Moyvane

Church Views


Church of the Immaculate Conception

Religion plays a central role in such a rural area as Moyvane, and as if to demonstrate this fact, a massive modern catholic church towers symbolically over every building in the village and can be seen from many vantage points all over North Kerry.


The visitor can witness the one building that that is the focus point for the whole parish every weekend and at other solemn & joyous occassions.



Old Bell Portal

View from the old Presbytery Grounds



View from Main Tarbert-Listowel Road


Workman repairing church roof

 


Beautiful Stained Glass Rose Window viewed from inside church


Church & National School

 


Field behind school in Winter




Church in fog as seen from the Village Trail




The Church Crib at Christmas Time
Of course, this church is the last of three that have been built since the late 1800’s. Very little remains of the last 2 churches except a wall at the rear of the current presbytery: the second church was built in the grounds of the first.

Even the current presbytery is a replacement of a much older house that sadly is no longer. Instead, a more functional modern bungalow now houses the priest of the parish. With the decline in vocations for the priesthood in Ireland, Moyvane has been affected. Previously, there used to be 2 priests living in the massive presbytery house that had a commanding view of the main street of the village.

Adjoining this imposing building was a mature orchard whose branches hung heavy in Autumn with the bounty of over-ripe juicy eating apples. Many a younster, now “all-grown-up” mourns the loss of such a treasure that yielded to the onslaught of modern landscaping: bungalows & grazing land.


Opening of Moyvane Church (1956)

Such was the boyish thrill of escaping with coat pockets laden with the harvest fruit, that pursuit by quintessential housekeepers and irate clergymen, mattered little.

In this last picture above, it is worth noticing the separate Male & Female columns of people filing into the church – a tradition of the time. However, it is also interesting to note that, if one looks closely enough, this “tradition” still survives in the village to this day…….