Carmelite Friary - Kinsale

Although on the surface the Country was relatively calm and peaceful amid religious freedom nevertheless there was a certain social and political unease among the "legion of the excluded". The Easter Uprising, the Civil War, World Wars 1and 2 made serious impacts on the nation. Amid all the difficulties of the early decades there was great concern among the Friars regarding education both secular and within the Order. The Novitiate for initial religious formation though there were no Novices was transferred from Dublin to Kinsale on the 30th July 1917. It was expected that the four postulants would soon enter. Folklore recounts that one postulant Andrew Wright who was a medical student in residence in Terenure College made his way to Kinsale by way of sea as rail and road travel were uncertain due to the 'Troubles'.

The novitiate continued it's progress flourishing in the mid century with Novitiates of up to 20 novices. To cater for the larger numbers the original friary house had to be expanded. Firstly, in 1928 when an extention due north was added, Fr. P.C Keenan recalled that during his novitiate year of 1935-6 Fr. Titus Brandsma came to Kinsale for respite and reflection prior to his lecture tour of the USA. Later in 1952 an extention due northeast was added by Prior M.F.O'Malley. This latter extention was occasioned by a great wave of missionary spirit and outreached engulfing Ireland as a consequent of the world Wars. In 1947 the province expanded into Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in Southern Africa and this captured the imagination of many neophytes to the Order.

Priors F. P. McCartan and P.L. Gallagher in their turns began reordering the Friary Church in keeping with the Liturgy Reforms of Vatican 2. Fr. Gallagher on sound advice purchased the walled-garden beside the Grotto which was constructed by Frs J.C Fitzgerald and W.M Lynch with stone donated by alocal farmer who wished to dismantle a penal day church on his land as it was a place of pilgrimage causing destruction to his crops. Prior A. A. O'Reilly and community completed the work on the reordering of the church. Bishop John Buckley of Cork and Ross solemnly blessed the refurbished church on 13th December 1987. The local energetic fundraising committee enabled the friars to purchase an 1893 built organ from the Church of Ireland, Abbey, Co. Waterford, and have it installed in 1988. Entering the church on the left hand side gable wall one sees hanging a portrait of Blessed Titus Brandsma by Bandon artist Collette Mills. On the nave wall nearby hangs a handcrafted Crucifix presented by local friar Tommie Fives on behalf of his Zimbabwean parishioners in appreciation for the assistance and solidarity of Kinsale people during the War of Independence and the Drought.

The numbers entering the Order slowly dwindled and the question of the Novitiate building and the Friary was very much in the minds of the Provincial and Local administrations. In 2003 Provincial Fintan Burke and his administration entered into dialogue with Prior Michael Morrisey and the community. Based on the Novitiate building they drew up a plan for a future Retreat and Spirituality Centre catering for the local catchment area. The work was completed in 2006 under Prior John Keating with Stan Hession and Bene O'Callaghan (Bursar). Local Bishop, John Buckley, blessed the enterprise and Provincial Fintan Burke in the presence of local and church dignitaries together with a gathering of friars and sister from other convents declared the Centre open on the 20th May 2007. Local Parish Priest, Canon John K. O'Mahony, declared the occassion a "very important day in the faith story of Kinsale".

In 2010 Prior Mícéal O'Neill together with Frs.Stan Hession, Frank McAleese (bursar) and Mariusz Placek (Poland) and contractor Piotr completed the upgrading and modernisation of the heating and electrical systems. The friary church is now a very pleasant and inviting ambiance for public and private worship. As many people use the church and friary centre for spiritual and social nourishment so the the words of Canon O'Mahony, P.E were prescient.

Prior General Fernando Millan Romeral words on the life of Bl. Angelo Paoli seem an apt summary of our inherited Irish tradition "this presence (God's)........ we have to approach it with a deep contemplative gaze, enlightened by faith and filled with charity, with the tenderness aand trust of those who believe, with the faith of the mystic and with the transformative committment of the prophet". These charisms seem to have manifested themselves in the Irish friars commitment to the people of God in their oppressions, misery and sufferings.


©Stan M Hession O.Carm
May 2010