St Columba’s Church
The construction of the church was undertaken by Fr James Connolly, Administrator of the Urney parish, in 1867 and was completed the following year. It was dedicated on Sunday, 18 October, 1868, with High Mass at 11am presided over by the Bishop of Derry, Most Rev. Francis Kelly. The sermon on the occasion was given by Rev. William Ronan, S.J., a well-known preacher of the time. The church is 91 feet long and 54 feet broad and is cruciform in style; it seats about 400.
An account of the consecration of the church in the Derry Journal of Wednesday, 21 October, 1868, contains the following:
“About 160 years ago the first Catholic church in Urney after the Reformation was erected, and stood nearly on the spot where the present beautiful building stands. Then it was a Rev. Father Nugent erected the building, now it is a Rev. Father Connolly. Twice between times were improvements or changes carried on, but this last is greatest and grandest of all, not only of its own parish, but perhaps the finest in the North-West of Ireland, save one or two exceptions. It has rapidly risen under the direction of Mr. O’Neill, Architect, Belfast, and completed under the personal superintendency of the excellent pastor himself, at a cost of about £2000.”
The tower and spire were added in 1891, erected by Messrs. Colhoun of Derry, and a new bell provided. The inscription on the bell reads: DONEYLOOP CHURCH PARISH OF URNEY 29th June 1891, with the manufacturer’s name: J. Murphy, Dublin.
The previous church bell, which had stood outside the church, now stands in the grounds of St Mary’s Church, Melmount.
About the same time stained glass windows were supplied by Messrs. Mayer & Co., Munich.
The cost of the tower, spire, bell, and stained glass windows was covered by a large bequest from a Patrick Scanlon.
While Fr Henry O’Kane was curate in the 1960s and early 1970s, the gallery of the church was removed and a new porch built at the rear of the church. The sanctuary was also remodelled reflecting the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, and new seating provided.
The church was reroofed and renovated in 1990, the original plaster-lath ceiling being replaced by the present redwood sheeted ceiling. The work being initiated by Fr William Rafferty, Parish Priest at the time, with Mr John Masterson of Hegarty, Masterson, Doherty Architects as the architect.
The sanctuary was partly redesigned in 2004 with the provision of a new marble altar, ambo and chair. The new altar was dedicated and blessed at the 11am Mass on Sunday, 28 November, 2004, by Most Rev. Seamus Hegarty, Bishop of Derry.