St Columba's Church, Long Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Columba's Church, Long Tower |
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| Long Tower Church | |
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Séipéal Naomh Cholumba ar an Túr Fada
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Pictured in 2009
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 St Columba's Church, Long Tower
Location in Derry
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| 54°59′34″N 7°19′43″W / 54.9929°N 7.3285°W | |
| Location | Longtower Street, Derry |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Churchmanship | Roman Rite |
| History | |
| Dedication | Columba |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | active |
| Style | vernacular |
| Years built | 1783–88 |
| Groundbreaking | 12th century |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 53 m (174 ft) |
| Width | 21 m (69 ft) |
| Number of floors | 1 |
| Materials | limestone, slate, cast iron, stained glass |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Templemore |
| Diocese | Derry |
| Province | Armagh |
St Columba's Church, Long Tower is a Roman Catholic Church in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Diocese of Derry. This church stands on a very old site where people have worshipped for centuries, going all the way back to the 12th century. The current Long Tower Church started being built in 1783. Father John Lynch, a local priest, helped raise money for it. He even got donations from both Catholic and Protestant people in Derry. The church officially opened its doors in 1788.
Contents
Changes and Updates to the Church
The Long Tower Church has been updated many times over the years.
Early Renovations: 1810
In 1810, the church was made bigger and improved. New gallery seating was added, and the main worship area (nave) was changed. The Altar was moved to the northern side of the church. The main Altar was built from heavy marble and supported by four pillars. At first, these pillars were made of wood, but they weren't strong enough. So, they were replaced with marble pillars. The church's basic design has mostly stayed the same since 1810.
Major Refurbishment: 1908-1909
A big renovation happened in 1908. This included adding beautiful new stained-glass windows, statues, and special shrines. A new baptismal font was also installed. The main Altar was moved again, and a new sacristy (a room where priests prepare) was added. This major work finished in 1909, and the church was reopened to everyone.
Cemetery Wall Collapse
On January 8, 1934, a wall around the church cemetery collapsed. This caused a landslide of part of the graveyard onto Lecky Road. Luckily, no one walking by was hurt. However, many graves were disturbed, and some bodies were uncovered. Lecky Road has changed a lot since then, but you can still see where the graveyard collapsed from the nearby flyover.
The Long Tower Today
Many people in Derry City feel that the Long Tower Church is a very important place for Catholicism in the city. Even after St Eugene's Cathedral was built in 1873 as the main church of the diocese, people's strong feelings for the Long Tower remained.
Changes After Vatican II
When the Vatican II brought changes to church services in the 1960s, the priests and people at Long Tower didn't want to change the church's layout too much. The Council's documents didn't say that church sanctuaries had to be completely changed. In 1964, a temporary wooden altar was put in place. This allowed Mass to be said with the priest facing the people. In 1979, this wooden altar was replaced with a new marble altar, a new marble lectern (for readings), and a new ambo (where the priest speaks). These changes were kept small to keep the rest of the church's original look. While other churches removed things like altar rails and old confession boxes, the Long Tower kept them. In 2012, the marble ambo was removed, and its marble was used to create a new chair for the priest in the sanctuary.
Parish Life and Priests
The Long Tower parish is an active community. In December 2015, about 6,761 people lived in the parish.
Over the years, there have been changes in the priests serving the Long Tower. In 2010, due to a shortage of priests, the Long Tower parish began to share an administrator with St Eugene's Cathedral. Father Michael Canny became the administrator for both.
By October 2013, the Long Tower parish became independent again. Father Edward Gallagher was appointed administrator, with Father Brendan Collins as curate. The current Bishop of Derry, Most Reverend Donal McKeown, is the Parish Priest for both the Long Tower and St Eugene's Cathedral.
In August 2015, Bishop McKeown appointed Father Eamon Graham as the new administrator. In September 2016, Father Aidan Mullan became the new administrator. He was the only resident priest, with help from the cathedral parish when needed.
Sadly, on September 10, 2021, Father Aidan Mullan passed away. Father Patrick Baker was appointed as the new administrator on September 15, 2021.
On August 20, 2022, Father Gerard Mongan was appointed administrator of the Long Tower parish. He had served as a curate there from 2007 to 2013. Father Patrick Baker moved to other parishes.
On October 1, 2023, Father Stephen Ward was appointed as a curate, meaning the Long Tower parish had two diocesan priests again for the first time since 2016.
However, in late July 2025, Father Stephen Ward was appointed to a new role in Derry. This means the Long Tower parish will return to having one main priest, with help from retired priest Father John P Forbes and priests from the Termonbacca Carmelite Priory.
