Letter to the parishes and parishioners
Letter to the Aughaval Parishes
22 October 2025
Dear friends,
Many of you receive information and notices regularly when attending church or through the WhatsApp Information group for your parish. At risk of repetition, allow me to list a few significant dates and events, past and forthcoming.
Recent:
· Diocesan Clergy Conference: 6-8 October in Adare – encouraging and beneficial
· Diocesan Synod, Sat 18 October, Ennis. Thank you to Diocesan Synods-persons who represented the parishes – Barbara Sheppard (Westport-Dugort), Trevor Ardill (Castlebar) and Eddie Pierik (Turlough). You can read up about this very significant Synod on the TLK Diocesan website or Facebook page.
Pending:
Confirmation candidates follow-up weekend, 24-26 October.
Please remember to pray for all those in the diocese who have been confirmed this year (2024-2025), including in our own parishes – Grace Bourke, James Bourke and Susie Fry.
A Special Weekend of Sacred Music, 24-26 October
The Choir of Sandford and St Philip's (Dublin), led by David O'Shea, will be with us in Westport for a series of musical events:
- Friday 24 Oct, Sung Compline, 8pm in in St Mary's Church, Westport;
- Sat 25 Oct, Fauré’s Requiem, 4pm in St Mary's. Conducting, John Dexter. Organist, David O'Shea. A fundraising concert for Holy Trinity Westport.
- Sunday 26 Oct, Contribution to worship, in the 12 noon HTW Service of Holy Communion, in St Mary's, with guest preacher, Revd Canon Sonia Gyles. Followed by tea/coffee in Carrowbeg House
- Sunday 26 Oct, sung Evening Prayer, 3.30pm in St Thomas's Dugort, Achill. Rehearsal from 3pm.
Inishbiggle Harvest Thanksgiving, Sat 25 October, weather-permitting
Meet at Doran's Point, Ballycroy at 9.30am, for 10am departure. Returning around 2.30pm. Please let us know if you wish to book a place in the currach. Recommended: Bring a packed lunch, water, sturdy footwear, warm weather-appropriate clothes, and 10 euros towards the ferry cost.
Advent and Christmas are coming!
Here are a few of the forthcoming events.
· Christmas musical event, Friday 5 December, 8pm
- A special evening of Christmas music by the Roscommon Solstice Choir, with guests appearances including Eriko Hopkinson and the Westport Children's Choir, in St Mary's Church Westport.
This is another wonderful fundraising event in aid of repairs to Holy Trinity Church, Westport. Please save the date and spread the word. Thank you!
· A Song for Winter, Bella Capella Concert, Sat 6 December, in Christ Church, Castlebar
- a fundraising concert for AIRC, in Christ Church, Castlebar, on Sat 6 December. Doors open at 7pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets 15 euro, available on Eventbrite or ticket donation at the door. More information from Trevor Ardill.
Also being planned by Christ Church Castlebar, an open event,
for all in the community,
on Sat 29 November – details in the poster.
More information from Jeni McCormack - number on request.
All are warmly invited and welcome!
What else has been/ is going on across the parishes?
Castlebar
Castlebar has been blessed over this last year with significant growth in its congregation and is pressing ahead with various initiatives relating to ministry and mission and maintenance of the church building. The children and young families are a particular joy. We are grateful to God for every person who contributes to the warmth and joy of the fellowship, and to those who labour behind the scenes both practically and administratively.
Last Sunday (19 Oct) it was special both to have the Revd John Wesley preside at the Eucharist and to have Susie Fry robe for the first time to read and lead prayers as an LLLM.
Turlough
We were deeply sorry at the loss recently for Ros Potter, another of our LLLMs (/Parish readers), and her family, of her dear father, Bob Hackett, who was a faithful parishioner of St Nicholas’ Galway. Sincere sympathy to Ros and James and family on behalf of all in the Aughaval Parishes.
Turlough has recently installed a new electronic bell system, the old bell having deteriorated to the degree that it had to come down and was and is irreparable. The sound of the original bell’s replacement is excellent and will serve the congregation and community well for many years to come, we believe. We are grateful to those who donated generously towards its purchase. Thank you and bless you! The new bell system will be dedicated at this year's Nine Lessons and Carols (/Carol service) - date to be confirmed, very soon.
Other news: We are looking forward to the baptism of baby Taidgh on Saturday 1 November.
Inishbiggle
Holy Trinity Inishbiggle is in process of being restored to its former glory, or at least to its former functionality. This has involved, over this last 24 months, a massive amount of physical and administrative work on the part of wardens (- credit especially to RCW Chris Gibbs) and other islanders, supported by friends from Achill and elsewhere, and with the help and guidance of the Diocesan Architect – and others!
