Christmas ‘bonus’ for Barryroe!

Secret donor bequeaths $500,000 to parish 

PARISHIONERS in Barryroe are getting an early Christmas present, following a recent bequest from an anonymous donor of $500,000 (approximately €462,080).

Parish priest Fr Dave O’Connell read out a statement at both the recent vigil mass in the Sacred Heart Church in Courtmacsherry and Sunday mass in the Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea in Barryroe, informing parishioners of the very generous donation.

The process to bequeath the large cash donation took considerable time, in order to comply with the necessary financial and protocol clearances.

Bishop of Cork and Ross Fintan Gavin was kept fully informed of the entire process, while the diocesan facilities – in relation to all the formalities and legalities – were placed at Fr O’Connell’s full disposal.

In addition, Fr O’Connell took the parish finance committee into his confidence and fully briefed them on the progression of the generous bequest.

The key aspect of the bequest was that the donor wished to remain anonymous and the money was to go specifically to the parish of Barryroe.

According to Fr O’Connell, those wishes will have to be strictly respected. Once all legal and financial aspects were complied with, Fr O’Connell was only then able to make the announcement.

In his statement, the co-parish priest thanked the parish finance committee for their support, as they will now begin to consider how the bequest is to be administered and spent wisely for parish needs.

There is speculation within the parish as to the identity of the donor, but it’s very much a guessing game as their identity has remained firmly secret.

While hugely appreciative of the gesture, parishioners are content to leave the administration of the windfall to their parish priests and the parish finance committee.

Of course, some useful suggestions have already been made regarding the bequest.

Some have suggested the installation of webcams for church services, while others have noted that improvements to the public address systems in both churches would also be welcome.

In 2007, both churches were refurbished. A total of €1.2m was spent on the church in Barryroe, and approximately €250,000 was spent on the Courtmacsherry church. Following fundraising events including concerts, collections and donations, the parish cleared these debts.