Co Kildare church to celebrate 200th birthday with Bishop

Bishop Denis Nulty will celebrate Mass in Milltown to mark the 200th anniversary of St Brigid's Church today.

The event, which will also include a number of local priests, takes place at 2pm.

Mass will take place at a new altar in the grounds of the cemetery, marking the spot of an old Church in the penal times.

After Mass, Bishop Denis will officially open the local Heritage Centre. He will be joined by local politicians and Kildare County Council officials.

Afterwards, everybody is invited to the Inn at Milltown for refreshments and chats.

The present Church of St Brigid at Milltown is in the parish of Allen and was erected in 1817 by Rev John Lawler P.P.

The building was renovated and re-roofed in 1961 and other major refurbishments took place in 2007 and 2008.

Two priests lie interred in the church, the Rev. Patrick Kelly who died on June 22nd 1837 aged 26 years, and the Rev. Joseph Fitzgerald who died on 22nd February 1853 aged 29 years.