Lisa, Dillon and Declan Girill
Ethel McGarvey was 22 when she immigrated to America from Glenswilly, County Donegal, but it would be hard for her to forget the little chapel where she was baptized and received communion.
St. Columba’s Church in Glenswilly has a long and storied history. Built in 1814, McGarvey recalls it as “a beautiful little place.” Now, a long-needed top-to-bottom restoration project is in progress, and that beautiful little place is in need of some cold hard cash—680,000 Euros. McGarvey and her family—including some who just happened to be visiting from back home—were on hand at a Donegal Association-sponsored fundraiser at the Irish Center last weekend to help get the job done.
The church has been closed for two years, McGarvey says. “It’s all stone, a small little church sitting on a hill, looking out onto a glen—a beautiful little place. The inside was renovated, but two years ago, the roof fell in. Now it’s very close to being ready.”
The parish has grown large, McGarvey says—300 to 400 households—but even a large parish can come up with only so many Euros.
Sunday’s fundraiser should help. It drew lots of people like the McGarvey family to the Irish Center ballroom, with music from beginning to end, a bit of dancing now and again, tables full of food and desserts, and raffles a-plenty.
Organizers Mary Crossan and Pat Duddy hadn’t counted the money yet, but judging by all the filled tables, they regarded the event as a success. There was nothing dribs-and-drabs about it. Several other organizations had been holding meetings earlier in the afternoon, Duddy said, and when they came out, they went looking for something—so the place filled up pretty quickly. “People have been very generous.”
The event had special meaning for Crossan. “Glenswilly is where I was raised,” she says. “My parents and grandparents are buried in Glenswilly graveyard. Glenswilly was my foundation. It’s where I started out.”
We took some snaps while we were there. Check them out, below.
Also check out a video of Charlie Zahm singing the ballad “Grace.”
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