It was a strange invitation. At the time I thought it unreasonable and even not possible! Would I consider offering Mass on Christmas morning in a ruined church in the old Killoughey graveyard to remember the 100 or more people who were burned to death there by Cromwellian Soldiers as they attended Mass on Christmas Morning in 1651?
This ruined church and graveyard can be found nestled in the heart of the countryside looking out across the Slieve Bloom mountains near the village of Mountbollus, in Co. Offaly. In her book ‘Remembering the Past – A history of Killoughey Church and Cemetery’ Breda Condron recorded what happened in this picturesque spot under the foothills of the Slieve Blooms on Christmas day 1651.
On that fateful morning as parishioners attended Mass to celebrate the Birth of Christ, Cromwellian soldiers surrounded the Church, secured the doors and set fire to the thatched roof. The priest and congregation were burned to death. This was the follow up to the persecution of Catholics by Oliver Cromwell who was Lord Protector of England who made the attending of Mass illegal. Anyone attending Mass risked their lives.
The church was never rebuilt, and it has been in ruins ever since. In 1985 a local committee was set up to clean and restore the foundations of the church and to record the names on the old headstones. During the clean-up and excavation of the ruins, many bone fragments, horseshoes, burned timber and latches were discovered inside the church, evidence of the terrible event. This good work by the Committee was recognised with an award from the National Heritage Council.
A few Masses were celebrated around that time but never on Christmas Day. Members of the Committee, mainly members of Breda Condron’s family invited me to celebrate Mass on Christmas morning 2024 and I obliged, provided the weather permitted. About 30 people were hoped would attend.
The morning was one of the mildest Christmas mornings on record. Some 300 people, ranging in age from 5 to 91 years, flocked into the cemetery and the ruins of the old Killoughey Church for that first Christmas Mass to be celebrated there in 373 years in memory of those who perished on that fateful morning in 1651. It was a moving emotional and spiritual occasion appreciated by all who attended.
Everyone was delighted to be there not only to remember those who died in Killoughey church for their faith but also to reflect on the cruelty and suffering of Irish Catholics throughout history, especially during those terrible years of the Cromwellian invasion and its aftermath. A sad time in Irish history.
The Mass was not widely advertised except by word of mouth. But the local people of Kilcormac/Killoughey/Mountbollus/Blueball gathered in numbers to remember and honour their ancestors, locally known as the ‘Killoughey Martyrs’.
After Mass everyone chatted among themselves. Even on this Christmas morning, no one seemed to be in a hurry to depart. A Christmas Day with a difference and one that will remain in the memory of those who attended for many years to come.
Fr. John McEvoy was ordained in 1972. He served on mission in Fiji and is now based in Ireland.
