Cliffoney remembers Fr Michael O'Flanagan

04/10/2026

Passage-grave 49 at the Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, looking west to Knocknarea mountain, with the massive Queen Maeve's cairn on the summit. Limestone stalactites were found mixed with the cremated human remains found here in the 1880's, most likely from the caves in Knocknarea.

Photograph by Martin.

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04/10/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3HeKKZnSAE

In this documentary Peter Talyor interviews and follows the grandma...

30/09/2026

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In 1792, a young organist captured the final echoes of the Belfast ...

28/07/2026

28/07/2026

VICE-PRESIDENT OF SINN FEIN

Removed from his Parish.

NO MASS AT CROSSNA

(From Our Correspondent.)

Boyle, Sunday.
No attempt was made to-day to hold vice in Crossna Roman Catholic Church. from which the curate, the Rev. Michael O'Flanagan, C.C., who has achieved considerable notoriety as the Vice-President of Sinn Fein, has been removed by his Bison, Last Sunday a strange priest gained entrance to the church by means of the sacristy window, and, opening one of the doors, celebrated Mass to a congregation of about a dozen women.

After the priest had left the chapel a member of the local Sinn Feiners entered it and screwed up all the doons and windows.
To-day it was found that a notice had been posted on the gates of the chapel grounds to the effect that " the next Mas: that will be read in this ohurch will be by the Rev. Michael O'Flanagan, C.C.

The parish priest deplores the situation that has arisen in consequence of the disciplinary action taken by the Bishop, hat has taken no action himelf in connection with the closing of the chapel.

19/07/2026

How Cliffoney Village got its public hall: article from the Sligo Champion, 1914.

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PUBLIC HALL FOR CLIFFONEY.

IMPORTANT MEETING.

After last Mass on Sunday, 22nd instance, a public meeting was held in Cliffoney, and was attended by all the members of the congregation. The object of the meeting was to consider steps that might be necessary to secure the recently vacated old boys' school building as a parish hall.

Rev Michael O 'Flanagan, C.C., addressed the meeting, and referred to the great expense and self-sacrifice made by the people of Grange in building a hall for themselves. He was told that the Grange building cost £1,300. There now existed an opportunity by which Cliffoney could get free of charge a building that could be made into a suitable hall by the
expenditure of a small sum of money. The boys' school was built by Lord Palmerston, and given over for the use of the children of the parish as a National school. Now, thank God, they were supplied with new schools that were a credit to the district. The old building had been used for the benefit of the people of the district for two or three generations. Mr Ashley, the present owner of the Palmerston estate, was willing that the old building would till remain in the hands of the public (hear, hear). Or were they going to allow some greedy private individual to get hold of it and use it for himself? (cries of “No, по”). Then let possession of the building be promptly given over to Mr Ashley, so that he may be in a position to turn it over in proper form to the people of the parish.

Here Mr M’Gloin, the teacher, interrupted and asked Father. O Flanagan what authority he had for saying that Mr Ashley would give the building for a hall.

Father O'Flanagan put his hand in his pocket and drew out a letter from Mr. Ashley. dated November 19th, from which he read the following extract:- "As soon the school buildings next to M'Gloin and the upper room opposite the new school are vacated I am prepared to settle the whole question without delay. When this happens. which surely should be soon, 1 should be given immediate possession and then I am prepared to hand over the old buildings next to M'Gloin's for some useful public purpose. This, I think, a fair and straightforward proposal, and no one will be better pleased than myself to see this question settled.”

M'Gloin said that he only wanted a chance to live in peace, and that he never intended to keep possession of the building or to hinder it being turned into a hall. He made various complaints about the manner in which he had been treated by people attending meetings in the old school building. He wanted to protect himself and his family from the danger of such things occurring in future.

Father Flanagan said he was sorry that Mr M'Gloin compelled him to make public another letter, which he would have preferred to cover with the charity of silence. He then produced and read the following letter from Mrs M’Gloin:-

Cliffoney, 18-11-1914.

Rev Sir -
You need not trouble calling for the keys of the school as I have them and vill not give them up to you or any others, as I don t see what right have you to the landlord's property. Perhaps you are not aware that we are paying rent for those schools. Therefore we will not give up our possession until we are forced to do it. - I remain, respectfully yours,

M. McGLOIN

Father O'Flanagan then proposed the following resolution:- That we, the people of Cliffoney district, desire to place on record our sincere thanks to Mr Ashley for his generosity in offering to give the old boys school building for a public hall, and that we hope there will be no local interference to prevent his wishes from being quickly carried into effect.”

Mr Francis Higgins, in seconding the resolution, said that all who wished to see the old building turned into a hall for all the people would vote for the resolution. but all who wished to see it turned into a shop or a public house for the private profit of an individual could vote against it.

The resolution was carried with practical unanimity.

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17/07/2026

17/07/2026

From the Empire News - The Umpire 07th November 1915.

ROSARY IN OPEN AIR.

Guards to Stop Fight for a Barricaded Church.

In consequence of a disagreement with the bishop of the diocese residents of the County Sligo village of Cliffoney have refused in a body to attend a local mission church.

The edifice has been barricaded, the doors have been nailed up, and logs of wood piled against them. Sentries have kept guard night and day. People who had been accustomed to attend the church have during the past three weeks knelt in front of the main entrance to recite the Rosary.

The reason for this amazing state of affairs is that Father O'Flanagan had, against the wishes of the parishioners, been removed from his position as officiating curate-in-charge of the mission. The Congested Districts Board bought the estate on which the church stands, intending to hand over the turbury rights to other buyers. Turf is the only fuel used in the district, and the people refused to recognise the right of the Board to dispose of it.

In a public speech Father O'Flanagan recommended his male followers to cut the turf as they had always done. His advice was acted upon, and there has already been Itigation regarding the matter. While local farmers were "saving" the curate'e turf, efforts were made by the police to stop it. The authorities, however, were defied.

Three days after Father O'Flanagan had made his speech to justify his attitude he received notification of his transfer to
Crossna, near Boyle. It is stated that when the parish priest and a new curate arrived they were ordered out of the Cliffoney church, and that the place was then barricaded and guards placed in the immediate vicinity. A deputation of 300 men and women travelled to Sligo, but failed to get an interview with the bishop.

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