By Dan Walsh
The former Presbyterian Church on Mill Park Road, Enniscorthy, and the adjoining house, is being offered for sale by private treaty with a price tag of €700,000. Enquiries to Sherry Fitzgerald O’Leary Kinsella estate agents.
The church on Mill Park Road was built in 1866 by Mr Patrick Kerr and on March 26th, 1867, Rev. William Arnold was ordained in the church as pastor of the little flock and lived to minister under those in his charge for almost 48 years.
A splendid manse, with charming grounds was built for Rev. Mr Arnold, immortalised as Arnold’s Cross, who for 48 years ministered to those under his charge and the Presbyterians congregation at that time numbered about twenty. Mr Arnold passed away peacefully on October 24th, 1916, at the aged of 76 years.
The church was known as the United Presbyterian and Methodist Church for several years.
In 1747 John Wesley began his preaching in Ireland and a small number of Wesleyans, of Methodists, had a conventicle in Enniscorthy from 1768-1798, and in 1812 a meeting house was rented on the Tanyard Lane, near the foundry, where an itinerant preacher minister to about a dozen souls for some years.
It was 1816 that the Wesleyan Conference determined permit themselves to dispense the Lord’s Supper and up to that date laymen were preachers.
In 1835, the former Methodist church at Friary Place was erected and first opened for divine service on September 2nd, 1836, by the Rev. J.B. Gillman, Dublin, and Rev. Fossy Thackaberry, Drogheda.
SOURCE; History of Enniscorthy by W.H. Grattan Flood, printed at The Echo Printing Works, Enniscorthy in 1920.
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