REPAIR OF COLLOONEY CHURCH TOWER


On the afternoon of 26 December, St. Stephen’s Day, 1998, a violent storm raged along the west coast of Ireland. Winds of over 120 mph were recorded in Co. Donegal.



The force of the storm in Collooney was sufficient to blow down the bronze cross (eight feet high) on top of the tower of our parish church, together with the top five courses of masonry, each course being one foot in height. The bronze rod which extended down through the cross and the upper masonry to meet crossed girders in the high interior of the tower had snapped. (The tower is 150 feet high.)



SOME PHOTOGRAPHS
Detail from a photograph taken before the storm
A photograph taken after the storm
Top of the spire since the storm


AFTERMATH

The damage to the Church of the Assumption was a great sadness to our community. The church holds a special place in our hearts, primarily as a place of worship, in which capacity it has served the Catholic community faithfully and well since 1843. Also, we are proud of our church as a fine building, indeed unusually fine for a village church. And we are glad of its status as a prominent landmark for all who live in the locality and for the many who pass on the Dublin and Galway roads. It was our immediate resolution that our church must be restored as soon as possible to its former state.

The first step was to have a detailed survey of the tower undertaken in April 1999. This determined the extent of the storm damage. Unfortunately, it also disclosed that the tower required other essential work, notably a complete re-pointing of the spire and tower - a large and costly undertaking. Specifications for the work were drawn up by John Fahy of Quinlan & Nolan, and tenders were invited. The contract was awarded to Skyline Steeplejacks Ltd. and the erection of scaffolding began on Wednesday 19th July 2000. The work is expected to take about four months.

03/08/00



WE WILL UPDATE THIS PAGE AS THE WORK PROGRESSES.


22nd August 2000

Some Photographs of the Work in Progress



21st October 2000



The masonry to be replaced on the top of the tower is now stacked at the rear of Colloney church. There are five courses. The top four stones are the actual stones that fell; the bottom stone is new, as the original was broken in the fall. The total height of the masonry is five feet. An eight foot high stainless steel cross, at present being made, will be placed on top.


27th November 2000

Left is a photograph of the new cross which is now ready to be placed on the top of the tower. (Standing beside it is Richard Gash, the head of Skyline Steeplejacks. He provides scale.) The old cross - completely broken in the fall - was made of bronze parts bolted together.* The new cross is made of stainless steel parts welded into one whole.

The new 30-foot long finial rod, which extends from the top of the cross down through the cross and upper masonry to meet the centre of crossed girders in the high interior of the tower, is now made of steel. Its diameter is twice that of the old brass finial which snapped in the storm.


*The bronze cross was placed on the spire in 1957, It replaced the cast iron cross which had crowned the spire from its completion in 1878 until it (the cross) was taken down, presumably for safety reasons, in 1956. In 1995 a part of the old cross which had still survived was erected on the wall which revets the level on which the church is built. It is shown at left.




Cross Restored

This rather dark photograph taken on 17th December shows the new cross and restored masonry in position as the scaffolding is being taken down.





15th January 2001

Some recent photographs

The images on the right are a magnification of the cross and restored masonry in the photographs on the left.


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