St Columba

Around 1760 a parish church was erected at the crossroads in the townlands of Moyheeland (where Draperstown is now situated), principally through the generosity of the Bishop of Derry, the Earl of Bristol. This was a Gothic hall type of building, four bays long, having a shingle roof and windows on the south side only. In 1792 a tower and octagonal spire were added, the cost being met by the Drapers’ Company and Sir William Rowley, their agent. The great wind of 1839 did considerable damage to this spire which subsequently needed rebuilding.

By the 1880s the parish church was in extreme need of improvement. Sir Thomas Drew, RHA, Diocesan Architect of Down, was employed to design a new church. This he did and work began in March 1887, Mr John McNally of Cookstown being the contractor. Drew’s church which incorporates the original tower, is long and low with a broadly buttressed porch and cusped lancet windows. The east end is given an unusual profile by the way the transepts are added as separate gabled additions with their roof ridges running parallel to the nave-like aisles. Arcades inside divide the transept from the chancel. This church is a Listed Building with a listing of B+.

The church, through its clergy and parishioners, has had many connections with aristocratic and eminent families such as Montgomerys, Torrens, O’Neills, and Chichesters. The O’Neill and Torrens coats of arms are displayed on the aisle windows. Since 1962 the parish has been joined with Kilcronaghan Parish Church. In 1992 the church spire was rebuilt with the help of cross community support, many fundraising events and significant grant aid. The work was undertaken by Mr Joe McCullagh and overseen by Diocesan Architect, Caroline Dickson. In 1999 the church was rewired and floodlit, and toilet facilities were added. The church’s pipe organ which had been out of order for several years was rebuilt between 2002 and 2004 by Mr David Roberts. This organ was originally built in 1887 by Telford & Telford of Dublin.