A History Unfolds — the award-winning chroniclers of Glenamaddy's parish church

By TONY GALVIN [gallery link='file' columns='2' orderby='rand'] THE meitheal spirit has a long and proud history in the parish of Glenamaddy and this tradition was honoured recently when a documentary charting the restoration of the parish church's renowned Harry Clarke stained-glass windows, incorporating the history of the church itself, took a County Heritage Award. The documentary, in DVD format, follows the restoration of the precious windows and tells the history of their home, St Patrick's Church, Glenamaddy, which celebrated its centenary in 2005. The award came as well-deserved recognition for a community initiative that not only highlights the heritage of the parish, but also the preservation of works of art that are both local and national heirlooms. Harry Clarke is regarded internationally as one of the finest exponents of stained glass artwork and his work, and that produced by his studio, is now rightly regarded as an important part of our national heritage. The elegant simplicity of Glenamaddy's church provides an ideal counterpoint to the intricate detail, the glowing colours and the artistic imagination which form the hallmark of the glass made by the Harry Clarke studios. The Glenamaddy windows were produced in 1924 when Clarke and his team were at the height of their creativity and they are testament to his unique talent. His Ascension window behind the main altar cost £385 at the time and two side windows depicting St Joseph and Our Lady cost £95. Not inconsiderable sums at the time, but an investment in the church that has bequeathed the parish a fine legacy which, now, thanks to this restoration project, will be enjoyed for generations to come. More fine examples of Clarke's creativity can be viewed in St Michael's in Ballinasloe and churches in Cong, Ballinrobe and Newport, to name but a few. DVDâ€Ë†almost sold out The award-winning DVD, made to celebrate the restoration, has been an enormous success and has almost sold out. It has travelled far beyond the parish boundaries and provided many people with a precious link to home as well as an invaluable historical record of the church and its beautiful windows. St Patrick's celebrated its centenary in 2005 in true Glenamaddy fashion, but by 2008 it had become obvious that the Harry Clarke windows were in need of urgent repair and restoration if they were to be preserved for the future. Breda Keaveney explained that they acted just in time, otherwise the windows could have been damaged beyond repair. As part of the restoration project, it was decided to record the work in DVD format as a permanent account of what was a significant undertaking. Breda and Fr Paddy Mooney produced and edited the DVD, which is titled A History Unfolds. It is narrated by Peter Keaveney and Seamus Walsh and also features Patricia Keady singing Come Back to Glenamaddy. Now a collector's item, there are still a limited number of copies available from the parochial house in Glenamaddy. Time and the elements had taken their toll on the windows. The job could be done, but it would be costly. Estimates were sought and a price of €37,250 was agreed. A conservation grant of €13,000 was provided by Galway Co Council but the rest of the funds had to be raised locally. Again, the people of the parish were not found wanting and, once again, they dug deep. Then began the painstaking work of taking out the windows and transporting them to Langan Stained Glass in Carrick-on-Shannon where the restoration work was carried out by Colette Langan, an expert in the field. The magnificent panels had to be taken apart and each individual piece of glass was cleaned, restored and replaced in new lead casing. Then the windows were returned and put back in place, where it is hoped they will remain for many more years. Each step of the process was captured on camera by Sean Browne Video, Castlerea. This, and the contribution by parish council members, volunteers and supporters in compiling the history of St Patrick's is what impressed the Heritage Award judges. The restoration project, together with a history of the parish church, is now recorded and represents an invaluable record for the future custodians of Glenamaddy's heritage. And this is what impressed the judges of the County Heritage Award. The citation read: 'Lots of research was done. A lot of time was spent gathering material, going to libraries, visiting local people, graveyards, taking and collecting photographs. Months of extremely hard work went in on a voluntary basis to the making of this DVD.' Another Glenamaddy project was also highly commended in the Heritage Awards. This involved building an access footpath to a children's burial ground at Scotland and the erection of a memorial stone to those buried there. This initiative will be the subject of a follow-on feature in The Tuam Herald, which will be of particular interest to communities interested in identifying and marking similar burial grounds in their own parishes. Voluntary effort Fr Paddy Mooney said the history of the church and the parish is one of voluntary effort and he was pleased that the restored windows now stand as testament to this trait, and especially to the generosity of the people of the parish in terms of time, effort and financial support. 'There is pride locally in the church and people have taken a obvious pride and interest in the Harry Clarke windows. The DVD project is a memento of this effort and serves as a link between the past and the future, which, we hope, will be treasured and appreciated in time to come,' he said. He acknowledged the contribution made by his predecessor Fr Michael Goaley, a keen ecclesiastical historian, who remains active in the parish and also in his historical research, with another publication in the offing, to the documentation of the rich heritage and history of St Patrick's church and the parish. The restoration team drew heavily on the work carried out by Malachy Donelan, Fr Goaley and their team in 2005, when the centenary of St Patrick's was celebrated. A History Unfolds marks another milestone in a parish that has travelled a long road since monks founded a monastery there in the fifth or sixth century â€â€ we'd know for certain had they the services of today's enthusiastic chroniclers of parish history. A job well done. Take a bow all concerned.