A CHURCH near Shannon airport, built in the 1960’s, has been destroyed in a fire.
Christ Church was a landmark in Shannon for over four decades, and was built as place of worship for workers from England involved in the construction of Shannon Industrial Estate. The fire brigade was alerted at 5.32pm on Tuesday, when a passer-by made the emergency call. The fire is thought to have spread from a small blaze behind the building.
Although it was initially built for members of the Church of Ireland, it has been used by members of all religious denominations.
“It was very sad to pass the church this morning and see the extent of the damage”, said mayor of Shannon Sean McLoughlin. “It has been a staple of the community here since the sixties, and has been used by members of all denominations. We are not biased toward any religion in Shannon, and the church, used by so many, was representative of the lack of discrimination in that regard. “At the opening of the new oratory in the town centre, I pointed out that we had more churches in Shannon than pubs. “The fire brigade are recommending that what is left be knocked”.
