Open dates in 2025: Jan 1- Dec 31, Mon-Fri, excluding Bank Holidays, National Heritage Week Aug 16-24, 12 noon-5pm [caution: when we visited during Heritage Week 2024, it was not open]
Fee: Free
Stephen and I visited Crotty Church in Birr during Heritage Week in 2024.
However, the building was not open, and I suspect it never is, as it has been converted to apartments. Instead, we sat outside the building despite rain threatening, and listened to a talk organised by Aoife Crotty about the Crotty Schism (1820-1850) which was led by Father Michael Crotty (1795-1862). Disgusted at not having access to the building despite its Section 482 designation, I didn’t ask Aoife whether she is related to Father Michael Crotty! The speaker who gave the rather rambling talk did not introduce himself so I did not identify who he is, and I suspect he is an owner of the building. The Inventory tells us that the building was built in 1839. The Schism itself began in 1826.
The Inventory describes the former church: “Hipped slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and cast-iron rainwater goods. Ashlar limestone to façade with tooled stone quoins, roughcast render to sides and rear elevations. Pointed-arched window openings to façade with tooled stone surrounds and sills with timber casement windows. Square-headed openings to sides and rear elevations with stone sills and timber casement windows. Tudor arched door opening with chamfered stone reveals, timber battened door, surmounted by fanlight. Side and rear site bounded by random coursed stone wall.“
Although the building was built for a Catholic congregation originally, the followers of Michael Crotty, it is identified in the National Inventory as a Presbyterian former church. [1] The talk’s presenters were unable to tell us much about the history of the building.
There are a few graves outside the church, which seemed oddly random, and the talk’s organisers were unable to tell us about them. It looks like there may be gravestones but perhaps the burials did not actually take place on the grounds of the church.
Crotty began his position as a Catholic priest in Birr in 1821. With an increasing Catholic population, the congregation needed a new church.
He began his training to be a Catholic priest in Maynooth University but left, and finished his training in France. He obtained a position in Birr, but he became increasingly radical and he and his cousin, William Crotty (1808–56), also a Catholic priest, favoured Protestant rather than Catholic beliefs. They sought to set up a new church in a new building, and took many of their congregation with them. Lord Rosse of Birr Castle contributed toward the building fund, which was set up in 1808. Crotty fell out with the Building Committee and the Parish Priest, and in 1825 he was moved to Shinrone. However, in 1826 he was back in Birr causing trouble, arguing with the parish priest and attempting to take over the Catholic church building, staging a “sit in.” The new church still had not been built. It took the 66th Regiment of the army under Lord Rosse to evict Crotty and his followers!
Next Crotty rented a house where he held services. The building we visited was not the only one that the congregation occupied. One of the organisers of the talk pointed out another building across the road, an old warehouse, where Crotty also preached. This too is being converted to apartments.
The same owner owns The Maltings, also a Section 482 property, which is meant to offer tourist accommodation and therefore does not need to open to the public. However, any time I have tried to book this accommodation, several times over the years since 2019, the building is not actually offering tourist accommodation.
The organisers of the talk gave us a booklet about the Crotty Schism, written by Reverend Edward Whyte. Michael Crotty was increasingly erratic and eventually ended up in an asylum for the mentally ill in Belgium. William became a Presbyterian minister in Birr.
You can read more about the Schism in an article on the Offaly History Blog by Ciaran McCabe. [2]
Irish Historic Houses 
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