11 Facts about the Presbytery, Grange, Co. Sligo by Oisin Gilmartin

1.      The Presbytery, Grange was built in 1875.

2.      It is a listed building because it is set on conservation ground where a castle once stood.

3.      William Henry (1739) wrote that the castle was blown up in 1689 by a “a small party of Enniskilleners passing that way.  One of them going under the Wall of the Castle, threw a grenade in at a small window; it unluckily fell into the Powder Room which in a moment blew up the Castle from the foundation and all the Garrison”.

4.      John O’Hart (1923) wrote that the castle was a convenient source of building material for the Presbytery.   In his book he said that he came from Dublin in 1886 and met James O’Hart of Grange, who told him that the O’Hart family castle was recently razed to supply stones for the castle, the priest’s house and the surrounding walls. 

5.      17 priests have lived in the presbytery since it was built in 1875.

6.      Fr. Healy had the house built and he was the first to live there. He later became Archbishop of Tuam and a member of Senad Eireann.

7.      At that time the Bishop had ruled that priests’ houses should to be built to a small size and with one floor only.  In order to get around this ruling Fr. Healy built a dormer house.

8.      Grange Presbytery was built to an English Gate house design.

9.      According to Joe McGowan in his book Under Ben Bulben, the house was built in three months.

10.   The priests house in Grange was orignially lived in by the curate priest of the parish.  At that time the parish priest lived in the house in Cliffoney.  This changed more recent years and the last two parish priests have lived in the priest’s house in Grange.  No one is living in the priests house in Cliffoney at this time.

11.   The priest’s house in Grange is the most northerly occupied, priest’s house in the Diocese of Elphin.

Last changed: Jan 12 2016 at 11:13 PM