The Mass Rock

 Gerry Flynn got chatting to Kelly and Nick, and offered to open the church for us. A plain church on the outside, but “the second oldest church with continuous use in Ireland”. Does that explain the rigor with which the Drumragh cemetery was maintained?

We were duly impressed. The plaque on the wall said “erected 1764”, ie during the penal times. Inside was plain but respectful, Gerry genuflected and crossed himself as he passed the altar. It had been renovated regularly, and it had a toilet. Gerry, who was about our age, described how as a child he and his Daddy would sit in one arm of the church, while his Mammy and sisters would sit in another. This tradition does not continue, and families are now united.

Sheepishly, towards the end, he offered to take us to the Mass Rock, which as it turned out he lived not far from. So we followed him up to Pidgeon Top, left the car, walked through a gate onto a maintained pathway, currently accommodating some sheep, and walked down into ‘the glen’. Before he left us he pointed out the location - you see there - see the green shrubs.

Closer questioning provided the detail that the dark green clump of trees was where we had to go. Of course. And he told us there was a song about “ The Mass Rock in the Glen” , sung version to be heard on YouTube (links to come), on and Boneys something. Kelly wrote it down.

Apologies that I seem to have lost the power to move images around at present. I will correct when I can. The tableau includes a high white cross with a Jesus figure hanging there, a lumpy irregular rock about 3x2 feet in dimensions, so pretty small but which you might image could have been an altar, a smaller cross, and a large modern square concrete altar-proper. The Mass rock itself was protected by the later mortared stones around it. I wonder how many people attended Mass at this place in 1731?

Mass rocks were peculiar to Ireland’s Catholics in the 17-19th centuries when they were forbidden to build churches or at times even have Catholic priests (some fled to the Continent like the Earls). See acnireland.org If you google “Irish Mass Rocks” for the background and an image of a modern priest saying Mass in the woods.

Gerry told us that they still have Mass at this rock, about once a year - next one is in June. It was private land, donated to the congregation in the 1987.

A rock of a very different size and publicity was our next stop (sorry Derry the Mass Rock) robbed our time for ye.