Welcome to St. Rynagh's N.S. Banagher, Co. Offaly

St. Rynagh's Church

Saint Rynagh is the patron saint of our combined parish of Banagher and Cloghan therefore our church is named after her. St Rynagh's church was built in 1825/1826 and the belfry was added in 1872. A statue of St. Rynagh can be seen over the front door of the church.

There are some lovely features to our church . The sanctuary area is particularly ornate. The present sanctuary was designed by Robinson, Keefe and Devane architects Dublin and erected in 1972. The altar, tabernacle pillar, ambo and baptismal font are made from Dublin granite and were sculpted by Michael Ryan. The crucifix above the altar and other enamel panels are the work of Ray Carroll. The crucifix shows Christ surrounded by symbols of earth, air and water. The wrought iron flower and candle stands were made by Danny Edwards in Clonmacnois and the Stations of the Cross were drawn in Italian fresco by Bernard Mc Donagh in 1959.

On the windows of our church you can see representations of sixteen Irish saints namely St. Brigid, St. Colmcille, St. Finnian, St. Ethna, St. Aidan, St. Lelia, St. Malachy, St. Laurence, St. Attracta, St. Enda, St. Dympna, St. Kevin, St. Ita, St. Brendan, St. Patrick, St. Mel. Two windows on either side of the altar have figures which appear to be St. Rynagh, The Sacred Heart, The Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Patrick.

In the grounds of the church you can see beautiful bronze statues of Padre Pio and the Good Shepherd.

By 5th/6th Class