The storied church of St Oliver Plunkett in Renmore will mark its 50th year on Sunday, December 21, with special events open to all.
Thousands of Galwegians have been christened, confirmed, wed and celebrated under its striking, pyramidal canopy, since the church was consecrated on December 21, 1975.
Bishop of Galway, Clonfert, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora, Michael Duignan, will celebrate an anniversary midday Mass, and the parish is holding a jubilee lunch after the service, with a limited number of free tickets available from the parish office.
This year is also the 400th anniversary of the birth of Oliver Plunkett, and Renmore’s self-styled “priest of the parish” rather than parish priest, Fr Declan Lohan, has produced a special souvenir newsletter setting out the history of the church building as a mark of gratitude to all who volunteered over 50 years to establish this community in Galway city’s eastern suburb.
He has reprinted the 1971 letter from then Bishop of Galway, Michael Browne, sectioning parts of Castlegar to formally become the new Mervue and Renmore parishes, and ordering Fr Jack O’Connor to quickly rent a house, and build a church, in newly laid out Renmore, which was mostly constructed in the 1960s.
Perhaps knowing where the true power lay in Renmore, Fr Jack immediately established a ‘Ladies Fundraising Committee,’ and nurtured a strong relationship with the nearby military.
By 1975, the community had built two schools, and a very modern church, designed by Sheahan Architects, constructed by James Brennan. Its Greek cruciform interior contains works by a number of noted artists and craftspeople, including a modern organ built by recycling 100-year-old pipes from an older instrument found in Maynooth Seminary.
In 1980, Fr Jack was tasked with establishing a “daughter church” of St Oliver Plunkett’s Church, in Africa, which he accomplished only two years later, in Mangulala, southern Malawi, with support from the Renmore community.
The Jubilee Mass will take place at midday, Sunday, December 21, in Renmore church.
