Churchtown's History

THE MEMORIAL TO REV. WILLIAM TWOMEY P.P.

Inside the parish church in Churchtown, set in the north wall, can be seen a mural tablet to the memory of Fr William Twomey, who was parish priest of the parish from April 1859 until his death on August 12th 1872.

In the records of Maynooth College, the Irish Colleges in Rome and Paris, there is no mention of his ordination in any of those places. When we first hear of Fr William Twomey, he was curate in the parish of Barryroe in the diocese of Ross. At that time Cloyne and Ross were united dioceses. That was in the year 1844. He ministered in Barryroe until 1850 when he was transferred as curate to the parish of Cloyne.

After about one year in Cloyne, Fr Twomey was sent to Youghal as curate, in the year 1851. In the year 1857, Fr William Twomey was transferred as curate to the parish of Fermoy. In 1859 he was appointed Administrator of the parish of Fermoy. While Administrator in Fermoy, one of Fr Twomey's curates was a priest named Fr James Rice, who later became parish priest of Charleville. Fr Twomey spent only a few months as Administrator in Fermoy.

In May 1859 Fr Twomey was appointed parish priest of Churchtown and Liscarroll. During his ministry in Churchtown, Fr Twomey built the present St Joseph's Church in Liscarroll. Fr William Twomey lived in the village of Churchtown.

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