 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 |
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 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. |
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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…….
