ABOUT Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Myshall

The village of Myshall lies at the foot of Mount Leinster. The ancient church of St. Finian was founded at Myshall and the ruins of it still remain. There are no positive records of the date of this building but indirect proofs from some letters of Robert Cornwall, landlord of Myshall, to his Uncle Sam Faulkner of Castletown, Carlow show it to have been established in or about 1776. He granted the site for the “Chappel” and even though it was a swamp that was a great concession on the part of a landlord in those times. It was built in the form of a cross and in 1888 even the football club at the time wore this cross on their jerseys, calling themselves “Myshall Crusaders”. Later galleries were added a belfry was built in 1900. Liturgical changes took place in 1974 with the installation of a new altar, tabernacle place, ambo, and a new floor. The church was rededicated in 1976 when its Bicentenary was celebrated. In 2000 a Jubilee Cross was erected in the grounds of the church. The building has a proud record of continued unbroken worship for over 220 years.