Star of the Sea Catholic Church

Freestanding six-bay Catholic church, built 1964, with internal gallery, apsidal altar end, projecting sacristy, entrance porches and split bell tower. Shallow pitched copper roof with overhanging eaves, flat felted roofs to entrance porches. Roughcast rendered walls with rounded corners and smooth rendered plinth and mosaic to south gable. Square and rectangular-shaped window openings with bowed heads and sills and smooth rendered surrounds with timber frames containing leaded stained glass. Square-headed door openings with double leafed timber glazed doors and timber glazing to porches. Interior comprising two lines of tapered mushroom-headed columns to either side of nave, with choir balcony to rear and rounded apse for altar, all with a rough plaster finish. Timber and metal spiral staircase to balcony. Timber pews bisected by central aisle. Set within own grounds with rubble stone wall to road.

The third in a series of seven Donegal churches designed by architect Liam McCormick (1916-96). These seven churches form an important group of twentieth century buildings in Donegal, but have also been very influential in the development of church design in Ireland. The site was chosen by the architect for its relationship to the road and Lough Swilly. It is built on a roughly north-south axis to maintain that relationship. Although still fairly traditional in plan with a relatively plain exterior, the surprise is in the expressionist interior with its curving surfaces and tapering columns, lit through fine stained glass windows. The split bell tower, with the bell from the earlier church, acts as local landmark. Built by contractor John Hegarty, it was blessed and opened on the 23rd August 1964 by Bishop Farren. McCormick worked with several artists in furnishing the church, Helen Moloney, Margaret Becker and George Campbell (stained glass), Imogen Stuart (mosaic) and Ray Carroll and Patrick McElroy (altar and baptismal font).