Ireland Today

Our local parish of Castlegar, centred on the church of St Columba a short distance out the Tuam Road, has spawned yet another parish. The thousands of people living in the parishes of Renmore, Mervue, Tirellan and Ballybane are in houses built on land that was once part of Castlegar parish. More new houses have sprung up to the west of the city and land that had been ceded to Ballybane along with a large part of what had remained in Castlegar is now home to thousands of people living in estates in Doughiska, Roscam and Ardaun. Less than a decade ago there was a scattering of houses in these areas. Last year's census showed that this had grown to around 3,000 and within the next ten years a further 4,000 will be added. The Good Shepherd parish was formally created last Sunday but a site for the church has yet to be identified. In the meantime Mass will continue to be celebrated in the Castlegar Sports Complex at Doughiska, serving the needs of a multinational congregation with many members from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.