(1) Lisaroo Church
Although there had been some relaxation of the notorious penal laws towards the end of the 18th century, Catholics of Irvinestown and surrounding districts had no church building in which to worship.Open air Mass was celebrated in a little Mass garden beside the road at Lisaroo. This location, still easily identifiable today, is about halfway between Lisnarick and Irvinestown, in the townland of Coolaness. The property was part of  the Castle Archdale estate. Although the landowner at that time, Colonel Mervyn Archdale, was opposed politically to the principle of Catholic emancipation, he gave the Lisaroo site to the local Catholic people for the building of a small chapel in 1800. This modest building was to serve the parishioners up until 1910, when the Sacred Heart Church was built in Irvinestown. The Irvinestown writer Shaun B. McManus, who had been an altar boy in Lisaroo, gives us this description from a period around 1900 in his book ‘Yesterdays’;
“Here, beside the road, Lisaroo chapel nestled beneath tall trees, totally inadequate to accommodate the large congregations, some members of which had travelled five or six miles, that attended Mass or Benediction….The chapel was a long building, capable of holding five or six hundred people*; women to the left of the aisle facing the altar, men on the right. There was only one door, around which late-comers usually crowded, which faced the roadway. The site…was so small that a separate door to the sacristy could not be provided. Stairs, near the doorway led to a gallery where the choir and its organ were placed facing the altar. On the gallery were additional long forms which were pre-empted by the ‘Ballynecairn’ (Irvinestown) elite. Passing through a gate in the Communion rail, one entered the sacristy through a door to the right of the altar. Stairs from the sacristy, which was the priest’s and sacristan’s domain, led to the clerk’s room. Underneath this room the priest’s horse, and the horses of far-away parishioners, were stabled. I found the clerk’s room very interesting, for in it were piled hundreds of old books”… 
*(The capacity was 200 people according to Rev. J.E. McKenna - ‘Diocese of Clogher Parochial Records - Vol 2. 1920.’)
Note: Ballynecairn appears to be a fanciful creation of a gaelicised place-name by McManus, as the town originated as a Plantation settlement and had always been known in accordance with the names of the landowners of the local estate at Necarne. They were Lowthers and Irvines respectively, so it was first called Lowtherstown and later Irvinestown.

	Interior of Lisaroo chapel before 1910. Photo - Paddy Magee - from ‘The Light of Other Days’ collection.

 (2) Sacred Heart Church Construction
By end of the 19th century it was clear that a new Roman Catholic church was needed in the Irvinestown area, as the old chapel building erected in 1800 on a cramped site at Lisaroo was in poor repair and generally unfit to provide for the congregation at the time. A cemetery was also required. Canon O’Doherty, who had become parish priest in July 1906, took the responsibility of addressing both of these issues following the sale of local estate lands to tenants, as this meant that various possible sites owned by parishioners were available for consideration.
The site selected to accommodate church and cemetery was at Burfitt’s Hill overlooking the Lisnarick Road on land given by Hugh O’Reilly. The church architect was William Scott, Dublin. The construction was done by the firm of James McAdorey, Dundalk, with the first sod being cut on 12th March 1909. (Burials in the new cemetery ground began in May 1909). Much effort and ongoing commitment was required in the parish to raise finances through organised events, collections and donations. The total cost was £5,500. To economise, Canon O’Doherty decided to omit the spire planned for the belfry-tower as this would have cost a further £500 then. In effect the total debt was cleared off shortly afterwards, but the spire had to wait for eighty years.The foundation stone was blessed on Sunday 9th October,1910. During the first Mass in the new church Canon O’Doherty thanked all who had contributed in various ways and made special mention of the support of ‘Protestant neighbours’. The first marriage in the Sacred Heart Church is recorded on the 23rd November 1910. The first baptism is recorded on 29th January 1911.
   (Note:  It is believed that the pictures of the Stations Of The Cross erected in the new church on 29th March 1911 had been transferred from Lisaroo. However, present comparison with those in the old Lisaroo photograph above show that the frames are different - perhaps they were reframed?)         

(3) Sacred Heart Church Extension
     In 1989 this major extension and renovation was undertaken to enlarge and enhance the existing building under the direction of Canon Gerard Timony PP assisted by Fr. Joe McVeigh CC. The architect was Rosslea born Tom Mullarkey, while local firm J. & I. Conway, Irvinestown, did the main construction. The stonework required to tie in with the original was carried out by cut-stone specialists from Co. Down. There were echoes of the parish commitment of eighty years earlier as people responded generously to the efforts of a hard-working fundraising committee. The total cost of the considerable demolition and rebuilding was £700,000. The project in the main involved extension of the rear of the church to accommodate seating behind a new altar, the construction of a two-storey wing to provide a new sacristy area and toilets with committee-room above, and finally the addition of the belfry spire which had been in Scott’s original plan. Bishop Joseph Duffy rededicated the church and the new altar on 3rd August 1990. 

