The Building consisted of two floors. The Chapel was on the top and had its entrance from Barrack Hill lane. Underneath were two schoolrooms, one for boys and one for girls. “Miss Bradley from the Head of the Wood taught there.” Tommy Shiels (“the
Master”) was teaching there before moving to the new boys’ school in the Malin Road.
The girls moved to the newly built Convent of Mount St. Mary.
When the second Chapel was built in 1826 the top story became a parish recreational hall until the Colgan Hall was built in 1914.
With the removal of the schools the lower rooms were leased as business premises.
One was a tailoring shop and the other a grave headstone workshop.
What was by then known as “the Wee Hall” was demolished in 1945.
“Prior to the building of the first Chapel, there was a law prohibiting the erection of Catholic Churches within two miles of a town. The community of Carn was well served by the kindness of the town’s landlord, Captain Carey, who allowed the people to sweep out his mill, situated in the present graveyard, and have Mass celebrated there on Sundays.” (Maggie McDermott, Chapel Street)
“The small Chapel first erected in Carndonagh was built about 80 years ago by Dean O’Donnell. It was the fourth built in the barony.”
Mass was celebrated for the last time in the old church by Fr. Sheerin C.C. on the day
of the dedication of the new one in 1826.”
(Maghtochair, 1867)