Parish Profile – Nenagh Union of Parishes

The Nenagh Union The Nenagh Union of Parishes in the Church of Ireland Diocese of Limerick & Killaloe has 3 churches in Nenagh, Templederry & Killodiernan, and 218 registered parishioners. There is also a modern Rectory and a primary school under Church of Ireland patronage, both in Nenagh town.

· St Mary’s Church, Church Rd, Nenagh A town church in the former ‘county town’ of North Tipperary, consecrated 1860, re-roofed & renovated in 2004-5. It has a fine organ, an electric piano and data projection facilities used for Family Services and other occasions, as well as a Rector’s vestry and a meeting room with regularly used refreshment facilities.

· Templederry Church, Templederry, Nenagh A country church 17km South-East of Nenagh set in a very pleasant farming community among rolling hills. Recorded as being repaired and enlarged in 1825, it was, re-roofed & renovated in 2006-7. For many years there has been a Good Friday ecumenical ‘Walk of Witness’ between this and the RC church in the village.

· Killodiernan Church, Puckane, Nenagh A country church 10 km North of Nenagh close to the village of Puckane and Lough Derg on the River Shannon, built 1811, re- roofed & renovated 2009-10. It hosts an annual ecumenical service of thanksgiving for the Lough Derg Yacht Club Regatta in August, and is a popular choice for weddings, being close to the Coolbawn Quay wedding venue.

· See Google Maps for the locations of our churches.

· Schedule of Services during the present vacancy: 1st Sunday: Templederry 09.30, Nenagh 11.00 2nd Sunday: Templederry 09.30, Nenagh 11.00, Killodiernan 12.15 3rd Sunday: United Family Service Nenagh 11.00 4th Sunday: Templederry 09.30, Nenagh 11.00, Killodiernan 12.15 5th Sunday: United Service, rotating between the churches

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· St Mary’s National School, Church Rd, Nenagh A thriving and growing multi-cultural primary school with a Church of Ireland ethos, working closely with the church, with 70 pupils, 3 teachers with resource, learning and special needs support, and a secretary. It was extended in 2010 and is supported financially by a ‘Teacher’s Residence Trust’

· St Mary’s Rectory, Church Rd, Nenagh Beside St Mary’s Church in the heart of Nenagh, a modern 4 bedroom detached building with a self- contained Rector’s study/office with independent access, and garden. It has recently been refurbished and st extended to 21 century standards, including rewiring, plumbing and high-spec insulation.

· Nenagh Union has a single Vestry, with lay responsibility/rotas for church cleaning, flower arranging, church linen, refreshments after services, a monthly newsletter, etc.

· Music for worship is provided by an adult choir, a junior choir (in abeyance during the vacancy), and a regular organist. CDs are also available for use when necessary.

· There are active youth organisations: Girls’ Friendly Society and Boys’ Brigade.

· There are 2 licensed diocesan readers and 2 qualified youth ministers.

· The Lecture Hall, Pearse St, Nenagh is available for parish use – it is owned & managed by an independent Protestant trust. The hall of St Mary’s school can also be used by the parish.

· There are excellent ecumenical relationships, with annual ecumenical carol services, and Good Friday ‘walks of witness’ in Templederry and through Nenagh streets. Lay members of the congregation work with those of other traditions to organise other ecumenical events under the Nenagh Churches Together name.

· The Nenagh Union of Parishes has a healthy financial position, as shown by annual accounts, due to income from endowments, from fundraising such as Christmas Tree Festivals (held in 2014 & 2015), and generous donations.

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Our Vision The Nenagh Union of Parishes aspires to be a welcoming, growing, inclusive church community, sharing vibrant worship, growing spiritually and reaching out to show the love of God at work in the wider community. We look forward gladly to the challenges of future growth, to re-engage with those from a Church of Ireland background who have fallen away and to make our parish attractive to others seeking a spiritual home.

We wish to appoint a Rector who will: · Lead and inspire individuals and teams to grow in ministry and mission · Continue to develop pastoral care, children’s and youth ministry · Facilitate a variety of forms of worship and encourage church music · Deepen ecumenical links and engagement with the wider community · Take up the challenge of future growth

Location · The Nenagh Union of Parishes centres on the town of Nenagh (population 8,000), the commercial and service hub of a wide catchment area in rural North Tipperary.

· Nenagh has the full range of public facilities: excellent primary & secondary schools, a public hospital linked with University Hospital Limerick, Tipperary County Council offices, a modern library, an arts centre, a leisure centre and town park, and a three-star hotel with business and leisure facilities.

· Vibrant community organisations include a host of sports clubs and arts, music and cultural groups.

· Historic buildings include the Norman castle (c1200 AD – the round keep is the symbol of the town) and other medieval ruins, such as the Franciscan Friary and the Priory of St John at Tyone on the outskirts of the town. Fine civic buildings, including the Courthouse, the Nenagh Heritage & Genealogy Centre, and the former Town Hall, now the Nenagh Arts Centre.

· For those enjoying outdoor activities, Lough Derg 5 miles away on the River Shannon provides fishing and water sports, there is hill-walking in nearby mountains, and many lowland walking and cycle trails.

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· See the web site www.nenagh.ie for photos and more details of what Nenagh and the surrounding area has to offer.

· Nenagh has excellent transport links. It is close to the M7 Dublin-Limerick motorway, has a railway station on the Limerick-Ballybrophy line with onward connections to Dublin, and has good bus connections to Limerick, Dublin and elsewhere.

· Limerick City, the 2014 National City of Culture, is 42km/35mins away by road. Villiers School, a co-educational, fee paying, boarding and day school with a Protestant ethos, is located on North Circular Road, Limerick.

· The University of Limerick with its concert hall can be reached in 30mins.

· Shannon Airport with a wide range of scheduled transatlantic and European services is 67km/47mins away by road.

· Dublin is 160km/1¾hrs away by road.

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