St Anna’s Church and Graveyard

St Anna’s church was built in 1798 on the site provided by the local landlord J. Wallis of Drishane Castle. In the period 1807-1814, the church was enlarged and a belfry added. The church building covered an area of approximately 1,500 square feet (175 sq m) and had the capacity to seat 70-80 people. An 1835 Church report stated that, on average, 60 people attended the weekly service. Due to the gradual decline of the local Church of Ireland population from the 1800’s, the parish of Drishane with its church, St. Anna’s was eventually united with the nearby parish of Dromtariffe in 1904. Thereafter, church services became less frequent in Millstreet. The last religious service held in St Anna’s was in the late 1930’s and it was officially closed for public worship on 16th November 1958. The following year the church building was demolished for safety reasons, leaving only the belfry intact. In 1994-95 the Millstreet Tidy Towns Association, assisted by FÁS and Cork Co. Council, undertook the project of restoring the Belfry and the adjoining graveyard and recording its history. The St. Anna’s restoration project has enhanced the image of the town and preserved an element of our history and heritage.

The resulting St. Anna’s Amenity Park was officially opened by Rt. Rev. R. A. Warke B. D. Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross on May 4th 1997. In 1995 at the time of the restoration, Denis Tagney wrote a book about it called: “St.Anna’s Church, Millstreet – a history” published by Millstreet Museum Society (56 pages)

“St. Anna’s Amenity Park – This Church-yard having remained unused for many years was developed for the people of the Millstreet area by Millstreet Tidy Town and Tourism Association in conjunction with FÁS and Cork County Council. We dedicate this park to the memory ofthe Church of Ireland Community who worshipped here 1798-1930. We acknowledge with heartfelt gratitude all those who lent their support and helped in various ways during its development and reconstruction. Officially opened by the Rt. Rev. R.A. Warke B.D. Bishop of Cork Cloyne and Ross on May 4th 1997. Go dtuga Dia suaimhneas d’anmacha na marbh atá curtha anseo. (God rest the souls that are buried here)”

The view of the Clock Tower from the Macroom Road (c. 2012). This view has now been overgrown (2018).

TODO: insert view from the  Drishane Road.

Getting there

St. Anna’s is only a two minute walk from the Square. See the map below. You can also park outside the gate.

The Rectory for the protestant clergy was located just 100m further up the Liscahane Road. It is now a private dwelling house (bottom-right of the above map)

 

Poem

The Clock Tower
by Sandra Ann Winters

Stone upon stone the bell tower rises outside my window,
a protestant ruin of the village church. You belonged
to Drishane Castle. You belonged to the people.
The ringer gently bowed to the lintel, climbed
narrow stone steps spiraling, to call worshipers to holy communion.
Years later, Tidy Towns filled your belfry with a white-faced clock.
I raise the linen shade, wake to your dial, Black Roman numerals
go round and round. You move through my tea and egg.
I notice the time as I am off to the shop for the Guardian
and lamb. You are my companion as I play with poems
and read Passing Through. I stroll in the deep grass,
rubbing old tombstones, no longer legible.
You move through my days until you wane in the light
of the evening and fade at the unfairness of fate.

 

Associated Clergy

• 1795-1803 John Hoare (Died 1813) Son of Rev Deane Hoare of Drishane. Chancellor of Limerick 1803-1813. Married Rachel Newenham, issue included Rev Edward Newenham Hoare, Archdeacon of Ardfert and Rev William Hoare, chaplain Limerick Asylum 1838.
  Rachel Newenham Hoare died at Brailsford Rectory, Derby, residence of Rev Walter Shirley, in 1850.
• 1803-1814 William Wray Maunsell — 1815-1822  (b.1782-d.1860) Son of Rev William Maunsell, Chancellor of Limerick. Rector of Drishane 1803-1814, Archdeacon of Limerick 1814, Precentor of Cloyne 1822. ‘Rev Wm Wray Maunsell has cure of souls [Dromtariffe], is resident in Limerick of which he is archdeacon and rector of St Michael’s’ (Miscellaneous Papers, p308). Married Charlotte, daughter of Bishop Charles Mongan Warburton and had issue, including Rev Robert Augustus Maunsell, prebend of Limerick 1857-1863.
• 1815-1820 Charles Warburton (1780-1855) Son of Charles Mongan Warburton (Bishop of Limerick). Chancellor of Limerick 1813-1855, Archdeacon of Tuam 1806-1855 and rector of Clonmel 1822-1855. Married Alice Sunbury Isaac of Holywood, Co Down and had issue. Rev Warburton was brother of John Warburton, rector of Valentia and brother-in-law of Rev William Wray Maunsell (above).
• 1820-1860 John Charles Mongan (1798-1860) For many years chaplain abroad and incumbent of St Mary’s, Belize, Honduras (where he died on 24 August 1860). Married Elizabeth Wallis of Drishane Castle and had issue. His daughter Marianne Charlotte married Rev Francis Young, curate of this parish (as below).
• 1861-1874 Edward Norman — see Bishops, Deans and Chapter (Precentors)
• 1874-1876 Vacant
• 1877-1879 Thomas Alexander Moriarty (1839-1879) Son of Thomas Moriarty, Dean of
  Ardfert. Temporary curate Ballymacelligott 1862, curate Killarney 1864, curate Dromod
  1866, curate-in-charge Drishane 1874-76. Married Rose Hickson, daughter of William
  Hickson of Tralee and had issue, including Rev Thomas Alexander Hickson Moriarty who
  ministered in Derry and Mr Cecil C H Moriarty, District Inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary and later Chief Constable of Birmingham, who published volumes on police law regarded as standard works, including Moriarty s Police Law in 1929, Police Procedure and Administration in 1930 and Questions and Answers on Police Duties in 1935, and who in 1936 observed, ‘as juveniles are responsible for such a large proportion of crime, the time has come to recognise the necessity for asking for finger-prints of juvenile offenders’ (Irish Independent, 15 April 1936). Rev Moriarty died 25 September 1879. Rev Moriarty’s widow  died 25 Dec 1931 aged 84.
• 1879-1894 Thomas Moriarty, father of above — see Bishops, Deans and Chapter (Deans)
• 1892-1894 Percy James Mitchell [ref]. Had two children with his wife Mary Muinitt while in Millstreet: Anna (1893), and Ella (1894)
• 1895-1896 James Edward Cullen — curate-in-charge, see Ballyheigue
• 1897-1898 William Walters — see Kilflyn
• 1898-1904 Joseph Doherty — see Ballymacelligott
• 1904 Joined to Dromtariffe

