A HISTORIC piece of timber has been uncovered in Ruan as works continue in restoring its church following the Christmas lightning strike.
Dating back to October 1911, a 104 year old piece of wainscoting was discovered in St Mary’s Church on Wednesday last (May 28th).
Signed by Kilrush carpenters Simon Cusack and James Morrissey in 1911, the piece of timber was previously found by Ruan electrician John Kirwan when the church was wired for the first time in 1969. The church itself officially opened in 1912.
Another tradesman has been added to the tale with Connolly native Shane Meehan, an electrician based out of Ennis rediscovering the historic piece of wainscoting which has since been removed from the church for safekeeping and is wrapped in what else but a recent edition of The Clare Echo.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Shane recalled how he made the discovery. “We’re here rewiring the sections that were damaged during the lightning strike here at the front section by the spire and running new cabling through the floorboards and a couple of the voids that are in the wall, that is when we opened the original wainscoting on the walls and re-rooting the new cables, that is when an off-cut of the original wainscoting was found inside with the boys signature on the back of it from 1911 and then in 1969 a neighbour down the road John Kirwan who did the original electrical work here signed the back of it”.
He admitted it was pot luck that he spotted the timber and that it didn’t end up getting dumped when the inscription caught his eye. “It was only pure chance because I was taking out the rubble that was there, I was putting some of the blocks back in and I just happened to see the offcut of the timber work with the inscription on it, in all fairness I didn’t think it would last that long with the writing from 1911 still on it and it is pencil so it did well to last at all”.
An electrician since 1999, coming across items of historical value are rare, Shane said. “It isn’t every day that you pick up something that is 100 years old, I wouldn’t have thought the timber work that was here was from day one, it was lucky to survive the fire at all, it is the oldest thing we’ve found since I’m working as an electrician. It’s not every day you’re working in a church either, it is an unusual place to work but you wouldn’t come across something that old often”.
Ruan resident John O’Sullivan told The Clare Echo, “It was interesting that John Kirwan found it back in 1969, he signed it and replaced it in the same position again, we were lucky that the fire brigade arrived here in time to stop the fire or all that would have gone and this bit of timber with it, it is safer to take it out of it at this stage”.
O’Sullivan added, “The church was opened officially in 1912, the carpenters obviously finished up doing the carpentry in 1911 on the stairs and up towards the bell tower, they put this in when they were finished saying goodbye to Ruan. It would be interesting if there are Cusacks or Morrisseys still in Kilrush or Cappa and if their descendants would be interested in seeing this”.
Progress on restoring the church since the lightning strike is “slow” said John. “We’re waiting for the steeple to be replaced, progress is slow but hopefully before the summer is over we’ll have it sealed”.