Demolition at rear of church and construction of extension & new wing - Sacred Heart Church 1989.  Photos - Fr. Joe Mc Veigh	Roofing work to new extension and exterior nearing completion with new spire being added - Sacred Heart Church 1989.  Photos - Fr. Joe Mc Veigh

(4) The Whitehill Crosses
     During the rebuilding of St. Molaise Church, Whitehill South, around 1862-1864, two large metal crosses were commissioned to be placed on the gables. Before they could be erected  however, they mysteriously disappeared from the site on the night after they were delivered. Replacements were subsequently put in place. Then many years later, a Catholic on board a ship sailing to Australia happened to overhear another passenger boast of how he and some accomplices had stolen the crosses and buried them at the Bullock Hole in nearby Dring Bog. The Catholic passenger managed to ascertain in what part of the country this deed had occurred, and on arrival in Australia he wrote directly to the parish priest in Whitehill relating what he had heard. However despite searches of the area, nothing was found at the time. Then in the summer of 1909, a man called McQuaid working in this part of the bog unearthed one of the crosses. The news of this spread quickly and soon a follow-up search by eager parishioners revealed the second cross. Both crosses were carried in triumph to St. Molaise Church, in front of which Canon O’Doherty  had them erected in 1910 on two granite pedestals. These are inscribed to the memory of Fr. Patrick Traynor PP and Fr. John McLoughlin CC, the two priests of the parish at the time the crosses had been stolen. 

Whitehill Cross memorial to Fr. Traynor	Whitehill Cross memorial to Fr. McLoughlin

(5) Christening on Devenish
       On a special visit to the parish on 15th August 1987, Cardinal Tomas O’ Fiach addressed a large congregation on Devenish Island. This also marked a special occasion for parishioners Carmel and Terence McGovern, whose baby son, Michael, was baptised by the cardinal. Michael grew up to become a professional footballer, and is nowadays a reserve goalkeeper with Glasgow Celtic.

	Cardinal Ó Fiaich christening Michael McGovern on Devenish Island 1987. Also in the central group are parents Terence and Carmel, Canon Gerard Timony PP at the rear, and Fr. Joe McVeigh CC on the right. Photo - Fr. Joe McVeigh

 
(6) Cemetery Improvement Programme
In the year 2000, work commenced on the scheme of improvements decided upon by the parish committee, beginning with the construction of a stone wall around the two sides facing East and South. The list of other improvements was effectively completed with the erection of the large Celtic 'Daimhinis' cross in 2002. Parishioners were invited to have personal historical involvement in the latter project, as special parchment was provided on which they recorded the names of their family deceased. These names were then buried in a capsule underneath the cross.
     Various firms were involved in the different aspects of the work;
Architects - Keys and Monaghan.
Walls, Store & Gateways - Harold Graham Ltd.
Paths & Kerbing - James Balfour & Sons.
Landscaping - Hamilton Greenwood, Newtownstewart.
Electrics - Anthony Maguire.
Celtic 'Daimhinis' cross - Feelystone, Co. Roscommon.

*World War Two Graves:
From 1941 to 1945, seaplanes (or 'flying boats') were based at Castle Archdale and Killadeas on nearby Lower Lough Erne. From this strategic location, Sunderlands and Catalinas flew on patrol out over the Atlantic to protect Allied convoys from German U-boats. Land-based aircraft were also stationed further up the Enniskillen road at the aerodrome created at Rossahilly, which was known as St. Angelo. In the course of the war, thousands of personnel - ground and aircrew - served here. Records show that over sixty aircraft were lost in various locations, on operations from these bases. These losses, along with accounts of those that occurred locally, are catalogued in the book, 'Castle Archdale and Fermanagh in World War II', by Breege McCusker. Recovered bodies were buried with military ceremony in local cemeteries according to religious denomination.

