The Dominican Order was formally approved by Pope Honorius III in 1216, “to witness to the truth of the Christian Faith and to proclaim it at home and abroad”. St Dominic died in 1216, and in 1224 the Dominicans first came to Ireland. They came to Connacht, to Athenry, in 1241, and they finally arrived in Galway in 1488.
They took possession of the Church of St Mary on the Hill, an abandoned chapel outside the walls, and later the priory became known as the ‘West Convent’ or ‘St Mary’s outside the Gates’. In 1570, Elizabeth I declared the order illegal and they dispersed, though they continued to exercise a pastoral ministry in Galway. In 1617, they were back in the Claddagh. In 1641, Lord Forbes landed in Galway Bay with an expeditionary force and erected batteries at the Dominican church in an effort to capture the city.
In 1651, the city was threatened by the Cromwellians and the citizens were afraid that the church would again be used as a base to attack the city. They signed an agreement with the fathers, if they agreed to raze the church, the city would rebuild it exactly as it then stood when peace was restored. In 1669, the prior built “A large chapel and covered it with brick”.
In 1698, there was a dispersal and exiling of religious orders, and the Dominicans left all their valuables – altar stones, chalices, monstrances and a silver crown for the statue of Our Lady of Galway – with a local merchant, Valentine Browne, for safekeeping. By the 1720s pressure was easing on these orders as the Mayor and Sheriffs refused to implement the anti-Catholic mandate of the English Government and priests were back again in the Claddagh and tolerated by officials. Nevertheless, the friary was searched on a number of occasions.
In 1792, the Dominicans built a priory and some years later, work was started on the construction of a new church, a slated building to replace the old thatched one. The bell was set up on March 30, 1809 and may have been the first Catholic Church bell to be rung in Ireland at the end of the Penal Days. The first High Mass was sung in the new chapel on August 4, 1815.
In 1846, the fathers built the Piscatorial School as a centre for training young locals in making sails, nets and lace. It later became a national school. Then in 1889, construction work started on the present church which formally opened on October 25 two years later. In 1907, they began building the Claddagh Hall. In 1922, the old statue of Our Lady of Galway was placed in the church and, at various times, mosaics and stained glass windows were installed. The grotto was blessed by Bishop Browne in 1947 and the following year, the statue of Fr Tom Burke by sculptor Seán Kavanagh was unveiled.
In 1971, the Claddagh became a parish under Dominican care. Since then they have demolished the old priory and built a new one. In 1983, Fr Damian Louis Byrne was elected as the Master of the Dominican Order, the 83rd successor to St Dominic. In 1987, the Dominican Penny Bank opened. In 1989, the hand carved statue by James McKenna of St Martin De Porres was unveiled in the grounds of the church.
Our first illustration is of a drawing of the thatched church, published c1835 but drawn some time before that. It was known as “St Mary’s on the Hill” and was further up the hill behind where the present church is. Our photograph is of the interior of the ‘West Chapel’ and is dated c1865. It is shown courtesy of the Chetham Library in Manchester. All of the above information is taken from The Dominicans in Galway, 1241 – 1991 by Eustás Ó hÉideáin OP.
The Dominicans have been 800 years in Ireland and for over 600 of those years have had a significant presence in Galway, serving the people, preaching, adding greatly to the spiritual life and making a huge contribution to the history and general quality of life here.
They are celebrating their notable centenary with a series of lectures during the month of April. On April 2, Fr Conor McDonagh OP will give the first one entitled “A New Dawn”. On April 9, Dr Bronagh Ann McShane will talk about "Dominican Women in Galway". The following week it will be Ultan Lally’s turn discussing "Dominicans in Times of Persecution”. On April 23, Fr Séamus Davitt CSSR will present “Dominican Stories from the Past”, and finally Fr Stephen Cummins OP’s talk will be on “The Dominican Mission into the future” on April 30. All of these talks are free and will take place in St Mary’s Church, starting at 7.30pm. If you are unable to attend, you can link in to the webcam on galwaydominicans.ie
Next week, the Dominican Nuns in Galway.