Curates

• 1792-1817 George Franklin (1762-1840) Son of Joshua Franklin. Married Mary, daughter of Thomas Evans of Pollardstown, Co Limerick in 1791. Rector Kilquane 1817-40 and perpetual curate Kildimo, Limerick same period. During the last year of Rev Franklin’s life his glebe house at Kildimo was raided in the early hours and shots fired, ‘the motive for this attack cannot be supposed to have originated from a wish to obtain fire-arms, as Mr Franklin’s house was attacked last winter, and those which it contained were taken off, the rev gentleman (in his 80th year) having on that occasion been severely wounded by a blow from a blunderbuss. Mr Franklin, in consequence of age and indisposition, was unable to offer any resistance to this last attack upon his house’ (The Standard, II Feb 1840). Had issue a son, Rev Joseph Uriel Franklin, prebend of Ullard, Leighlin. Mary Franklin died at Ballinacurra Cottage, Co Limerick on 7 Sept 1853 at age 87. Rev Franklin died July 1840.
• 1820 Daniel Eccles Lucas — see Dromod
• 1848 Francis Young (born c1818) Son of George Young. Married in 1852 Marianne Charlotte Mongan, daughter of Rev John Charles Mongan (see rectors above). Son born 1 December 1857 at Woodview Cottage, Millstreet.
• 1875 William Cooke

‘ Freeman’s Journal, 16 June 1920. Shortly afterwards the parish was returned to national attention when  Sgt F Boxold was killed during the Millstreet Train Ambush, 1921. More information on the ambush is  contained in an article, ‘The 1921 Millstreet Ambush’ by Oliver Doyle, Journal of the Irish Railway Record Society, no 175, June 2011. Sgt F Boxold was killed on 11 February 1921 and interred on 14 February 1921  with full military honours in Killarney New Cemetery following a service at Killarney Cathedral. His  coffin, draped with the Union Jack, was borne on a gun carriage headed by a firing party and accompanied  by a Guard of Honour from the 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers (Freeman’s Journal. 17 February 1921 & Irish  Independent, same date).

– from the Church of Ireland in Co.Kerry

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Should Abel Orphin (or Orphen) be in the list above?  The below extract is from the CLERICAL AND PAROCHIAL RECORDS for CORK, CLOYNE, AND ROSS 1864:

Basil Orpin (son of Rev. Abel Orpin, Curate of Drishane,
dioc. Ardfert and Aghadoe, by his second wife, and grandson
of Robert Orpin, esq., of Dublin), was ordained Priest at Cloyne
on 29th Sept. 1786. He was licensed to the Curacy of Clonmeen and Roskeen on  4th March, 1786. In 1807 he was Curate of Aghinagh. From  1804 to 1808 he was V. TuUilease ; and from 1808 to his death in 1842 was R. V. Ballyvourney. He was buried at Millstreet, Drishane, Ardfert diocese, on 1st Nov. 1842. He left issue by his wife, Ellen Lewis, four sons — John, Benjamin (dead), Richard (dead), and Basil; besides four daughters — Mary, Johanna, Isabella, and Charlotte.

TODO: spelling

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People Buried in St.Anna’s

Many of the headstones at St. Anna’s are now unreadable. The legible ones are listed on Historic Graves.

Graveyard name: St Anna’s Graveyard
Graveyard Code: CO-STAN
RMP/Site number: CO039-127001-
RMP Classification: Graveyard
Townland: Liscahane

TODO: the indexing on Historic Graves is not complete. could someone please take the time complete it.

TODO: does anyone know if there is a record of burials there?

Below is the list of graves (updated 2019):