placenamesNew Chapel
Saint Finian’s church stands at New Chapel Crossroads, north of Waterville, beside routes long used by local families.
The name
A reliable full-name meaning has not been established here. The recorded Irish and English forms are given without an unsupported translation.
Recorded forms
- New Chapel · English · main form
Place & story
Saint Finian’s at the crossroads
Saint Finian’s Catholic church is the defining landmark at New Chapel Crossroads, north of Waterville. The architectural archive records a foundation stone laid in 1859, while questioning the precise month. It also records renovation and an addition in 1958–59 by architect James Rupert Edward Boyd Barrett. [2] [3]
A debated school site
The history compiled by Saint Finian’s National School records that parents proposed a school site in 1911 where the church now stands. Their concern was the length of the walk for children coming from the far side of the parish: they believed the proposed Spunkane location would add another two miles. [4]
Amalgamating local schools
The school’s account dates completion of its building to 1913 and, on the basis of its archival research, believes it opened in January 1915. It brought together the boys’ and girls’ schools in Spunkane and Saint Joseph’s junior school in Lower Waterville. [4]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — New Chapel. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Church of St Finian at New Chapel Crossroads: photograph and location description, 24 September 2007 · Jonathan Billinger
- Church of St Finan, Waterville: foundation stone and later works, DIA 1077 · Irish Architectural Archive, Dictionary of Irish Architects
- Saint Finian’s National School: history · Saint Finian’s National School, Spunkane
- Saint Finian’s Church at New Chapel Crossroads, as photographed in September 2007 illustration: based on a Church of St Finian, Murreagh, Co. Kerry by Jonathan Billinger. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2026-08-24. How this page was prepared.