Lecanvey Church

Lecanvey (Leac an Anfa – Slab of the Storm) is a seaside village in Co. Mayo, situated between Westport and Louisburgh, just past Murrisk, in the shadow of Croagh Patrick.

The current church in Lecanvey, St. Patrick’s Church, was built in 1891. It replaced a simple thatched structure that was built upon a small strip of land leased from Lord Sligo, who had an estate in Westport. This historic building is in the process of being included on the List of Structures on the Record of Protected Structures for County Mayo.

The church is located in a very picturesque setting, in the foothills of Croagh Patrick and overlooking Clew Bay. This picturesque setting brings with it – as the Irish name suggests – very stormy and windy conditions throughout most of the year. Some of the existing slates had experienced slight movement due to the constant wind forces and efforts to fix them into position resulted in other slates being broken. As a result, some of the slates had failed and the roof was leaking at various locations.

Due to our experience working with historical buildings, Kenaidan were contracted to carry out the works on this project. The works consisted of the removal of the existing slates, treating existing timber with woodworm and preservative treatments, installation of Siga vapour control layer, insulation, breathable roofing felt, battens and Penrhyn Blue Bangor natural slates to all roofs.

The main challenges to this project were the very steep pitches of the main roofs and the strong winds. To overcome these challenges and to ensure the safety of our workers, we provided harnesses to all workers, tied on to a main steel wire support which was secured at the ridge.

In addition, the church remained in use for various services throughout the duration of the project.