According to Rowan’s ‘Architecture of North-west Ulster, the Church of Ireland church in Ardara was erected in 1833. The first bell was installed in 1845, and repaired in 1954.

Most of the surrounding parishes had built new churches in the 1820s and 1830s by way of loans provided by the Board of First Fruits, but evidence that Ardara availed of that assistance is hard to find.

By 1877 the local Vestry had decided to carry out repairs and additions to the church, but it is doubtful if this took place. However, by the turn of the century extensive repairs were needed, so an ambitious plan of renovation was decided upon.  Early in 1906 tenders were sought for the proposed works:

The tender was awarded to John Bloomfield of Fermanagh, and the work commenced early in the same summer.  It so happened that Robert French, the lead photographer of the famous William Lawrence company, visited Donegal at that time, to take some views for the postcard trade.  A few of his photos of Ardara survive; two of them showing the church under repair:

Looking south-west, showing the old slates removed. Pearsons’ grocery and hardware shop in the foreground. (Photo courtesy of the National Library of Ireland, Lawrence Collection)

The church, from the south, with old windows removed. (Photo courtesy of the National Library of Ireland, Lawrence Collection)

The renovations were completed in October, and the re-opening took place on Sunday the 7^th of that month.  The Press reported that:

Reopening – Sunday 7^th Oct 1906

The Lord Bishop of Derry and Raphoe and the Ven, the Archbishop of Raphoe preached at the reopening services of Ardara Parish Church, and there were at both services large and deeply interested congregations.  The renovations have been effected with great success by the contractor, Mr John Bloomfield, Brookeborough, county Fermanagh.  The improvements, involved the remodelling of the building, and equipping the parish with a church of neat and artistic appearance and much comfort, a result on which both the rector (Rev. A. Knight) and the parishioners deserve to be congratulated.  The outer walls were lowered and a new, open timbered roof provided.  The interior has been wainscoted in pitch pine.  The lowering of the windows was also part of the scheme, and the filling of them with leaded lights in cathedral tints has heightened the pleasing artistic effect. The aisle has been laid down in encaustic tiles of pretty pattern, and a new chancel arch gives grace and dignity to the interior.  The seats were repainted and rearranged and the walls coloured.  A number of generous gifts have marked the reopening.  An oak Communion table was given by General Tredennick, D. L., and a handsome lectern by Rev. Arthur McQuade, and two friends; Mr William Burns and family presented a flagon in memory of a little son; the oak hymn-board was a gift from Mr Harry Spence; Rev.lk A. G. Stuart, Bogay, gave the oak font cover; and Messrs J. J. Pollock & Co., Londonderry, the linen tablecloth and napkins, while the prayer-book and office-book were the gifts of Mrs R. D. Buchanan and family in memory of their mother; a Bible for the lectern was presented by Mr G. Cunningham; and the chancel oak chairs were presented, one by Mrs G. Cunningham and the other by Miss Ellen Baskin and other members of the family, in memory of their father and mother.  The money for the handsome set of suspension lamps of 100-candle power was collected by members of the choir – Misses McGinley, hon. Secretary and treasurer, Burnside, E. and M. Spence, M. Strong, and B. Baskin.  The parishioners subscribed generously to the improvement fund, and gave most of the drawing and labour free. The morning service began with the consecration prayer, with the proper psalms and lessons.  The Rector read Morning Prayer, the Archdeacon of Raphoe read the lessons.  Miss Christie was the organist, and the choir sang with sweetness and expression.  The Lord Bishop preached from Hebrews xi, 1., after which he said: ‘…. And I thank God for your faith and love, shown in the marvelous transformation of this place since last I was among you, in the help which others have given you, but much more in the large and splendid generosity of the rank-and-file of this little parish, who have done beyond what we could have hoped or asked from them’. 

JACK SWEENEY – The Man who Trained Ronnie Delaney

Ireland’s greatest athlete, Ronnie Delaney, was laid to rest yesterday, 16 March. In the extensive media coverage that followed, many people learned—some for the first time—that Delaney’s most influential coach was a Killybegs man, Jack Sweeney.

Jack Sweeney

Praise from Ronnie Delaney:

Delaney often credited Sweeney with shaping his entire approach to running. “Jack Sweeney taught me that the most important thing was the shape of the race—to be in a position to strike, to make the one move to win. That was the only tactic I knew, learned from my first coach, Jack Sweeney.” After his famous Olympic victory in Melbourne in 1956, Delaney sent a telegram to Sweeney that read simply: “We did it, Jack.”

Jack Sweeney was born in a house—now demolished—that once stood at the junction of Main Street and Conlin Road. The McGilloway family were the last occupants, and the site is now a car park. At the beginning of the 20th century, the house was home to James Strain, a baker, and his family. Sweeney’s father, John, a Railway Guard, lived there as a lodger and married Strain’s daughter, Annie, in 1914. Their son, John Joseph Cecil—later known as Jack—was born in 1916. Another of the lodgers in Strain’s was James Nutt, who ran a bicycle shop next door; the doorway to the domestic part Nutt’s shop can be seen on the left.

James Strain’s Lodging house where Jack’s Father Resided. (Original Photo credit: Dr Donal Martin’s Then & Now. The passage leads to Conlin Road.

John Sweeney, the father, entered local history in 1920 during the Troubles when he refused to take charge of the Donegal–Killybegs train because four armed British policemen were travelling as passengers. He was dismissed for his refusal and forced to return to Donegal as a passenger. His replacement as Guard was subsequently refused lodgings in Killybegs.

Young Jack attended the Niall Mór School and later St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny. His sister, Eithne, won a scholarship to the Loreto Convent, Letterkenny, in 1932, valued at £12 per year for two years. In his youth, Jack was a regular member of the Killybegs Emeralds football team. He later studied at UCD and went on to become a mathematics master at the James Street Christian Brothers’ School.

Sweeney had an enduring passion for athletics. He devoted all of his spare time—and often his own money—to helping young athletes develop their careers. In addition to Delaney, he coached Brendan O’Reilly, Eamonn Kinsella, Gerry O’Gorman, Val McCann, and many others. He came to be regarded as one of the finest athletics coaches ever produced in Ireland.

Jack’s father was a brother of Charlie Sweeney, grandfather of Dr Charles, Nuala, Eddie, and Deirdre Sweeney of New Row, Killybegs.

Among Jack’s closest friends was Paddy Haughey of Teelin, an outstanding distance runner who represented Ireland on many occasions.