Following years of restoration work by a dedicated group of people from the community, which began in 2012, the church has now been restored to something like its former glory. There are still some minor fixings to fully complete the work and of course the work goes on in maintaining the building inside and outside.
With this in mind, the Restoration group approached the Drogheda Male Voice Choir to perform a concert in the church to help with raising funds towards completing the works and the maintenance of the church.
John Rountree, a member of the restoration committee says: "The incredible efforts of the local community since we commenced the work on the church has been wonderful. We have received fantastic support from a whole range of people in achieving the successful restoration of one of our most historical landmarks.
"We are delighted to have secured the renowned Drogheda Male Voice Choir to perform a recital for us in the now splendid surrounds of the interior of the church with its magnificent acoustics. It will commemorate the efforts of those who have supported and helped in achieving what we set out to do all those years ago."
The church was built between 1809 and 1815 and holds national status as a listed building. It has been upgraded from regional to national status giving the building its historical significance in terms of its architecture for Collon and the county of Louth and the wider community.
Musical Director of the Drogheda Male Voice Choir, Mr David Leddy commented: " We are delighted and honoured to be asked to perform in this beautiful church and to be associated with acknowledging and giving great respect to those who have worked so hard on its restoration.
"We are also delighted that our great friend, the lovely Mary Duff, has agreed to be our very special guest on the evening and the members of the choir are thrilled that they shall get the chance to sing with her during the recital. We have a wonderful spread of music of all genres lined up for what promises to be a very special evening and we are excitedly looking forward to the occasion. We have chosen the theme, "Harmonies of Hope" especially for the event because of the coming together of so many of the local community to work on this project".
Also beneficiaries on the night will be the Ardee & District Cancer Support Services who do tremendous work for those in need of their kind services in Ardee and the surrounding areas.