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Church of the Irish Martyrs

Parochial House, Ballyraine, Letterkenny, Ireland
Religious Organization

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Keep up to date with the latest news at the Church of the Irish Martyrs The Parish of Aughaninshin was created and set up as a separate parish from the Cathedral Parish of Conwal and Leck in 2000. There was some debate as to what to call the new parish, should it be the Parish of the Irish Martyrs or something else. In the end it was widely supported to name the parish after the Franciscan abbey of Aughaninshin, in the town land of Kiltoy, which is visible from the Irish Martyrs Church. The name itself ‘Aughaninshin’, means ‘The field of the Ash Trees’. Different versions of it have been recorded but the correct Irish version of the name is ‘Achadh nUinseann’, Achadh meaning ‘field’ and nUinsean from fuinseog meaning ‘ash’, thus, the ‘field of the ash trees’
Folklore tells of and ancient monastery founded in roughly the 6th/7th century, which pre-existed the Franciscan abbey, however it was not considered as part of a Columban family of monasteries nor did it belong to the Conal Gulban race. History is silent on the origins of this ancient monastery.
The Franciscans arrived in Ireland in the in 1226, and over the following century’s they spread over the country and eventually set up one of their Donegal monasteries on the old monastic site, ‘they established their monastery on a site that had long been held as sacred by the local population’ A History of the Diocese of Raphoe, Vol. 1, Rev. Ed. J. Canon Maguire, (1920). It is believed that this monastic settlement dated from the 13th/14th Century. They remained there until they were evicted in c. 1610, during the Plantations of Ulster. In the 17th century it was recorded as having no resident ‘parson or Vicar’, but it was recorded as one of the five mensal churches in the Raphoe Diocese, the other four at that time being; Killybegs, Leitermacaward, Killygarvan & Raphoe itself. Being a mensal parish, it enjoyed the distinction of having the Bishop as both Parish Priest and vicar, the resident clergymen being the curate. In the mid 17th century it was also recorded as being part of the Gartan parish, but a number of years later it was listed as part of the united parish of Conwal, and remained part of Conwal (and subsequently also with Leck) until it was separated and created as a new parish in 2000.

The Church of the Irish Martyrs is located in the Ballyraine area of Letterkenny town. Up to its construction in 1994, Letterkenny was served mainly by the Cathedral of St. Eunan and Columba.
The area of the Cathedral parish which the Irish Martyrs Church covered became the new parish of Aughaninshin in the year 2000, with Fr. Brian Quinn Adm., becoming its first Parish Priest. Since the Irish Martyrs was built, the following have served as its priests:
Fr. Brian Quinn P.P. – 1994– present
Fr. James Gillespie C.C. – September 2014 – present
Fr. Joseph O’Donnell – September 1998 – September 2014
Fr. Seamus Dagens – September 1996 – September 1998
Fr. Fergal Rooney – May 1994 – September 1996

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The Newsletter for this weekend... Sunday, 4th February 2018... http://irishmartyrs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Newsletter-04-02-18.pdf

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The Newsletter for this weekend... Sunday, 28th January 2018... http://irishmartyrs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Newsletter-28-01-18.pdf

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The Newsletter for this week... Sunday, 21st January 2018... http://irishmartyrs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Newsletter-21-01-18.pdf

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CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT A classical music concert is being held in Conwal Parish Church in Letterkenny at 3pm on Sunday 21st January. It features the Robinson Panoramic Quartet from Dublin and the Donegal Chamber Orchestra. The hour long concert will include some chamber music favourites and also two world premieres of new works by composers John McLachlan, based in Inishowen, and Derek Ball, who’s originally from Letterkenny. Admission is €10 at the door, €5 concession. All welcome.

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The Newsletter for this weekend... Sunday, 7th January 2018... http://irishmartyrs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Newsletter-07-01-18.pdf

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Happy New Year

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Year of the Family On this feast of the Holy Family we pray for all our families today: Prayer for World Meeting of Families 2018 God, our Father, We are brothers and sisters in Jesus your Son, One family, in the Spirit of your love. Bless us with the joy of love. Make us patient and kind, gentle and generous, welcoming to those in need. Help us to live your forgiveness and peace. Protect all families with your loving care, Especially those for whom we now pray: [We pause and remember family members and others by name]. Increase our faith, Strengthen our hope, Keep us safe in your love, Make us always grateful for the gift of life that we share. This we ask, through Christ our Lord, AMEN Mary, mother and guide, pray for us. Saint Joseph, father and protector, pray for us. Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us. Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, pray for us.

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A few pictures from the Christmas concert by The Priest's in the Church of the Irish Martyrs yesterday evening, 29th Dec. 2017

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Mass times for Christmas and the New Year in the Irish Martyrs

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Sacrament of Reconciliation for Christmas in the Parish

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The Newsletter for this weekend... Sunday, 17th December 2017... http://irishmartyrs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Newsletter-17-12-2017.pdf

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