A fundraising book by a Co. Armagh author tells the story of ‘The People, The Place and The Presbyterians’ in the village of Clare.
‘The History of Clare‘ was written by Sarah McClelland to help raise building funds for Clare Presbyterian Church, after she decided to compile her vast treasure trove of information on the church and its history.
While the book was launched back in 2018 – the 385th anniversary of Clare Presbyterian Church – the proceeds continue to bear fruit, as the congregation has only recently moved into their newly-renovated church hall.
Clare is one of the oldest Presbyterian congregations in Ireland, having been established in 1633.
The present meeting house, which was erected in 1828, is actually the fourth such building. The first building was destroyed in the 1641 uprising.
According to Sarah, the separate church hall stands on the site of the old Clare National School, which was opened in 1844.
After the present Clare Primary School was opened, the church used the old school house for meetings. It was eventually knocked down in the 1960s to build a more permanent church hall, which was opened in 1964.
Over time, it was decided the building was in much need of refurbishment and modernisation.
The hall’s extension, which still features the original plaque from the old school, was opened on April 19, 2024, by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Clerk of General Assembly, Rev. Trevor Gribben.
Over the last number of years, the church building and manse have been totally refurbished, with the hall now the latest addition.
The structure is now much larger, which has helped the congregation to start new organisations, such as: ‘Happy Hippos,’ a parent and toddler group; and a friendship group for older people inside and outside the congregation.
The church has also started its own library which can be used by members and visitors.
The church hall has recently been refurbished.
When writing the book, Sarah decided that she wanted to put some ‘flesh on the bones’ – instead of focusing on just dates and names, she wanted to find out about the people themselves and the lives they led.
“In 2008, our church was celebrating its 375th anniversary and I wanted to mark the occasion, as we are one of the oldest Presbyterian churches in Ireland. I did a huge display in the hall, with over 100 boards of information about the church and the village,” she said.
Sarah admits that the information then lay in her attic for almost ten years, before she decided she had to do something to prevent the stories therein being lost.
“I decided to take the plunge and write the book. There were still a good few older folk around and so I kept adding to the stories. That’s why the book ended up with over 600 pages crammed into more than 60 chapters. The stories were all so good, I didn’t have the heart to leave anything out, so it became this wonderful monster!”
The book is filled with many stories that document the history of the area, including accounts of how the village was ravaged during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, leading to the massacre of the community.
The sacrifices made by local people in the area in the face of violence was traditionally marked on October 23, with the events taking place this day 383 years ago.
Sarah writes about how grateful today’s Clare community should be to those who stayed in the area following the Rebellion, as they helped maintain the Presbyterian heritage in Clare.
Despite the book having been published six years ago, it continues to spawn stories with more and more photographs and jogged memories coming out in the years since.
Sarah added: “It was a real labour of love and I would do it all again if I had to. After all this time, only two of my interviewees are still alive, so it shows the importance of recording these stories because once that generation is gone, we will never get those back again.
“I am so happy I did it, I just wish I had asked even more questions from even more people when I was small.”
She added: “History isn’t just about kings and queens and mighty battles, it is also about the ordinary person. They are the ones who did the living and the working and the dying in a time that seems like another world to us.
“Quite soon it will be, as we continue to lose more of that incredible generation. I also hope that it would inspire others to record their own local history because to me the history of the small places are the most fascinating and they don’t get much smaller than Clare!”
The History of Clare: ‘The People, The Place and The Presbyterians,’ charts over 1,000 years of history in the area. It is available for sale at £25 and all proceeds go to Clare Presbyterian Church building fund. Contact the author at sjmcclelland@mac.com for details.
