Minister visits Ballynacargy

At first glance, the Catholic church in Ballynacargy looks impressive – but in fact, the roof is leaking; the wonderful stained glass windows need maintenance, and earlier modernisation works need reversing as they are out of keeping with the style of the church.

The man who confidently outlined the list of jobs that need tackling to Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan, TD, during his visit to Ballynacargy on Monday of last week knows what he is talking about: he is a former construction sector professional.

As it happens, though, he is also now the parish priest of Ballynacargy.

Fr Tony Gonoude worked as an interior designer and painter before opting to become a priest – and the aesthetic and design skills that made him a success in that career enable him to throw a professional eye over the church at which he has ministered as parish priest since 2019, a fact that impressed Minister Noonan.

The minister visited on foot of a request by Deputy Robert Troy, who is keenly hoping that some state funding will be made available in view of the status of the church as a heritage building.

Fr Gonoude admitted that he estimates that it will cost approximately half a million euro to carry out the works required at Ballynacargy – and revealed that the most immediate concern is the state of the roof, which the church has had assessed by a structural engineer: “We don’t have the report yet, but it’s going to tell us that the whole thing has to go. It’s all wrong,” Fr Gonoude said.

“I was up in the attic with the architect and the engineer and the whole thing is decayed.” Other issues that have to be addressed include the replacement of guttering, and damp problems caused in part through improper ventilation but also by the use of a non-breathable paint.

“The good thing is the community have come behind me and they know the seriousness of the situation,” Fr Gonoude told the minister.

Conscious that the church is a Victorian-era building, Fr Gonoude is keen to respect the integrity of the design, and to restore aspects that were altered over the years.

The most striking feature in Ballynacargy church is the two stained glass windows over the altar – and there is an interesting story to them: “The windows are by the sisters of Harry Clarke,” Fr Gonoude revealed, adding that after the death of their more famous artist brother, the two sisters kept his studio going and became noted for their art themselves.

Over time, Fr Gonoude explained to the minister, lead windows tend to buckle – and that is an issue with which Ballynacargy now finds itself having to contend.

“You are dealing with a lot of money to re-lead these,” he said.

The parish has already spent a large sum replacing three large windows in the church. Before being replaced, they had coloured glass – but of modern vintage.

“They were rotten,” Fr Gonoude said of the frames. “And the problem was they were put in during the 1990s, and they jarred with the whole look of the building.

“They are recreated now to exactly what they would have been,” Fr Gonoude continued, adding that the cost of replacing the three windows had come to €70,000.