INCHIGEELA CHURCH
Inchigeela Church was
built in 1842 by Rev. Jeremiah Holland, parish
priest at the time and it was a building that
was admired by everybody for it's beautiful cut
stone and arches. At the consecration the Church
was described as a perfect gem of architectural
beauty which never fails to attract the admiring
gaze of the passing tourist, adding as it does a
most enchanting effect to the charms of the
scenery.
Rev. Jeremiah Holland was a native
of Barley Field, Kilbrittain, where he was born
in 1787. He was ordained in Maynooth in 1813 and
served a curacy of 3 years in St.Finbarr's
before his appointment as parish priest of Uibh
Laoire in 1816 on the transfer of Fr.Tom Lane
that year to Ballincollig. Uibh Laoire at the
time of Fr. Holland's appointment was said to
have required for its pastor a man of the most
indomitable energy and the most ardent zeal
religion.
Rev. Jeremiah Holland's assignment
to Uibh Laoire was to have been a short duration
on the promise of Bishop Murphy "not to leave
him long in purgatory". He was destined to spend
the remainder of his life there and to tackle
parish problems single handed until 1857 when
Rev. Jeremiah Carey became his curate .
Fortunately for himself Rev. Jeremiah Holland
cared not for faction or feud nor for
Whiteboys or Tories who were numerous in the
area. His courage was known to have been equal
to all contingencies as he rode on horseback by
torch light over the mountains to attend sick
calls, led funerals over the high rough terrain
and to bring the blessing of Mass and the
Sacraments to his people in these distant
outposts. Until he began his own Church building
programme in earnest.
Fr. Holland is believed
to have said Sunday Mass in what was known as
"Inchigeela Cottage", a cottage in the village
owned at the time by a tailor named Barry.
Several contradictory accounts of this cottage
prevail, but of the Churches accredited to Fr.
Holland himself there can be no confusion. His
Church of 1822 was built at the south of the
village of Inchigeela. It was a small building
to which an extension of about 12 feet was later
made, giving it an area of 52'~27'. This lasted
as a place of worship until 1842 . From that
date until 1905 it was used as a schoolroom and
after that as the parochial hall.
The
second Church, that of St. Finbarr and the Holy
Angels in the townland of Carrigleigh was
erected in 1842 at Fr. Holland's own expense, a
sum that ranges from £450 to £1,200 according to
tradition.
In educational terms Rev. Jeremiah
Holland was not slout to avail of the advantages
of the National School system from which he
secured several well furnished schools which
were an improvement on the five already existing
schools. The many fine schools and Churches
erected by him and other good works will be a
lasting monument to his memory. He died on 17th
of January 1864 and was succeeded by his nephew
and namesake whose pastorate in Uibh Laoire
lasted until1888.
From a newspaper report of the time
"On the morning of Wednesday the 20th of
January, (1884) the remains of Rev. Jeremiah
Holland, whose death was announced a few days
ago, were deposited in the grounds attached to
the parish Church of Inchigeela. Previous to the
internment, the Solemn Office and High Mass were
celebrated in the Church which was filled to
excess by the parishioners, amongst whom
not a dry eye could be discovered. Not
withstanding the inclemency of the weather, an
immense assemblage of clergymen presented
themselves to pay the last tribute of respect to
the venerable departed in whom they recognized
during life all the qualities that adorn the
minister of God and exalt the character of man.
After the High Mass, a procession of the clergy
chanting the funeral service proceeded from the
Church, the coffin being born in the rear by
four stalwart men, and then began a scene to
which, for its touching effect upon our
feelings, we have never witnessed a parallel.
The immense concourse of people rushed around
the coffin and vented their feelings in one loud
prolonged wail, in which the solemn strains of
the Benedictas were completely lost. Old men
wept like children, while women and even some
young girls and boys sobbed aloud as for the
loss of a dearest friend, and well indeed might
they weep for it is notorious that the good
priest often saved many amongst the woes of
enjectments and the paupers grave, by the ready
offer of his purse on the gale day, when they
should otherwise have appeared penniless before
the ruthless landlord or the unrelenting agent.
Oh happy must be the soul of that priest whose
remains after a long life go down into the grave
as those of Fr. Holland did amongst the tears of
his sorrowing parishioners and the earnest
prayers of those to whose best interests he
devoted all the energies of his manhood and all
the solicitude of his declining years. Where but
in Inchigeela could such a spectacle be
witnessed.