Major repairs to church

What started out as a simple job to replace kneelers in Kilcullen Parish Church has developed into a major operation to fix a range of serious problems inside and outside, writes Brian Byrne.



The contractor has been repairing the roof and the gutters and is currently working on the drainage system which is in a serious state of disrepair. Uncleared gutters and blocked downpipes turned out to be only part of a bigger problem.

"We're going to put a camera down into the drains to see if there's a breakdown inside that's causing the system to back up," says the crew chief, Peter McGonigle. "The problem is the cause of all the damp damage inside the church."

Problems with the high gutter lines have also been responsible for damage inside the church at high level. Peter and his crew also had to repair a hole under the eaves, which they believe was where bats have been entering the church.

Woodworm was also found and all the timber in the church and the organ gallery had to be treated to make sure it didn't get worse.

Other repairs included replacement of broken windows, fixing the doors mechanisms so they open and close properly, and dealing with a number of issues around the Parish Centre.

"We first worked here 20 years ago when we put in new kneelers for Fr Supple," Peter told the Diary. "We came back two weeks ago to replace some of them, but it developed into a much more serious job."

Derry-based Ranks Church Contractors specialises in maintenance and repair of church properties, and among the recent ones which Peter has worked on is Waterford Cathedral.