ST NICHOLAS GALWAY CITY

Dave:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

I've been to Galway city a number of times and are familiar with two churches. There is the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas. This beautiful church built I believe in the 1960s right near the River Corrib. There is also an Augustinian church on Middle Street closer to the Spanish Arch. See links below. Not sure how the 19th century parishes evolved into these churches.

https://www.galwaycathedral.ie/

http://www.augustinians.ie/galway/church.htm

In addition, these links provide info on other parishes in the city and surrounding area.

 https://www.galwaydiocese.ie/parishes/galway-city-east  

 https://www.galwaydiocese.ie/parishes/galway-city-west

Roger McDonnell

Lewis 1837 mentions just one chapel, described as a 'spacious edifice' for the parish of St. Nicholas Galway, plus '......friaries and nunneries of the orders of St. Francis, St. Augustine, and St. Dominick, to each of which is attached a chapel...'. When I mapped the various chapels on the first edition OSI maps I located two - one labelled as St. Patrick's, between College Road/Forster St. & Prospect Hill, and the other in Claddagh.

The 1838 Catholic directory lists the four St. Nicholas parishes, and in the combined notes under the section for chapels that '....These four parishes comprise the Town of Galway. There is but one Chapel common to the four parishes. The Rev. B.J. Roche is engaged in the building of another....' (The chapel at Claddagh is not mentioned in the 1838 listing)

Thank you Roger and Shanew147 for your replies. Roger, those links were very helpful, and I appreciate you going out of your way to provide them.

Shanew147, I also did the OSI Map comparisons, coupled with research in the NLI online parish records info, and came up with the same conclusion that you did. Thus far I have found that the St. Nicholas, St. Nicholas South and West, St. Nicholas North, and North and East, referred to the same parish, which I believe refers to the former the St. Nicholas Pro-cathedral on the corner of Middle Street and Abbeygate Street in Galway City. See the NLI Catholic Parish Map at: http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0640

On the map to the right of the page click on the cross icon for for St. Nicholas South and West to see the variant names of the parish. The map also  shows another cross icon just to the north of St. Nicholas South and West. This icon is for St. Nicholas East. If you click on St. Nicholas East you'll see the variant name for St. Nicholas East was Bohermore. I am wondering if this could refer to St. Patrick's Chapel on Forster Street. The OSI map from the 1829-1841 time period shows St. Patrick's, and lists it as the R.C. Chapel. Information at the NLI site suggests that the St. Nicholas East parish registers are separate from the St. Nicholas South and West parish registers. See: http://tinyurl.com/jaeyeqr

Once again Roger and Shanew147, thank you both for your input. It is greatly appreciated.

Dave

Hi Dave,

Did you ever confirm if the building on the corner of Abbeygate and Middle St. is the original St. Nicholas? My great-grandmother was baptized there and I'd like to visit the building (now stores) while I'm there. It certainly looks like a church! 

Thanks,
Deb

Hi Deb,

Unfortunately I haven’t confirmed that the Augustinian Church on Abbeygate and Middle Streets is the original St. Nicholas Church in Galway City, though it may be, as the origins of this church go back to the year 1500, when at that time it was located where the Fort Hill Cemetery is, just a quarter of a mile away. From there the church moved to Market Street, and then in 1855 to its current location on Middle Street.

This may be the St. Nicholas Church where your great grandmother was baptized, though I can’t be 100 percent sure that it is.

Sorry Deb I couldn’t provide more concrete information about the church.

Kind Regards,

Dave

Thanks Dave for your question, and thanks for the replies. I also have been confused about where the various Galway parishes had their places of worship in the 19th century. From the information given in the replies it definitely seems that the one church, the Pro Cathedral of St Nicholas on corner of Abbeygate St Lower and Middle St, was the church for several parishes, including the parish of St Nicholas North & East which is the one I'm particularly interested in.

Here are a few basic facts I found out about the Pro Cathedral of St Nicholas when I researched it (might be useful to somebody doing family research):
-- the building was completed in 1821 and deconsecrated in 1965;
-- although it was called the Pro Cathedral of St Nicholas it is not the same as St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church;
-- it was known to the parishioners as The Parish Church.

This article from the Galway Advertiser is interesting and helpful:
Advertiser.ie - Galway’s Pro-Cathedral, a building of some significance

Louise Gallagher

Many thanks Louise for your kind reply and the article from the Galway Advertiser. It is very helpful. I've saved your reply and the Advertiser article for the future reference.

The story in the Galway Advertiser about the so-called gallery collapsing in the Pro-Cathedral, resulting in people being crushed to death, was horrific to read. 

Again, thank you Louise, and God Bless.

Dave