Two churches were engulfed in flames this weekend, with one Catholic Church in Donegal completely destroyed, leaving parishioners “heartbroken.” St Mary’s Church in Derrybeg was gutted in a fire which broke out at 4am on the morning of Easter Monday, while Dublin Fire Brigade said they were called to a fire at a second church in Phibsborough, on the Northside of Dublin, also this weekend.
In Donegal, a Garda investigation has been launched into the source of the fire in Derrybeg.
“A cordon was established and a number of nearby properties were evacuated while the fire was brought under control. There were no injuries,” Gardaí said, adding: “The scene has been preserved for technical examination. Enquiries are ongoing.”
Fire-fighters and the emergency services fought to save St Mary’s Church in Derrybeg, Gaoth Dobhair, but despite their efforts, the church was left gutted. St Mary’s, opened in 1972, had been one of the biggest churches in the diocese of Raphoe. The church is located in the Gaeltacht village known for its scenic coastal landscapes and tight-knit Irish-speaking community, with locals expressing their shock and sadness at the news.
Parish priest Fr Brian Ó Fearraigh, speaking on Highland Radio on Tuesday, recalled being awoken by sound outside, and described the fire as “frightful.” He said the church had been packed “to the rafters” the day before for Easter Mass.
“It was a beautiful church for a beautiful people, the people of Gweedore. It was their place of worship since 1972, where they gathered in good times and in hard times, and in sad times as well. Where they laughed and smiled, and also, where they shed a tear […] It was the house of the people – their spiritual home. Just to see it as it is at the minute – an empty shell – it’s heartbreaking.”
Fr Ó Fearraigh said he became aware of the fire shortly before 4am, when he woke up and heard noises he thought were coming from the side of the house. He said he received a phone call telling him, “The Church is burning.”
The priest told the programme: “I went up the hallway and I looked in the back window. The sight that I saw is just etched in my mind. It will remain there – the flames rising to the heavens. I just rang 999 immediately and requested the fire brigade. They put me through, the call had been logged previous to that, and so I just threw on my clothes and went outside. It was frightful for anyone who’s experienced seeing a fire of that magnitude […] it goes to the core of your being, standing there knowing that there was absolutely nothing I could do.
“The intensity of the flames. The embers. It was like something you would see in an inferno.”
He said there was “absolutely nothing” anyone could do, adding he did not have enough words to express his gratitude to the emergency services.
“They are brave people,” he said, adding that the Garda and fire services “did their all” to try and save the church, as well as local people and his fellow priests who started to gather.
“We prayed as a community,” he said. “Through those prayers, there were tears shed. There was sadness and sorrow. But the work that they did was a prayer, and we are eternally grateful.”
He agreed that there was “no point” in speculating regarding the cause of the fire, and that he was leaving the investigation in the hands of the authorities.
“Hopefully they’ll come up with answers. We don’t know at this stage,” Fr Ó Fearraigh added.
Monseigneur Kevin Gillespie, administrator of the Raphoe Diocese, said he was “heartbroken” to see the destruction caused by the fire.
“I wish to express my support to Fr Briain Ó Fearraigh, parish priest, who has the full support of the community as he faces this challenge,” he said.
“With the support of the community and the hard work of the clergy, a new parish church will rise again in one form or another,” he added. “In the meantime, the life of faith will continue and will guide and sustain the parish.”
The priest, who celebrated his first Mass in the church after being ordained, added:”I am heart broken to learn of the destruction by fire this morning of Séipéal Mhuire, na Doirí Beaga, the parish church for the parish of Gaoth Dobhair.
“And I think of all the people of Gaoth Dobhair at home and away will receive this news with great sadness. We are grateful to An Garda Síochána who must now lead the necessary investigations.”
A local statement to the BBC described the news as “devastating,” while local woman Brid Sweeney took to social media on Monday: “We woke today to smoke and flame, To silence where the voices came. Our chapel, dear St. Mary’s name, Now only ash, yet not to blame. A shell of brick, a ghost of grace, Where once we knelt in sacred space. The yellow walls now scorched and bare, but still we feel God’s presence there.”
“Our church was more than wood and stone. She was the heart of our little world. Her walls heard our prayers, our laughter, our sorrow. She held us in joy and in grief. She was beautiful,” Ms Sweeney wrote in a post shared on social media shared widely by locals.
“And now, though she stands wounded, we remember her not in ashes, but in light. In the warmth she gave us. In the way she brought us together.
“We will build her again. Brick by brick, hand in hand, with love and faith. And when she rises once more, she will be even more beautiful, because she will rise from our unity, our memory, and our unshaken hope.
“The community stands together. Always.”
Meanwhile, Dublin Fire Brigade said on Monday night that they had been called to a fire in a church in the area during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
“Breathing apparatus teams located and extinguished the fire and prevented any further spread. A positive pressure ventilation fan was used to ventilate the building,” they said.
No further information has been provided regarding the possible cause of the fire.