placenamesAttymass
Áth Tí an Mheasaigh
Attymass connects a twentieth-century church reconstruction with the international media ministry of a priest born in the parish.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Áth Tí an Mheasaigh · Irish · main form · validated name
- Attymass · English · main form
Place & story
The church at Kilgellia
The Church of the Immaculate Conception and St Joseph at Kilgellia was reconstructed in 1957–58 to a design by Simon Aloysius Leonard and dedicated in 1958. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage cautiously describes it as retaining the shell of an earlier chapel. Its interior brings together different periods: a memorial west window dates from 1900, while sanctuary glass supplied by Dublin’s State Glass Company belongs to the 1958 work. The building was reroofed in 2005. [2]
From the parish to Hollywood
Patrick Peyton was born in the Attymass area in 1909 and became widely known as the Rosary Priest. His work used broadcasting and popular entertainment to encourage family prayer. Holy Cross Family Ministries records that he began Family Rosary in Albany, New York, in 1942 and established Family Theater Productions in Hollywood in 1947. His career connected a Mayo upbringing with a large international religious media enterprise; he died in 1992. [3] [4]
A memorial centre in his home parish
The Father Peyton Memorial Centre opened in Attymass on 10 October 1998 to commemorate his life and work. It presents his story and photographs of the prayer crusades, with a contemplation garden dedicated to peace in Ireland. The centre gives the international association a permanent local setting. Its exhibition, prayer space and gardens form a memorial in the parish where Peyton grew up, rather than at the American broadcasting centres most closely associated with his career. [4]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Attymass. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Church of the Immaculate Conception and Saint Joseph, Kilgellia, 31304001 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Father Peyton · Holy Cross Family Ministries
- Ballina People part two: Fr Patrick Peyton · Matt Moran, Independent Catholic News
- Catholic church at Kilgellia, Attymass, County Mayo illustration: based on a Attymass - Church of the Immaculate Conception (15 September 2024) by Newbert12. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2026-05-11. How this page was prepared.