History And Heritage

The paragraphs below tell how almost 94 years ago the then parish priest of Drumragh, Father (later Monsignor) Bernard McNamee commenced the building of the beautiful Sacred Heart Church in Omagh. It is interesting to note that the fine towers with their spires were not completed until several years after the new church had been in use and that at one period the P.P. called a meeting of parishioners to consider whether or not the work should proceed.

Almost from the first day of his arrival in Omagh as parish priest in 1866 Monsignor McNamee was resolved that there should be a new church whose capacity would meet the needs of the parish for generations ahead.

But there was so much else to do and the demands on the congregation were burdensome enough without his wanting to be in a hurry to start a church building fund. After more than 20 years had passed he felt it was time to make a start and on 7th July, 1889 he called the first meeting of parishioners to launch the work. A total of £402 was subscribed there and then. It was a small start but by the end of the year the fund had reached £2,600 and the parish priest felt he ought not delay to settling the important question of the site for the new edifice.

Monsignor McNamee had long picked out in his mind the crest of the hill almost directly opposite the St. Columba’s Parish Church as being the most elevated in that part of the town where he wished to build the new church. But it proved impossible for him to secure enough land. An almost equally good site was only some yards away and it was the ground on which ultimately the Sacred Heart Church was erected. The cost of acquiring the site was considerable and in addition the land was burdened by a heavy head rent. Although this was largely reduced by one of the beneficiaries who gave £814 towards the purchase money. It was well into this century before the church site was completely bought out.

Collections on regular basis were taken up in the parish and benefactions came from other sources and within a few years Mgr. McNamee was able to announce that a start would be made on the work.

It was a great day for the parish when on 18th June, 1893 the foundation stone of the new edifice was laid by Bishop John K O’Doherty and Cardinal Patrick Logue of Armagh.

The nature of the site which dropped sharply at the rear, necessitated a heavy substructure and advantage was taken of this to incorporate confraternity rooms, storage space and accommodation for a furnace. The contractor was Joseph Colhoun of Derry, one of the leading builders in the North West, and the architect was William Hague of Dublin.

Unfortunately, the architect’s plans overlooked provision for the confessionals with the result that today one of the four confessionals in the Church occupies the Baptistry and the other is positioned in a section that was originally designed for a Calvary.

Some information and statistics concerning the Sacred Heart Church will be of more than passing interest.

Its overall length is 170 feet and its inside width is 66 feet. It’s height from floor to ridge is 70 feet and its seating capacity is in excess of 1,400. Pillars and arches of polished granits and cut stone divide the nave from the side aisles, divided into nine bays on either side.

The nave is terminated by a sanctuary of two bays emphasised by a lofty spanning chancel arch in polished, wrought and carved granite and stone, with lateral side chapels pillared and arched to correspond.

The side aisles are pierced with lancet windows, their roof abutting against the walls of the nave and above these rise the clerestory windows.

The great chancel window is of grant proportions in fine lights with tracerled head. The gable facing towards George’s Street stands between and is flanked by two towers of massive character and proportions with deeply recessed pillared and moulded arched doorways. The centre doorway is surmounted by an elaborate crochetted canopy above which is a window of fine character divided into five compartments with rose tracery in gend, all enclosed within a deeply moulded and recessed area springing from each side of the towers and embellised with polished granite shafts.

The towers go up to a considerable height, terminating with open tracerled parapets, pinnacles with flying buttresses at angles and surmounted with lofty spire furnished with gilt crosses, one of them reaching 215 feet above street level.

The signed contract was for less than £20,000 and within six years the edifice was roofed and ready for opening. But by then it was clear the cost would be greatly in excess of the contract figure.

Understandably, it was found in course of the work that several additions would be desirable. As well, there were changes in other aspects of the plans, and all this cost more. But the contract price was merely for the actual building and did not include specialised work for which other and distinct contracts had to be made. All told the cost of the church was nearly £50,000 – an enormous sum in those days and of which barely £10,000 had been collected up to the time building was commenced.

On 28th May, 1899 the new church was dedicated jointly by the Bishop Dr. O’Doherty and Cardinal Logue. Collections taken up for the first time in the church realised almost £700.

Some individual items of expenditure in the new church will still have interest today.

The original organ by Casson of London cost £2,500. The Archbishop Hughes Memorial high altar by Messrs. Sharp of Dublin cost £1,200; the Monstrance for Benediction was made by a Birmingham firm of silversmiths and cost £620; the silver stained glass window by Mayor of Munich cost £500 and the stations of the Cross by the same Bavarian experts cost £490.

The beautiful pulpit was supplied by Pierce of Dublin for £350, and they also did interior carving at £300. A similar sum was paid for the vestment case in the sacristy and the rockery and the laying out of the ground cost £300. Mr Cosgrove of Glasgow formerly of Fintona, supplied two of the confessionals for a total of £300 and the altar railings by Pierce of Dublin cost £200.

The Altar of the Blessed Virgin was added later and paid personally by the then parish priest Right Rev. Mgr. W T O’Doherty.

The Drumragh or MacEnhill Bell
This bell (Plate I(b) is 71/4 inches high from the mouth to the crown, and 2 inches more to top of handle. It is 51/2 inches wide at the mouth tapering to less than 2 inches at the handle. It is made of bronze; the outside surface is polished smooth, and is dark in colour like a gun-barrel.
It was until recently in the possession of James McEnhill, Lisnamallard, about one-half a mile from Omagh. It had been in the custody of the MacEnhill family for centuries.
When one of the family died the bell was carried by the oldest surviving male member of the clan in fron of the coffin, and rung at intervals until the church was reached. After leaving the church the bell was carried behind the coffin to the grave.
In the year 1930 the bell was presented for safer keeping, by James McEnhill, to the Parish Pries of Omagh (or Drumragh), where it is now kept, mounted on a stand, in the Sacred Heart Church, Omagh.

Omagh Town Centre