Ending of the Penal Laws

[Christopher]

When the Penal Laws started to relax and come to an end education and places where people could gather together to pray were of prime importance to members of the Catholic faith  in Ireland.   

Construction started on Carlow College, which was Ireland’s first post penal Catholic third level institute, around 1786. www.carlowcountymuseum.com/carlow-town/st-patricks-collage/index.html

Post Penal Chapels were basic structures built as a Catholic chapel after the Penal laws were relaxed against the Catholic population in Ireland. In most cases erecting a new building was out of the question due to extreme poverty in many areas. This link shows such a chapel at Drumsurn Co. Derry www.69thpa.co.uk/page3.html and this link shows one at Gortgarn-Tannyranny, Co. Derry. www.benbradagh.com/page%202.html

The Rocks Chapel in Magheracranmoney townland, which was erected by Rev. James Killen and opened on Halloween night 1769, was the oldest post -penal laws chapel in Co Down. http://tinyurl.com/4r3ng7 Source: Ros Davies' website