Harryville Chapel to close

According to a local councillor, the striking building, which was at the epicentre of a loyalist protest which received worldwide coverage, has fallen into a poor state of disrepair. In simple terms, spending money on refurbishing the building would not make economic sense, according to SDLP represntative, Declan O’LOan.

In a statement released on Friday he said:“It is naturally very sad to hear that the Church of Our Lady, Harryville, is to close on account of building problems which are uneconomic to repair. The closure of any church which has played an important part in the life of its parishioners is a very significant moment. As a parishioner I have attended Mass there on many occasions, and there will be many who remember this beautiful modern church as the place where they celebrated family weddings, funerals and baptisms.

“Of course we cannot forget the Harryville protest which placed the Church of Our Lady at the centre of world attention. The loyalist protest which was at its most intense for two years from September 1996 and which eventually finished in 1999 remains a scarring memory. Being at the centre of political involvement at that time, I will never forget the hatred, the sense of menace, the fear of attacks on the church and also on school buildings and Catholic homes, all of which occurred at that time.

“Up to 400 protesters were present on some occasions at the protest outside the church, and Mass was celebrated against a background of angry shouting, firecrackers, police dogs barking and police sirens going off. The priests who lived in the adjacent house had to leave out of fear for their lives. The rest of the world looked on aghast, incredulous that people simply going to church could be subjected to such abuse.

“There were no winners in that situation. The Catholic population was subjected to intolerable treatment which it bore with great dignity. The Catholic population in Harryville and the southern end of the town, which was substantial at one time, dwindled to virtually zero. The Protestant population suffered too.

“It lost its Catholic neighbours and a church which had the potential to be a powerful social force for good. The nearby St Mary’s Primary School which at one stage had 300 pupils closed its doors in 2007. The Church was attacked on a number of occasions after the end of the protest. It will take a long time, many decades at least, to repair the social damage done over this period. It is good that many people have started on that work.

“The writing has been on the wall for the Church of Our Lady for some time. The Church has seen many happy occasions but also many tragic and unfortunate ones. Its closure marks a definitive end to a particular chapter of history in Ballymena.”