Fr Seán Mulligan P.P.
Fr Seán Mulligan, a native of Knockatallon in the Parish of Tydavnet, was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Clogher by Bishop Noel Treanor of Down and Connor in St Macartan’s Cathedral, Monaghan, on Sunday 1 July 2018.
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Donacavey, meaning Church of the hollow
Donacavey, meaning “Church of the hollow,” takes its name from the site of the first church in the area, traditionally believed to have been founded by St Patrick. Today, only the ruins of a later church and the adjoining disused cemetery mark that original site. The earliest post-Reformation reference to Catholic worship in Fintona appears in the Popery Report of 1731, which records a “mass house” already in existence before the reign of George I (1714).
The parish’s present church lies less than a mile from Fintona, in the townland of Lisnabulreavy. Completed in 1841 and dedicated to St Lawrence, martyred in Rome in 258, it was built from local sandstone, with roof timbers transported by parishioners from Ballyshannon. Over time the church has evolved: a tower and spire were added in 1872, major renovations took place between 1924 and 1927, and in 1996 the sanctuary was re-organised and the building extended to include auxiliary rooms and a morning Mass chapel dedicated to Our Lady.
Donacavey also produced two notable churchmen: Edward Maginn, Bishop of Derry (d. 1848), and James Joseph McNamee, Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois (d. 1966), remembered as the “Golden Voice” of the Irish Catholic hierarchy.
St. Lawrences Church Restoration Project
As we move ever closer to its 200th Anniversary, we want our Church to continue to be a place of worship and a source of pride to all of us and the future generations knowing that our ancestors, because of their steadfast faith and through their generous donations, helped build and maintain it over the years. If you can help us sustain that legacy, any donation would be greatly appreciated.