Churches, Abbeys and Monasteries

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Constructed of tin, St. Peter’s Tin Church Laragh is one of a kind in Co. Monaghan and unique on the island of Ireland for its quirky design and carefully considered features. It is part of Ireland’s irreplaceable built heritage and was listed as a Building of National Importance by National Inventory of Architectural Heritage in 2014.

St. Peter’s of historic Laragh village is literally built on a rock, in a beautiful woodland setting amongst the ferns and ivy. As you approach from either side and round a bend in the road, this highly unusual Tin Church stands dramatically on a high rock overlooking a small, fast flowing river. It is a very rare example of a nineteenth-century corrugated-iron-clad church. It displays a wealth of amazing architectural details and makes a picturesque artistic contribution to its wooded valley on the outskirts of Laragh, a former mill village in South Co. Monaghan.

It is anecdotally said that its Swiss-Gothic hybrid style was applied by the mill owner and his wife following their honeymoon in Switzerland – its site carefully chosen to mimic that found in the Swiss Alps. St. Peter’s Tin Church Laragh was deconsecrated in the 1950’s and fell prey to neglect and vandalism until the community of Laragh formed a voluntary group in 2012 to ensure its survival and conservation. St. Peter’s Tin Church Laragh was proudly re-opened in 2014 and is a very popular fringe venue for larger festival and touring musicians/drama groups in the region.