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KILMORE PARISH HISTORY
A publication documenting a history of the ancient Parish of Kilmore will be launched in the Parish Church, by Archbishop Harper, on the 19th March 2009 at 8pm. This fascinating book, entitled ‘A Journey Through Time’, the History of Kilmore Parish, Co. Armagh, has been compiled by Mrs Patricia Reilly, who has also written a history of the nearby Parish of Loughgall. The story of Kilmore is the result of a great deal of research into the ancient annals, Church literature and the records of the Parish itself.
A foreword to the book has been written by the well-known Church historian, Canon WEC Fleming. Kilmore has been a site of Christianity from earliest Christian times, through the Middle Ages and from the Reformation until the present day.
The Parish of Kilmore, Co. Armagh, is acknowledged to be one of the earliest sites of Christian worship in the whole of Ireland. It has been claimed that as early as the second and third centuries, Pictish Christians from inside the Roman Empire arrived in Ireland and the Church of Kilmore can claim to have been founded in those times.
However, these early attempts to convert the Irish failed and it is therefore that the history of Kilmore as a centre of Christianity begins more properly with the arrival of St. Patrick early in the fifth century.
This research has revealed very close links between Kilmore and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh. Until the Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland, the Rector of Kilmore was also Chancellor of the Cathedral and on more than on occasion the Dean of the Cathedral was Rector at Kilmore.
In addition to dealing with the visit of St. Patrick to Kilmore, in 444 AD, the early Culdee Church is examined, the presence of the early round tower within the Church building is discussed and the beginning of the Reformation and early Church liturgy are dwelt upon.
The seventeenth century Plantation and the 1641 Rebellion have a chapter devoted to them, while the history of the Ballyhagan Society of Friends merit a whole section of the book. The Vestry Books of the Parish, dating from the first half of the eighteenth century, reveal a great deal about the social and economic life of the period, while the burial records tell about life expectancy and also about the high number of deaths during the Great Famine. Many of the achievements of succeeding Rectors and Vestries are dwelt upon and education over the years has been described, with particular emphasis on the part played by the Erasmus Smith Trust.
Church life, as it is today, is described and many of the activities are highlighted that contribute towards the vibrancy of Kilmore Parish.
The Book includes old and new photographs and will be sold at the launch event at the special introductory price of £10. Further copies are available following the launch for £15 (ex. p&p) and details of how to obtain a copy can be found on the Parish’s Website : www.kilmoreandstsaviours.armagh.anglican.org or by telephoning (028) 37524365. Proceeds raised through book sales are in aid of the Kilmore Parish Centre Fund
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