The Spanish Church
In the time of the Penal Days not more than one priest was allowed to stay in each parish, Kilcar is a very big parish and only the one priest was allowed to remain there. Owing to the parish being so big the priest could only remain a short time each year in each district. In the same parish, is a little town called Carrick.
Near this town are many high cliffs and in winter times when the sea is stormy many lives are lost. One very stormy night in the winter the priest came to visit Carrick. In those days there were no motor cars with the result that the priest had no other means of travelling rather than horseback. He always took a little boy with him to take care of the horse and to accompany him while journeying during night. When they arrived in Carrick it was fairly late in the night. Both went into a house leaving the horse in the stable. They all retired to bed but the priest could not sleep.
It seemed to him as if someone was calling him. He arose and dressed him-self and awoke the little boy. He told the boy to saddle the horse that he had to go to aid the dying. The man of the house hearing the noise arose and then he saw the priest making ready to go a journey. He persuaded him to stay and not to go out into such a storm but it was of no avail. The priest and the boy set off. They reached a high cliff. Here the priest dismounted. He left the horse in charge of the little boy and told him that he was going to descend the cliff as he was needed to aid the dying. The boy remained at the head of cliff while the priest descended. The little boy now became aware that someone was dying and that was why the priest came out such a stormy night.
When the priest reached the bottom of the cliff, he saw a body lying in the sea, moaning and holding a rosary in his hands. The priest spoke to him and he answered him saying he was a Spaniard sailor and the ship he had been on board was wrecked. He also told the priest that all through his life he had prayed to have a priest to perform the last Sacraments to him so now his prayers were granted. The priest preformed the last Sacraments to the sailor. Before he died he told the priest look under his coat and there he would discover a golden belt and the priest must sell the belt and with the money get a chapel built.
After this the sailor died. The priest returned to Carrick and told all that had happened. He did as the sailor commanded him. The chapel was built and the people of the town and neighbouring districts called it "The Spaniards Chapel".
Another version of the story HERE
The Spanish Church before being rebuilt
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