The parish was blessed some years ago to have had a bequest by Mr James Gallagher for the upkeep of the church. This will go a long way to funding the restoration works. At present, the floor is being replaced almost in totality, it having been discovered that the joists were rotten in places. The ingress of water during and since the storm in January (2025) did not help, but work is well underway to remedy the deterioration. We can also report that the storm damage to the roof has been repaired in these last few weeks.
Knappagh
Although St Thomas’s Knappagh is one of our closed churches, the Westport-Dugort Select Vestry has wisely ensured that, following the January storm, repairs to the roof have been undertaken to keep water out of the building. We had a wonderful baptism service in the open air in August, of ten year-old Amber Rose, in the churchyard, and the tentative vision and dream is to increase the frequency with which such services and events can take place at this sacred site, for the benefit and blessing of the whole community as well as our own Church of Ireland people and families living in the area.
St Thomas’s Dugort, Achill
Now that we are in this autumn-winter period, services are fortnightly rather than weekly, on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month at 3pm. (An exception is on Sunday coming, 26 October, when the visiting choir of Sandford and St Philip’s will sing Evening Prayer at 3.30pm.) We are particularly grateful to Sheila O’Reilly for the recent revival of tea-taking in the hall, which happens after many of the services.
St Thomas’ also hopes to host a concert in aid of its upkeep by our good friend James Kilbane, most likely in March, in one of the Achill/ Achill Sound hotels. Please get in touch nearer the time if you would like to help with the practicalities.
Westport
The parish was greatly saddened at the recent loss of Christy Ferris who passed away peacefully in the hospice, on the day before his 82nd birthday and was laid to rest last Saturday, 18 October, following his funeral service which was kindly accommodated by our ecumenical friends in Kilmeena Parish. Our sympathy and prayers are for all Christy’s family and those with whom he was close.
In the midst of such losses, the parish is pressing forward, with the help of the Spirit, prayer, good people, good work and goodwill in the community, to help us keep growing in love and faith, and in working towards re-entry to the church building. We are thankful for all this and that critical repairs have begun at last. This first stage should allow us to safely return for worship to HTW, albeit with seating limitations. More detailed information will follow when the work is completed, professional reports have been provided, and the wardens and Select Vestry are in a position to report with understanding and clarity.
In the meantime thank you for your patience, prayers and financial giving, which is crucial. What is clear is that this stage is the beginning of essential work rather than the end, and that the needs of the building will require all of us who are able to, to dedicate ourselves to giving and working together positively towards a shared goal for the sake of the present and future witness of the parish.
Programmes
What then about our faith-and-life building programmes and activities, beyond services and the Sacrament? In the parishes, we have our ongoing weekly services every weekend. (Please see below for the regular times of services.) We also have the midweek gathering for Holy Communion in Westport each Wednesday at 10.30am, followed by coffee and fellowship, usually in the Clew Bay Hotel. Please join us for that gathering whenever you can, even if you’re not from Westport—we’d love to see you. The Westport Sunday Club which meets monthly similarly welcomes children from all of the churches.
On Wednesday evenings, there is an online prayer and Bible reading gathering at 8pm, lasting for about 30 minutes. It is an informal time when we follow a service from the prayer book—either Compline or Late Evening Office. No one who comes is under any pressure to contribute; you are welcome to simply listen and enjoy, or to share your thoughts on the Bible passage if you wish. A link is provided each week on our website (aughaval.tlk.ie), on the parish WhatsApp Info Groups, and on Facebook.
Another important and useful means of feeding our faith is the daily post on the website and Facebook, which can also be sent by email to individuals on request. This contains the appointed gospel for each day, plus a reflection (or a link to a reflection) and a link to a prayer guide. This daily resource is one way of building us up and encouraging us in faith and love - for God, for one another, for neighbour, for our communities, for the world, and for ourselves.
Finally for now, to wish you all - and especially the students, parents and teachers and school staff - a happy and restful midterm break.
The Lord bless you and keep you and all those who are dear to you.
Revd Suzanne Cousins
Regular Service Pattern in the Aughaval Group of Parishes:
Turlough
Saturdays Weekly at 7pm:
Holy Communion on 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.
Evening Prayer on 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month.
Castlebar *Christ Church Castlebar is a registered charity: Registered Charity Number 20206867
Sundays Weekly at 10am:
Holy Communion on 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month.
Evening Prayer on 2nd and 4th.
Open church every Friday from 11am - 1pm.
Westport
Sundays Weekly at 12 noon and Wednesdays at 10.30am.
Services are in St Mary's RC Church, South Mall, Westport, while Holy Trinity Church is closed for safety repairs.
Dugort, Achill: October - April inclusive
2nd and 4th Sundays of the month at 3pm. Evening Prayer/ Holy Communion
Pastoral care and enquiries:
Revd Suzanne Cousins
Aughaval Group of Parishes, United Dioceses of Tuam, Limerick & Killaloe, Church of Ireland
Tel. 083 800 3233
Email aughaval@tuam.anglican.org
Aughaval Parishes' Website aughaval.tlk.ie
