St. Attracta's Church (built by W.H. Byrne in 1903) is the focal point in the small village of Ballinameen.
Since 1800, Ballinameen had a small thatch Roman Catholic chapel at the crossroads (still extant today) recorded by Lewis in 1837. By 1900, it no longer served the needs of the parish; "in the most inclement weather, the majority of the congregation had to stand outside the chapel during the service and half of the worshippers inside had no seats". [Freeman's Journal - 4 May 1900]
The foundation stone for the 'new' church at Ballinameen aka St. Attracta's Church was laid on Sunday 29 April, 1900 by the Lord Bishop of Elphin, the Rev. Dr. Clancy. The cost of construction was estimated at £3,120 (exclusive of interior decorations) and the funds had been raised by Ballinameen's "zealous and beloved" parish priest, Father Foley (later Canon Foley) and his predecessor Fr. Matt Barrett. The contractor, Mr. Whelan undertook to supply all cartage, rubble, stone mortar free of charge. It took 19 months to build.
Ballinameen Cemetery headstones can be explored online here.
Further west, there is also an old burial ground at Kilnamanagh.
References
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Building Survey | Ireland | VIEW SOURCE |
