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Irlam

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Church History

In 1870, Canon Kershaw, of All Saints, Barton, bought a plot of land and two cottages in Irlam and built a little school which opened in 1874. Mass was said on Sundays by a priest from Barton.

About 1876 Irlam became a chapel-of-ease to Urmston and Fr. Holohan had the school enlarged and repaired. It was formally opened by Bishop Bilsborrow on April 18th, 1898.

In 1900 Irlam was made a separate parish and Fr. Van Der Beek was the first resident priest. That year Miss Belinda de Trafford died and left £2,500 to build a new church in Irlam. The very active and zealous parish priest set to work and got plans drawn by Mr. Hill, the architect, and built a very beautiful church which was opened on July 26th, 1903. The Catholic population was about 212 and the number of Catholic children in the school 53. Lady Annette de Trafford gave £155, Sir Humphrey de Trafford £105, and Miss Annette de Trafford £50. Mr. Thomas Mather, of Flixton, gave the High Altar.

In 1903 Fr. Van Der Beek went to Colne and was succeeded by Fr. Arthur McGrath until 1906. He was succeeded in 1906 by Dean Rothwell, who enlarged the school at a cost of £388. The Dean left in 1910 and was succeeded by Fr. Eyck who bought another plot of land adjoining the school playground for £410. He was succeeded in 1914 by Fr. Thompson who built a new presbytery adjoining the church in 1915.

Fr. Thompson went to be chaplain to the Little Sisters in Longsight in 1923 and was succeeded by Fr. George Swift, who added a very beautiful Monstrance and had the church decorated in 1925. He died in 1928 and was succeeded by Fr. James Lineen, who purchased a plot of land adjoining the presbytery garden for a new school. Plans were got through and a new modern school for 270 children was built in 1934 at a cost of £8,000. Fr. Lineen went to St. Joseph's, Darwen, in February 1937, and was succeeded by Father O'Dwyer, who is parish priest at the time of writing these notes.

Taken from "Salford Diocese and its Catholic past", a survey by Charles A. Bolton, a Priest of the above Diocese. Published 1950 on the First Centenary for the Diocese of Salford.

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