Headstone details of the ten airforce burials in Irvinestown RC cemetery:
NEWBURY HH, Sgt RAF, aged 20, 21st Mar.1941.
WEAVER FA, Sgt NZAF, aged 27, 28th Aug.1942.
ALLEN JM, Sgt RCAF, aged 27, 16th Oct.1943.
LOUIS VH, Sgt RCAF,      -        16th Oct.1943.
GALLAGHER AJ, Sgt RAAF, Aged 20, 7th Nov.1943.
ADAMIC V, F/O RCAF, aged 27, 3rd Jan.1944.
FORREST JR, Sgt RCAF,      -      12th Aug.1944.
O'LEARY JM, F/O RCAF, aged 24, 22nd Jan.1945.
SOUCIE JM, S/O RCAF, aged 23, 11th Feb. 1945.
GARRARD JP, Flt/Lt RAAF, aged 32, 14th Mar. 1945. 

    Photo - Breege McCusker

Airforce funeral procession from Sacred Heart Church to cemetery during World War II. The cortege is led by Canon John Treanor PP. 1924-1946. The other priest is the airforce chaplain. The two altar boys were Irvinestown schoolboys at the time, Joe Magee of The Rock, carrying the cross, and Lawrence Sweeney. (The coffin is draped here but flags were not permitted to be displayed inside the church).

 On a lighter note, Joe Magee can recall the boys' excitement when a volley of shots was fired over the graves at such funerals, and how they eagerly searched for the ejected bullet cases as mementoes.

     *Previous burial grounds:
                         
Irvinestown - Prior to the opening of the cemetery at Burfitt's Hill in 1909, some parish burials took place in the old Irvinestown cemetery by the clock tower, at the corner of Mill Street and Castle Street, although the vast majority here were of Protestant denominations. An old church, which was built to serve the Church of Ireland congregation in the early 17th century, stood at the corner of the site. With restoration work in 1734, the tower was added, and it is now the only remnant of the building. An obvious landmark and focal point, the tower has been preserved as part of the local heritage. It is decorated for all sorts of occasions of celebration. Each year at Christmas, children representative of the whole community erect a floodlit Nativity scene inside the tower at ground level, where it is visible behind a glass door.  

Old clock tower at corner of Mill St. & Castle St.	Cemetery Enterance on Mill Street

 Lisnarick - Behind Lisnarick village, in the townland of Drumshane, there is an old walled cemetery by the Liscreevin road. Its origin is unknown, as there is no record of a church there, but it certainly dates back to pre-Plantation times, serving the inhabitants of Lios na nDaróg (Lisnarick) -'Fort of the Young Oaks', and some neighbouring areas. According to an old tradition, only residents of the following townlands were entitled to use it for family burials: Drumbulcan, Coolaness, Drumschool, Bunaninver, Glenkeen, Moynaghan, Drumadravey, Drumshane, Liscreevin, Coolisk, Drumpeen, the village of Lisnarick and Knockascroffy. It is not obvious why this should be, as some of these townlands lie several miles away, while many other townlands adjacent such as Drumarkey or Carnboy are not included. However, in practice, this 'stipulation' came to be disregarded. There were both Roman Catholics and Protestant burials here. The former would have ceased after the opening of Irvinestown cemetery at The Sacred Heart Church in 1909, but occasional Protestant burials have taken place until recently, mainly for reasons of family tradition.

Front of Lisnarick old cemetery	Headstones in Lisnarick old cemetery. The nearer one reads, "IHS, This stone erected by Philip Maguire in memory of his son John who departed this life January 1st 1774. Aged 8 years.

Irvinestown Workhouse -In 1838 Irvinestown was still known as Lowtherstown, when national legislation was passed to effect the division of Ireland into districts called Poor Law Unions, based on market towns. A workhouse was to built in each Union to provide relief for the destitute poor. Lowtherstown workhouse was built in the area where Reihill Park is situated today, overlooking the Lisnarick Road. Begun in 1841, it was not officially opened until October 1845. Thus it was established and operational by the time the disaster of the Great Famine began to seriously affect the district the following year. In 1847 a Fever Hospital was added in an attempt to combat the diseases becoming rampant amongst the occupants. Overcrowding, malnutrition and general debility had left people vulnerable to Typhus, Dysentry and Cholera. Although built initially to cater for 400 inmates, in February 1848 the workhouse housed almost 800 with over 1200 on outdoor relief work. As large numbers were dying from sickness and disease, a graveyard was created in the grounds where the deceased were placed in unmarked graves. The workhouse finally closed in 1918, and the site cleared in 1966. On the 150th anniversary of the Great Famine in 1996, an elected cross community committee in Irvinestown undertook the task of erecting a stone memorial in the Famine Graveyard.  

Irvinestown Famine Graveyard memorial.