Copyright 2017 Ballyclare and Ballygowan Parish
Parish History
At 200 sq. miles, the parish of Ballyclare and
Ballygowan is the largest in the North of Ireland; it
stretches from the railway line near Corrs Corner
to four miles from Larne, from Mossley to the
Glenwherry Hills and from Templepatrick to the
Star Bog.
By 1787 there was one huge parish covering much
of East Antrim (the present parishes of Larne,
Carrickfergus & Ballyclare) and the newly
appointed parish priest Friar McCary constructed
the first post reformation catholic churches in the
district, the present church at Ballygowan and a
temporary church at Carrickfergus.
In 1832 Bishop Crolly built a church in Ballyclare,
even though there were only 6 catholic
households plus a few servants living the area.
This church which remained in splendid isolation
outside the village until the Tir na nOg National
School was built in 1886, served the parish until
the construction of the present church in 1911. In
1852 Ballygowan and Larne formed a new parish
and in 1854 Ballyclare was incorporated into the
parish of Greenisland and Whitehouse.
The modern parish of Ballyclare and Ballygowan
was established in 1869 when Larne, Ballymena
and Whitehouse transferred the Ballygowan,
Glenwherry and Ballyclare districts respectively to
form the new parish. When the first parish priest,
Fr John Cavanagh, was appointed on 4 July 1869
there were 675 parishioners, mostly living in the
Ballygowan area.
By the turn of the century the parish had a
congregation of 500 with the majority now living in
the Ballyclare area - with only 120 residing in the
district of Ballygowan. The church in Ballyclare had
a capacity of 170 so Fr. James O’Boyle set about
raising funds for a larger church. A local Protestant
solicitor, Edward Hill, donated a site adjacent to
the parochial house for the construction of the
chuch. The Church of the Sacred Heart was
solemnly blessed and opened by Bishop Tohill on
11 June 1911.
On the night of 21/22 March, 1969 the Holy Family
Church at Ballygowan was subjected to an attack
by dynamite. The entrance porch was almost
completely destroyed, the bell tower was badly
shaken, windows were shattered, the walls were
cracked and part of the terrazzo aisle was broken.
The effects of the blast extended to the school,
neighbouring houses and the cemetery. Being one
of the first victims’ of ‘the Troubles’, the condition
of the church elicited much sympathy from both
Protestants and Catholics. Within a short time over
£200 was received in subscriptions from all people
of all denominations.
Unfortunately on 26/27 September 1969 while
repairs were being carried out, the church was
again attacked, this time by petrol bombs; more
windows were broken, parts of the flooring and
seating were burned and the walls were scorched.
The reconstruction of the bombed church began
in August 1970. A new porch was built, the
sanctuary was modernised, the bell tower was
removed, windows were replaced and the walls
strengthened.
On the 9th April 1973 the Church at Ballygowan
was bombed again. The new porch was destroyed,
many of the windows were smashed, and the altar
furnishings were damaged. For more tha 6
months Mass was celebrated in the school while
repair work went on.
Holy Family Church, Ballygowan. 1967
Holy Family Church,
Ballygowan after
bomb attack.
1967
Sacred Heart Church, Ballyclare. 1930
The old parish hall
The old parish hall
being demolished.