1961 – St. Peter’s Church, Milford, Co. Donegal

Construction began in July 1959 and it was built and furnished at a cost of £28,000 to designs by architect Liam McCormick (1916-96), of the practice Corr & McCormick. Designed in a combination of traditional church layout with a modern, contemporary style with the clean lines contrasting with the large stained-glass windows. Absolutely stunning in its location, the stark white forms contrasting with the traditional town streetscape.

This building was the earliest of the seven churches built to designs by McCormick in Donegal. The design shares many similarities to McCormick’s slightly later work at Ballindrait of 1960-64, with the stand-alone campanile, shallow pitched roofs, and large screen-like windows lighting the interior.

McCormick is now considered the father of modern Irish church architecture. Described in the Derry People as ‘the contemporary design embodies many features new in church architecture. Built of steel reinforced concrete, the roof is supported on four tapered steel columns. The interior is finished in a restful buff-coloured rough-surfaced brick, and the floor is in grey-white mosaic. The design accentuating the importance of the altar allows for clear vision from any of the seated position.”