| Parish Priest: | Fr. John Naughton | (090) 967 5148 |
| Parish Secretary: | Nuala Power | (090) 967 5148 |
| Eyrecourt, in the south east corner of County Galway incorporatees the ancient ecclesiastical centres of Dunanaughta, Clonfert and Meelick and is bounded by the rivers Shannon and Suck for 16 miles. Meelick has the oldest Irish Catholic church with continuous use since 1414 AD. Dunanaughta was the church at the highest altitude in east Galway. Clonfert has the grave of Saint Brendan, the ancient cathedral and famous doorway, the beautiful 14th century statue of Our Lady of Clonfert and Emmanuel House of Providence. Clonfert also gave our diocese its name and patron, Saint Brendan. |
| Eyrecourt | Meelick | Clonfert | Esker | |
| Patron of Church | Our Lady of Clonfert | |||
| Masses | ||||
| Saturday evening | 8.00 p.m. | |||
| Sunday | 11.00 a.m. | 9.00 a.m. | 10.00 a.m. | |
| Weekdays | 9.30 a.m. | Wednesday 8.00 p.m. First Friday 8.00 p.m. | First Saturday 9.30 a.m. | |
| Special devotions | Portiuncula July 31 to Aug. 2 | Our Lady of Clonfert Every day in May |
This is a parish with many famous historical and heritage sites. Clonfert Cathedral with its romanesque door and Meelick Church are but two.
The second church in this parish is the Church of Our Lady of Clonfert, which dates from 1838 and is one of the early Catholic Revival churches. The church as it stands today was restored in the early 1960's by the then Parish Priest, Fr. James Cogavin, assisted by his curate Fr. Hubert Murray. The stations of the Cross are the original wooden stations.
In the chancel area there are two very interesting stained glass windows, the one to the left of the altar depicts St. Brendan (Patron Saint of the Diocese of Clonfert), holding an oar in one hand and a church in the other. It is thought that the church in question is the nearby Clonfert Cathedral. The second window depicts an image of Clonfert Cathedral's Romanesque doorway.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of Our Lady of Clonfert Church is a 13th / 14th Century Madonna.
Clonfert Church is indeed a special place any time of the year, but particularly during the month of May, when devotion to Our Lady, among young and old alike, is something special to behold. Many thousands of pilgrims visit Clonfert Church during May. Most people who are regular visitors to Our Lady of Clonfert make three visits during this month. People come here for all kinds of reasons: they make their petitions, say their prayers, light their candles and agree that they will return again next year, God willing.