Catholic Chapels

Dutton after a lecture to parish priests on the keeping of their churches, their indolence in having nothing in their gardens but potatoes and cabbages, wondering why they cannot say their prayers amid good vegetables and sweet flowers, and recommending the College of Maynooth to teach gardening to the students, goes on:

"There have been lately several handsome and comfortable chapels erected in this county; one at Galway, two at Loughrea, one at Oranmore; one at Laban near Adrahan, towards the building of which Mr. Lambert of Creggclare gave 50 and the ground rent free; one at Mountbellew, in a very superior style of finishing and arrangement. Mr. Bellew gives to the Catholic incumbant 10 acres of land rent free. The old churches, and many of the new, though the elevation may be beautiful, are most uncomfortable in winter, both from want of studding the walls, without which no building of limestone can be dry, and from want of fires, and not frequently opening the windows on every fine day ... I shall only add, that the irritability of the congregation would be much increased in some of our country churches with wet walls and broken windows."