the 1870s Frs P Parr, Michael Daly and Southwell developed a pentagonal sanctuary, had the interior plastered, affixed a timber ceiling that highlighted the woodwork skills honed in the local shipbuilding yards. Over the sanctuary is featured a series of boat bows nestling together at anchor and portraying a sense of stability, security, peace and shelter. The wall backing the beautiful marble highaltar carries a meaningful depiction of the Scapular Vision in Caen stone. It is surrounded by strikingly beautiful stained glass windows donated by local friary benefactors and dedicated to their departed loved ones. From left to right they represent Saints Patrick, Brigid, John of the Cross, Mary Madgalen de Pazzi, Teresa of Avila holding a book, Andrew Corsini, Peter and Paul all whose intercession is implored. The one to Andrew Corsini is dedicated to the memory of Fr. Parr at the instigation of W. Prendergast. Fr. Parr was noted for his patoral and ecumenical ministeries.

On the gable walls in the transcepts on either side of the high altar stand marble altars dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The side wall of Our Lady's trancept carries a double panel window depicting in the lower panel the Annunciation. The upper panel depicts our Lord crowning his mother Mary as Queen of Heaven. The side wall of the Sacred Heart transcept has also a double panel stained glass window whose lower panel depicts the Sacred Heart of Christ appearing to Margaret Mary Alocoque. The panel above depicts Christ ascending into heaven on a purple plume like cloud in the midst of the apostles. Curiously, over Christ's head is a section of glass displaying the St. James scallop shell nestling on a plume of purple cloud. It may be intimating that either one of the Friars had made the pilgrimage to Compostella or that the friary was a hostel for pilgrims en route to Compostella.
A number of wall plaques testify to the generosity, loyalty and dedication of local families signicificantly the Bowens in financing the project. Additional funds to defray the cost of finalising the church and friary house with it's in-house intermediate secondary school were probably collected among the Irish Immigrants in Argentina to whom Fr. Southwell was sent visit by the Irish Bishops.
Towards 1850 a Temperance Rally was held to raise funds to ease the debt on the Friary church. The procession began in Belgooley headed by bands and banner bearing participants in a carnival atmosphere. As the procession wended it's way to town it was joined by other banner bearing contingents meeting together at various junctions on the way into the town. It proceeded along what is now called Pearse St turning into Market Place and then into Cork Street and halting at the entrance to Friar Street to pay respects to the Temperance Hall beside the Parish Church. It then proceeded up the hill to the friary church for an open-air Mass celebrated by Fr. Lulum and the Parish Priest with the temperance preacher Theobald Matthew,OFM Cap, delivering the sermon.

In 1850 Frs Lulum and Dunn were marked present at a Tenants' Rights Meeting in Belgooley demonstrating the Friars interest and involvement in the human rights of their people. All through the Penal years Irish youth had to depend for their education on the system of Hedge Schools run by itinerant teachers who were mostly former clerical students educated on the Continent of Europe. As the Friars ministered to the people they became painfully aware of the crying need to upgrade education standards to a higher level. It is not surprising then that the Provincial Chapters during the later years of the century advocated the establishment of boys secondary schools as a means of attracting neophytes to the Order. Towards this end the Provincial Chapter of 1871 mandated Kinsale, and Moate communities to consider opening boys schools in line with those of Dublin, Knocktopher and Kildare. Kinsale complied with the mandate that autumn. That same autumn a decree to open a novitiate in Dublin was promulgated.

The Kinsale Friary House was deemed to be very small so the Prior's room was positioned outside the cloister and cloister regulations were not strictly observed. The beautiful and more spacious church was extended with the bishop's approval and completed in 1873. Circumstances demanded that the community incurr a debt to regain possession of a field sold by Fr. Lulum some time previously. The 1881 Chapter learned that in spite of the prevailing financial problems the Kinsale school pre-dating both the Presentation Brothers' and Mercy Sisters' secondary schools was running smoothly. A plaque bearing the year 1880 with the Carmelite coat of arms emblazoned over it is affixed to the front gable of the old entrance to the Friary. During the 1885 Chapter Kinsale was declared debt free. That very same year Fr. Parr died on November 12th. The people of Kinsale erected a momument in the local Abbey graveyard appreciating " Fr. Parr's services and that of other priests of the Order buried within the precincts of the ancient Abbey rendered to Religion".

Towards the end of the century (1889) a certain friction erupted between the parish clergy and the friars prompting Bishop O'Callaghan of Cork to write to the Prior General Savini complaining that no sermons were being preached at mass in the friary resulting in the people (pop5,000) being ignorant. He also requested the friary to provive a 7-00am Mass on Sundays to facilitate the servant people of the town. Provincial Bartley's spokesman pointed out that the Provincial on a visitation the previous year had come to an arrangement with the secular clergy who now wanted to change it. As it would incurr financial loss for the friary he counselled that the Prior General should not bow to the Bishop's request. The same year 1889 the friary was named as having a primary school for boys but that the friary was in dire financial straits as it depended on church door collections for it's survival. The Kinsale friary along with other friaries in the Province made cash donations towards the establishment of an International House in Rome.

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