| Ardamine
is situated between Riverchapel and Ballygarrett, and is a
mainly made up of summer houses and caravan parks. The small
and lovely Church of Ardamine was designed by George Edmund
Street, who restored Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral. In
the cemetery next to the church stands a cross - erected to
Saint Aidan, the first Bishop of Ferns who founded a church
around 400ad. |
 |
Riverchapel
This village is located next to Courtown and takes its name
from an old church sited near the river. The present Catholic
Church, The Star of the Sea, dates from 1880.
Ballygarrett
Ballygarrett is a small village on the coast road between Courtown
and Kilmuckridge, which boasts a fine history. Its high tower
church is centre of the village street.
Donaghmore, (Domhnach Mor - the great church) near Ballygarrett
was visited by Saint Patrick. While this person can be described
as our first tourist, there is evidence here of a Christian site
from the earliest times. The Catholic Church dates from 1839 and
its pews are made from the timbers of the wrecked sailing ship
the 'Pomona'.
The ruins of a Church of Ireland Church disused since 1840 are
on the site of the original foundation. At Glascarrig, the remains
of a thirteenth century Benedictine Priory can be seen and a well
preserved moat. Unlike others, it is said to be a Norman earthwork
and marks the probable site of Glascarrig Castle, built subsequent
to 1175.
There
are two impressive monuments situated in the grounds of the Catholic
Church. One to mark the Ballygarrett - Texas (Refugio) Connection,
and a memorial to those millions who died in the Great Famine
of 1847.
