Donagheady Presbyterian Church
Strabane, County Tyrone
Donagheady Presbyterian Church was known initially as First Donagheady which was built in the 1600s.
The magnificence of the church of the Immaculate Conception surprises visitors who have not seen it before.
The massive scale is unexpected, as is the ornamentation both inside and out; it feels more like a cathedral than a parish church. It is cruciform in plan and was completed in 1895 to the designs of architect, William Hague. It was designed in the 13th century French Gothic style, with large four-stage tower with spire, large, pinnacled, side porches, side aisles, and a large two-storey rear vestry projection.
It retains some fine mosaic work and altar fittings. The stained glass windows within the sanctuary and apses are of a high quality and are designed and constructed by Mayers of Munich and contain beautifully painted scenes displayed in the most dramatic fashion. They are considered priceless. The interior also boasts fourteen original stations of the cross, also hand carved by the same Munchnerian artists. The altar was built and installed by Mr James Pearse, sculptor of Dublin, whose son Patrick led the 1916 Easter Rising at the GPO in Dublin.
