Friday, June 13, 2025

Daniel O'Connell Church due to re-open in September as fundraising efforts continue

The Daniel O'Connell Memorial Church in Cahersiveen is expected to re-open in mid September, following an extensive renovation.

However, a major fundraising drive to finance the work, is falling short of the estimated total cost of the project, which has been put at €2 million.

Built in 1902, Daniel O'Connell Memorial Church is believed to be the only Catholic church in the world named after a lay person.

It was closed in April, and a major upgrade began, involving removing the old heating and electrical systems and installing two new oil boilers.

A monitoring was undertaken in the building following the removal of vinyl floor tiles — which contained asbestos - and the building has now been certified as asbestos free.

Works are well advanced on the re-wiring of the church and the installation of the fire alarm and detection system.

The Stations of the Cross and the church pews were removed from the building for the duration of the works, and will be refurnished before they are reinstalled at the end of the project.

It's also proposed to install a new tiled floor throughout, once the heating and electrical works are complete.

A spokesperson for the fundraising committee says they're hoping people will continue to contribute to the GoFundMe page, especially as August marks the 250th anniversary of The Liberator's birth.

A spokesperson for the fundraising committee says they're hoping people will continue to contribute to the GoFundMe page, especially as August marks the 250th anniversary of The Liberator's birth.

Details on how to support the fundraising can be found here.