St Colmans RC Church, Longstone Road, Rathfriland, Newry, Co Down, BT34 5BT

St Colman's Roman Catholic Church

This rural church stands on Longstone Road at Rathfriland, County Down. The core of the building dates to the 18th century and developed into a T-plan layout in 1820, though substantial alterations to external and internal detailing during the 20th century have diminished its architectural character. The church remains of interest to the local community and as an early Catholic church.

The main church was built in 1760 by Reverend Thomas Digenan, with transepts added in 1820 by Reverend Fergus Rooney to create the T-plan form. The sacristy was built in 1932 by Very Reverend James Gallery. Major reconstruction, re-roofing and installation of central heating occurred in 1957 under Reverend James Canon McCrorry. The sanctuary and high altar, originally of 1905, were remodelled in the 1980s by Reverend Canon Patrick McAnuff to comply with Vatican II requirements. Further refurbishment took place in 2010. The building was originally constructed with assistance from Captain Kerr, Seneschal of Rathfriland. An adjacent schoolhouse was built in 1834.

The church is cruciform in plan with the main entrance on the north gable facing Longstone Road. The cruciform roof is natural slate with raised moulded concrete coped skews and knee stones to all gables. The front gable carries a wrought iron Celtic cross finial. Stone walls are rendered in slightly textured unpainted cement with boxed overhanging timber eaves and half-round metal rainwater goods (all modern).

The main entrance in the centre of the north gable is contained within a slightly advanced cement-rendered gabled door surround with an advanced base, instepped jambs, moulded kneelers and moulded concrete coping with cross finial. The Gothic headed opening has chamfered reveals and a labelled hood mould. The door is diagonally sheeted varnished timber with decorative iron strap hinges and cable twist door pull. Above are three stained glass lancet windows, the central one taller, all with chamfered reveals, splayed cills and a common labelled hood mould.

The left (east) and right (west) walls of the nave each have four lancet windows with splayed reveals and cills. The northernmost windows on each side have cast iron lattice frames; the others have stained glass. The transept runs east to west. The north face of each transept has a door matching the main entrance with plain surround. The west and east gables of the transepts are identical, each with three lancet windows, the central one taller, all with plain quarries and splayed surrounds. The south face of the east transept has a single stained glass lancet window. The south face of the west transept is abutted by the sacristy.

The south gable of the church advances slightly beyond the transepts. Its gable end has three lancet windows in plain surrounds with stained glass. Its east cheek carries a wall-mounted Neo-classical memorial dedicated to Reverend John Gribbin (died 1864). Its west cheek, together with the south face of the west transept, is abutted by the sacristy.

The sacristy has a pitched natural slate roof with raised verge to the exposed gable, embattled coped parapet and concrete cross finial. Walls match the main church. Its south gable has two lancets in splayed reveals with cement-rendered architraves. To its east elevation is a small projecting porch with sheeted timber door on its south face and small leaded window on its east face.

The churchyard is enclosed by a rubble stone wall, cement-rendered and coped to the front, with a granite plaque inscribed "BARNMEEN / NATIONAL SCHOOL / 1834" built into its outside face at the road junction. To the main road is a pair of modern iron gates on plain piers, with a 19th-century wrought-iron pedestrian gate with dog bars and cast finials to the west. The front churchyard is grassed with shade trees. The rear contains a graveyard with mainly 19th-century memorials; the earliest legible one is dated 1812. At the rear left stands a two-storey parochial house of little architectural interest with an artificial slate roof, smooth cement-rendered walls and modern uPVC windows. A free-standing bell tower stands at the east of the graveyard (separate listing reference).

St Colman's is one of the oldest churches in the Diocese of Dromore, established in 1760. The church is shown as a T-plan building on the 1833 Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, captioned "RC Chapel". The Ordnance Survey Memoir of 1834 notes its capacity as approximately 600 people. The adjacent free-standing bell tower was erected in 1914.

The Barnmeen Martyrs, a significant local historical association, comprised six young Roman Catholic men executed in the 1820s following the murder of an Orangeman. A group of men had set upon the Orangeman when he passed them shouting sectarian abuse. Unable to identify which man dealt the fatal blow, the authorities arrested all young men in the district. Six were executed at Downpatrick; twenty were transported to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) in Australia.