Funeral of Martin McGuinness
On Thursday, March 23, 2017, the Long Tower Church was the location for the funeral of Martin McGuinness. He was a well-known politician who had been the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. Many important people attended the funeral, including former US President Bill Clinton, Irish President Michael D. Higgins, and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster was also there, along with many other leaders and representatives from different churches and political groups. Martin McGuinness was later buried in Derry's City Cemetery.
Long Tower Parish Timetable
Here are the regular times for services and activities at the Long Tower Church:
Mass Times
- Sunday: 6:00 PM (Saturday evening); 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM & 12:00 PM.
- Holydays: 7:30 PM Vigil; 10:00 AM & 7:30 PM (unless announced differently).
- Mondays to Fridays: 10:00 AM & 7:30 PM.
- Saturday mornings: 10:00 AM.
Confessions
- Saturdays: 10:30 AM-11:30 AM & 5:00 PM-5:45 PM.
- Mondays to Fridays: 7:00 PM-7:25 PM.
Eucharistic Adoration
- Every Wednesday: 10:30 AM until just before the 7:30 PM Mass.
- Adoration Chapel (18 Pump Street): Mondays to Saturdays, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM.
- Devotions are held on Sundays during Lent.
- A special prayer series (Novena) to Our Lady of Perpetual Help is held on the nine Sundays before Christmas at 6:00 PM.
- The Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet are prayed before all daily weekday Masses.
Baptisms
- Baptisms are held on Saturdays at 3:30 PM.
Centenary Celebrations
The church celebrated its 100th anniversary (centenary) on St Columba's Day, June 9, 2009. Leading up to this, from June 9, 2008, to June 9, 2009, the church worked on many renovations and repairs.
Renovation Projects
During this time, a memorial was installed for Raymond O'Gallagher, a former Bishop of Derry who died in 1601. Water fonts in the balcony were repaired, as was an old water font near Our Lady's grotto. Information tablets on the church floor, showing where the main Altars used to be, were also fixed. Statues were renovated, and the tomb of former Bishop John Keys O'Doherty was unveiled after being restored.
From November 17, 2008, three large panels from the main Altar were taken down for urgent repair. These panels show Christ going up to heaven, with Saint Peter and Saint Paul on either side. They are made of lead and were installed in 1909. Experts found they were in poor condition and needed fixing. The repair work, which cost about £20,000, had to be done in Belfast.
In February 2009, these newly restored panels, known as Opus Sectile, were put back in the church. They were officially shown during a special Mass on March 9, 2009. Opus sectile is a Latin term for painted glass "tiles." What makes these panels special is that they are set in lead, which is very rare and makes them important works of art.
Anniversary Mass
A special Mass to celebrate the centenary was held on June 9, 2009. Cardinal Keith O'Brien attended as the Pope's representative. The church's actual anniversary was on May 30, 2009. At 8:00 AM on June 9, a Latin Mass was celebrated. This Mass was almost exactly the same as the one said when the church first opened in 1909. After the evening Mass, the annual blessing of Saint Columba's well took place. The well is a short distance from the church in the Bogside area. The next day, Cardinal O'Brien planted an oak tree in the church graveyard to mark the graveyard's renovation for the centenary.
Long Tower Parochial House
In August 2009, it was announced that the Long Tower parochial house (where the parish priests live) would become home to the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. These friars were starting a new community in Derry. This meant the parish priests and staff moved to the Convent of Mercy on Pump Street, inside the city walls. The sisters who had lived in the convent for 161 years moved to a new home.
In January 2014, the friars moved out of the old Long Tower Parochial House and into the Galliagh Parochial House in Derry. The old Long Tower Parochial House in Victoria Place became empty. However, in October 2014, the parish decided to move back to the Victoria Place Parochial House, and the priests returned on October 16-17, 2014.
Renovation and Restoration Work
In June 2016, the church announced that major renovation work would happen inside during the summer. This included painting the entire interior, fixing the lights inside and outside, and repairing all the windows. This work was planned to cause as little disruption as possible and was expected to finish by the end of September. Updates were shared on the parish website and Facebook page.
In November 2017, Father Aidan Mullan, the administrator, shared that the church's stonework needed a lot of repair. The stone was wearing away, and parts were falling off. A special fundraising effort called "SOS Save Our Stonework" was launched. By May 2018, enough money was raised to start the repairs. The project was planned in stages, fixing different parts of the church's exterior over time. The total cost was estimated at £400,000, and the work was expected to be completed by 2020.
Images for kids
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Pictured in 2009
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The churchyard
