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Parish of St. Mary, Creggan.<\/h3>\n\n

“It is an extraordinary happening that we should be building our church here because this land of Creggan was once the Bishop’s land before the days of confiscation and plantation.”<\/span> (Bishop Neil Farren)<\/span><\/div>

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The Church of St Mary is situated at the heart of the Creggan Estate on a two and quarter acre triangular site adjacent to a roundabout which forms the junction of six roads. The main axis of the church is running north-west and south-east and from the front entrance there is a magnificent view over the city and Foyle valley. The church is cruciform in shape with granite stone facing and was constructed by John Sisk & Son (Dublin) with Corr & McCormick as architects to the project.<\/span><\/div>

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The day of the opening, the Feast of Mary, Virgin and Queen, 31st May 1959, saw a huge number of people assembled both inside and outside the new church. It was built to cater for the spiritual needs of the growing population of the Creggan Estate which had developed in the years after the Second World War on a natural shelf to the south west that overlooks the rest of the city of Derry.<\/span><\/div>

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The life of the parish coincides with a period of history that has seen unparalleled change. The history of the parish is also the tale of human struggle in the face of unemployment and its collateral damage, one which remains to the present day. This includes the story of the “The Troubles” and how that upheaval has left its mark on the lives of so many here – times of utter despair and yet the grim determination to carry on and survive. The story of St Mary’s, all of its history and happenings, is above all a story of faith and the chapel expressed a desire by the people of the community to centre their lives on a faith in the living God.<\/span><\/div>

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A major reconstruction of the sanctuary was completed in June 1979 and was carried out to bring the sanctuary into line with the new liturgical arrangements. The Silver Jubilee in 1984 was marked by the visit of Cardinal Tomas O’Fiaich to Creggan, long remembered because of his walkabout in the local area.<\/span><\/div>

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The parish celebrated its Golden Anniversary in May 2009 and this represents an opportunity to recognise and honour all who have contributed to the life of the parish over its fifty years.<\/span><\/div>

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2001 Census<\/h3>\n\n
Two wards in Derry have the name Creggan- Creggan Central and Creggan South.<\/span><\/div>

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Creggan Central and South are classified by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) as being within Derry Urban Area (DUA). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 3,504 people living in Creggan Central and 2,453 people living in Creggan South.<\/span><\/div>

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Of those living in Creggan Central:<\/span><\/div>

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34.1% were aged under 16 years and 9.1% were aged 90 and over<\/span><\/div>
46.5% of the population were male and 53.5% were female<\/span><\/div>
98.7% were from a Catholic background and 0.9% were from a Protestant background<\/span><\/div>
12.5% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed<\/span><\/div>
Of those living in Creggan South:<\/span><\/div>

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30.2% were aged under 16 years and 15.6% were aged 60 and over<\/span><\/div>
45.6% of the population were male and 54.4% were female<\/span><\/div>
98.8% were from a Catholic background and 0.9% were from a Protestant background<\/span><\/div>
10.0% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed<\/span><\/div>

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Creggan: More than a History<\/h3>\n\n
by Michael McGuinness and Garbhán Downey (2000)<\/span><\/div>

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ISBN 0-946451-59-1 Paperback 310pp<\/span><\/div>

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http:\/\/cain.ulst.ac.uk\/othelem\/places\/creggan\/mcguinness00.htm<\/a><\/span><\/div>

CAIN Web Service<\/span><\/h3>
Extracts from \'Creggan: more than a history\',  <\/span>by McGuinness and Downey (2000)<\/span><\/div>

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Orders to:<\/span><\/div>

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Local bookshops, or<\/span><\/div>
Guildhall Press {external_link}<\/span><\/div>
Unit 15, Rath Mor Business Park<\/span><\/div>
Bligh\'s Lane, Creggan<\/span><\/div>
DERRY. Northern Ireland.<\/span><\/div>
BT48 0LZ<\/span><\/div>
 <\/span><\/div>
T:<\/span> (028) 7136 4413<\/span><\/div>
F:<\/span> (028) 7137 2949<\/span><\/div>
E:<\/span> info@ghpress.com<\/span><\/div>

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This extract is copyright McGuinness and Downey (© 2000) and is included on the CAIN site by permission of the authors and the publishers. You may not edit, adapt, or redistribute changed versions of this extract for other than your personal use without the express written permission of the authors or the publisher, Guildhall Press. Redistribution for commercial purposes is not permitted. <\/span><\/div>

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From the back cover:<\/span><\/div>

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Nothing about Creggan is ordinary. In its ‘pre-history’, it was so beautiful that it is said to have inspired one of the greatest hymns ever written. In Victorian times, it housed a nobleman so dissolute that his own coachman was driven to kill him with an axe. And in the early 20th century, the back roads of Creggan were used to smuggle one of the most wanted men in Britain, Éamon de Valera, into and out of Derry.<\/span><\/div>

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In later years, a housing development was built on the rocky ground of Creggan. But again, this was no ordinary estate. For one, it was massive - home to 15,000 at its height. More notably, it was to foster a glut of artistic and sporting talent, including a Eurovision winner, a Top Ten rock band, international footballers and Olympic athletes. And, of course, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Creggan was to become a byword for political resistance all over the world.<\/span><\/div>

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The conflict left Creggan much to mourn: six of the Bloody Sunday dead were from the estate; all 13 were buried from St Mary’s Church on Fanad Drive. William Best, a teenage soldier from Creggan, was shot dead while home on leave visiting his mother. His neighbour on Rarhkeele Way, Michael Devine, was to die on hunger strike in Long Kesh less than a decade later.<\/span><\/div>

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There was also, however, much to celebrate. When Dana returned home in her Eurovision triumph, the entire town turned out to welcome her. European boxing champion Charlie Nash got a similar reception. And the street parties of the Creggan 50th Festival were so popular they prompted a visit from Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.<\/span><\/div>

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Creggan: More Than a History contains all these stories and much more. It\'s a book which will take you from medieval raths to modern-day no-go areas, from Jacobite camps to burning barricades, from fields of grass to supergrasses. It\'s a book which through its contributors and interviewees, relates the passion, pride and humour that make Creggan a place apart. It\'s a book which, like the people who inspired it, can be occasionally sad, sometimes joyous and frequently controversial - but never ordinary.<\/span><\/div>

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From the \'Derry Journal\' of Friday, June 16, 1984<\/h3>\n\n

Cardinal Visits Creggan<\/span><\/h3>

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His Eminence Cardinal Tomas O\'Fiaich will join the people and priests of Creggan this weekend to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the foundation of St. Mary\'s Church. The Cardinal will be the principal celebrant and preacher at the anniversary Mass on Sunday at 12.15pm. He will celebrate the Mass with the Bishop of Derry, Most Rev. Dr. Edward Daly, Monsignor Austin Duffy, PP, VG and the priests of St. Mary\'s parish, past and present.<\/span><\/div>

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