Bicentenary of Feakle Church

What to Expect

Feakle’s parish church reaches 200 years in 2026 and the parish is marking the milestone on Sunday 20 September, listed by the Diocese of Killaloe from 2pm to 4.30pm. A two-century anniversary is a rare thing even in a county with as much church history as Clare, and the two and a half hour slot suggests something more substantial than a single Mass.

Bicentenary celebrations of this kind in the diocese normally combine a concelebrated Mass with a historical element: the story of how the church was built in the 1820s, the priests and families associated with it, and the records that survive. Feakle has a strong sense of its own past, from the grave of the eighteenth century healer Biddy Early in the old churchyard to the international traditional music festival that carries the village name every August, so there is a reasonable chance of local music and a gathering afterwards. The diocesan listing gives the date and hours but not the running order, so the parish newsletter and weekend notices are the place to look closer to the date. Admission is free.

Good to Know

• Sunday 20 September 2026, 2pm to 4.30pm, at Feakle Church, Feakle, east Clare.
• Free to attend, no tickets and no booking.
• The full programme is not published online. Check with Feakle parish or the Killaloe diocesan office on +353 65 682 8638.
• Expect a large attendance, including people returning to the parish for the day.
• Feakle village has pubs and a community hall within a short walk of the church.

Getting There

Feakle is in the east Clare hills between Scariff and Tulla, about 40 minutes from Ennis and roughly an hour from Limerick. From Ennis the usual route is the R352 to Tulla and then the local roads north to Feakle; from the Limerick side, come through Killaloe and Scariff on the R463 and R461. The approach roads are narrow in places, so allow extra time. Parking is on the street and in the spaces around the church and community hall, and it will be tight for an occasion of this size, so arriving early is worth doing. There is no useful scheduled bus service, so drive or arrange a lift.