Holy Trinity Church of Ireland CROGHAN

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Church of Ireland – Holy Trinity, Croghan

This small but picturesque Anglican church is situated on an elevated and picturesque location near the site of the medieval parish church of Dromyn. Holy Trinity Church was built in 1862 in the "Old English" style of ecclesiastical architecture at a cost of £1,200. Although simple in form, it is an elegant and intact structure. The church consists of a nave and chancel and, at the time of erection, had free sittings for 200 people. Previous to this, the parishioners of the Established Church here attended service at Estersnow.

The chancel window, of beautiful stained glass, is a memorial to Guy Lloyd Esq. (1803-1860) of Croghan House who granted the site and laid the foundation stone. Lloyd had passed away before the consecration of this church in April 1862. [The Irish Builder: 1 May 1862, pg 12]. His remains are interred in a vault beneath the church.

(Local children believe to this day that the church is haunted by his ghost!)

Its stepped tower leading to an octagonal and then pointed spire is an unusual and attractive feature. The spire was added after the consecration, at the personal expense of his son Guy Lloyd D.L., J.P. (1833-1906).

It is said that the church bell here was cursed by Croghan's parish priest Fr. Peter C. O’Connor because of its interference with Catholic mass nearby. O'Connor fearlessly took on Guy Lloyd for Catholic rights in the 1850s).

The graveyard and surrounding space were tastefully laid out and planted with Yew trees. Its varied grave markers and features, such as its sundial, enhance the overall setting. Headstones, dating from this time, feature many "strong farmer" family names that appear on Griffith's Valuation and endured in the parish.

For the latest updates in headstone markers in Co. Roscommon, see http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/roscommon/photos/tombstones/markers.htm