St. Peter's Church in Laragh,
County Monaghan
County Monaghan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of Border Region, Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, is a
tin tabernacle
A tin tabernacle, also known as an iron church, is a type of prefabricated ecclesiastical building made from corrugated galvanised iron. They were developed in the mid-19th century, initially in the United Kingdom. Corrugated iron was first u ...
constructed in 1890 from corrugated iron and timber.
History
The Swiss-Gothic design of the church was inspired by travels on the continent in the 1800s by Laragh Tweed Mill operator James McKean and his wife.
Local rumour suggests McKean had the mill river realigned to create the spectacular site in Aughnamullen parish, the intention being to build a Catholic church to serve the mill workers of the town.
However, following a breakdown in industrial relations, a falling out with the local clergy and the eventual permanent closure of the Irish Laragh Tweed factory in 1885, St. Peter's was eventually built in 1890 and consecrated as Church of Ireland on 13 August 1891.
St. Peter's was de-consecrated in 1962.
Restoration
In 2012, Laragh Heritage group was formed to raise funds to restore St. Peter's back to its former glory.
On 13 September 2014, St. Peter's Church was officially reopened.
References
Attribution
Former churches in the Republic of Ireland
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