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St Columba’s Church, Long Tower and Saint Columba Heritage Centre

St Columba's Church Long Tower is a Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Derry. It is located in the outside the city walls, down in the bogside, where the estuary of the Foyle used to run.

The present church is built on the site of Roman Catholic worship which goes back as far as the 12th century. The current Long Tower Church began life in 1783 in a much smaller scale than seen today. It is the site of the Cathedral of Tempull Mor. Father John Lynch, a parish priest in Derry started action to raise funds for building the Long Tower Church and he received finance not just from Roman Catholics but also Protestant people in Derry at the time. The church was opened in 1788.

Saint Columba Heritage Centre will open in Spring 2014 in the restored listed school building in the grounds of the Long tower Church. The Saint Columb’s National School, known affectionately locally as the “Wee Nuns’ School”, dates from 1813 and after major restoration will provide the city with a centre to promote the heritage and history of Saint Columba, the city’s founding father.

You can visit their website by visiting www.saintcolumba-heritagecentre.com.

For details on St. Columba's Church Long Tower, visit www.longtowerchurch.org

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