Who and what is the Civic Trust
Birr Civic Trust was formed in 1995. The Trust is a society and was established for the public benefit in the area comprising Birr town. Membership is open to all interested parties ie: Voluntary and Civic organisation, Industry, Business and Commercial enterprises, Public and Private concerns, State and Semi-State Bodies, Local Authorities and individuals. It is regulated by a constitution. It represents a wide cross-section of interests in the Town and is constituted as a charitable society with the expressed purpose of “improvement of our environment through positive action”. One of the main objectives of Birr Civic Trust is to:

- Initiate the preservation, protection, development and improvement of features of historic, architectural, archaeological or public interest in Birr town.

Birr Civic Trust have been working over the last 4 years on plans to develop Crotty’s Church as a permanent home for the town’s Tourist Office and Heritage Centre. The provision of a quality information service is necessary if Birr is to achieve its ambitions as a visitor/tourist destination. Visitors are already attracted to the Birr area by Birr Castle, the Slieve Blooms, and many come here to trace their family heritage. The Heritage Center will provide Birr with the opportunity to align itself to Tullamore Historical Society’s database on genealogy and much more. The Heritage Centre will also create greater awareness of Birr’s ecclesiastical history through interpretation of the Crotty Schism in a sensitive and interesting way.

The building once restored could be used as a community base for clubs. Community groups in the Birr area have been meeting in local hotels for the past few years. The upstairs of the Crotty Church has space which could be used as a community meeting room. It has been suggested that secretarial services could be established to provide support to community groups as needed. Birr Civic Trust are open to suggestions from people/groups in Birr for potential uses for the upstairs of the building.

The Crotty Church Development plan also includes the restoration of the graveyard which is located at the back of the main building. There is a preservation order on the graveyard. It is hoped that Mr. Michael Tierney, Archaeological Architect will supervise the conservation of the graveyard. Birr Public/Visitor toilet facilities are to be built alongside the main building and will be open during working hours only.

The Crotty Church located in Castle Street, is a building of significant local historical interest. The site was provided by the Earl of Rosse and it’s foundation stone was laid in 1836 by Father Michael Crotty who had the support of approximately 6,000 people in Birr due to a schism in the Catholic Church. The schism is a highly unusual chapter in Irish ecclesiastical history and it’s story forms a unique part of Birr’s history. The story of the Crotty Schism is a complete story in itself and will be covered separately. Very briefly, Birr town was bitterly divided over a dispute between the Bishop of Killaloe who wanted Father Kennedy to be Parish Priest and some parishioners wanted Father Michael Crotty to be Parish Priest. During his time in Birr Father Michael Crotty was prosecuted for disturbing public worship and conspiracy, was sentenced to imprisonment and bound to uphold the peace for seven years. At one point Father Michael Crotty caused so much uproar by his presence at Mass, that Father Kennedy was forced to abandon the mass and Father Crotty took over the celebration of mass. So he was quite an interesting character. He was assisted in his mission by his cousin Father William Crotty who later became a member of the Presbyterian Church. The Crotty Church was signed over to the Dublin Presbytery on 20th May, 1839 by William Crotty in the absence of Michael Crotty who was in England fundraising. The Crotty Schism fizzled out by 1841 – 1842. As a direct result of the Crotty Schism, in 1840, Mother Catherine McAuley, Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, was asked to found a Convent in Birr. The Sisters presence and work, it was hoped would bring the people back to the Catholic Church. So indirectly, we can thank Father Michael Crotty for the founding of Birr Convent. The convent itself was designed in 1845 by A.W.N. Pugin who was one of the most influential architects and designers of the nineteenth century

Birr Civic Trust have been trying to piece together the story of the building from its interesting beginning to the present day whereby it stands in need of urgent repair. The roof is in a very poor state, the gutters are mostly gone, the front façade is missing, the graveyard is overgrown and the building needs immediate action in order to prevent its further deterioration. On talking to residents of Birr who have lived here for a long time, I was fascinated to learn more about the building itself and Castle Street. What industries were here before, who worked there and much more. I spoke with Paddy and Sheila Callaghan from Moorpark Street, Birr recently and I am very grateful for the information I received.

Paddy Callaghan remembered Castle Street over 30 years ago. D.E. Williams used to occupy a good section of the street and had a thriving business – supermarket, drapery, off-licence. The present day Maltings was all owned by Williams Malt and he remembers malt being loaded in Birr and brought to Banagher to be transported around the country. Paddy remembers when D.E. Williams went on fire. That was when the Crotty Church was used to store wholesale goods belonging to D.E. Williams. Paddy says that Father Crotty’s original stone pulpit was in the building up to this time. There was also a 3 foot high wall running up the middle of the Church. Both the wall and the pulpit were removed to make room for whiskey stock. D.E. Williams put in the upper floor and stored dry malt for guinness upstairs. A conveyor belt was used to transport goods up and down. The Crotty Church was used by D.E. Williams as a store until the building was occupied by Woodingtons of Drogheda.

Sheila Callaghan recalls that in the 1970’s Woodington’s Factory whose Head Office were located in Drogheda, Co. Louth occupied the Crotty Chuch. They made high fashion ladies boots and shoes. Machinery was upstairs and downstairs was used for stores. It was Woodingtons who put up the fire escape. They had a thriving industry and employed around 27 people at the time Sheila remembers the original ceiling which is no longer present in the building. She says that in the middle of the ceiling, there was a white dove surrounded by a white ornate circle. The original colours were white and blue. One of the conditions for planning are that Birr Civic Trust submit through a conservation architect proposals to restore the original ceiling, cornice and decorative plaster centrepiece, together with details of the making good of the façade stonework.

When Woodingtons left Birr, Dubarry’s of Ballinasloe occupied the building and they too made shoes. Eventually this trade went into decline. The building was subsequently occupied by James North and Sons who manufactured protective clothing.

Paddy remembered the graveyard which is located at the back of the building. He said that several years ago, members of the Presbyterian Church used to keep the headstones and the graves cleaned up. He noted that there is a famous Presbyterian buried in the graveyard by the name of James Carlisle. He also said that he had read the headstones in the graveyard and what really stands out in his mind were “that a lot of the deceased seemed to have died in the Castle Estate and most of the people buried there were under 14 years of age”.

Last occupied in the 1980s, the Crotty Church was abandoned until 1995 when it was purchased by Birr Town Council (formerly Birr UDC). The building was leased by Birr Civic Trust from Birr Town Council for 21 years commencing in 2000.
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The former Crotty’s Church is a protected structure under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1999 due to its inclusion in Birr Town Council Development Plan, 1998. As a protected structure, protection extends to the interior of the structure, to land lying within the curtilage of the structure and to any other structures lying with that curtilage and their interiors and to all fixtures and features which form part of the interior and exterior.

Birr Civic Trust have been actively trying to restore the Crotty Church Building. A detailed building fabric defects report has been completed, draft interior design.

Progress to date includes:

- Work commenced cleaning up the building through FAS CE Scheme
- Planning permission sought for Tourist Office/Heritage Center Project
- Planning permission granted in September, 2001

Charity Status of Birr Civic Trust.
Under the Charities Section, Birr Civic Trust has been approved by Revenue under the provisions of Section 207 Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 – comes into effect on 12 December, 2003. This allows for total deduction against income tax for corporations and/or individuals for the value of any monetary donation.

It is hoped that the Crotty Church Development will increase visitor and local awareness of the cultural, natural and architectural heritage of the Birr area. We are seeking the support of the local Community and Local Authority in order to successfully move forward with the project.

Teresa Ryan-Feehan
Secretary
Birr Civic Trust
1 February, 2003