St. Columb’s Cathedral – “My Granny’s Church”!

St Columb’s Cathedral is near and dear to my heart; I often refer to it as “My Granny’s Church”! My family has been affiliated with the church for decades. Many were married, baptized and confirmed at the church. Some were in the choir, while others taught Sunday school; a few teachers in the family taught in the Cathedral School which was affiliated with the church.

St. Columb’s can be found in the walled city of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The Cathedral is the mother church of the Church of Ireland Diocese of Derry and Raphoe and the parish church of Templemore.

It is dedicated to Saint Columba, an Irish Monk who established a Christian settlement in the area before being exiled from Ireland and introducing Christianity to Scotland and northern England

It is said that the Cathedral is haunted by William Higgins, a former bishop, predecessor of the renowned Bishop Alexander. Originally buried outside the Cathedral, Bishop Higgins’ tomb ended up inside the Cathedral after the extensive restoration of 1867. In completing the renovation, his final resting place was apparently disturbed; leading to the folk lore that he still frequents the Church.

Staff has heard footsteps in the gallery; upon going to check they found the door to the gallery locked. There was also an occurrence with the organ. The original organ had been vandalised and an electric replacement had been installed. It was this organ that began to produce a noise when the power was turned off! All reports indicate the ghost to be friendly!

About CJ Murdoch

Looking For "Dead People"! My Journey Back In Time - Tracing my ancestors and researching the counties, cities and towns where they resided. Taking a “Glimpse” into their lives and stories and the times in which they lived; all in an effort to learn about their “Dash”! “I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of his friend. He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning – to the end. He noted that first came the date of her birth and spoke of the second with tears, but he said that what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.” I have always been interested in researching my family tree and “hanging out” in cemeteries. Like most of us... I didn't ask enough questions when elderly family were still living. Oh, what I would give for 24 hours and a camera with my ancestors… just to sit and listen! I'm researching many family lines, including: Murdoch, Wilson, Berry, Love, Scott, Beattie/Beatty, Hendren, Sweeney, Robinson and Elvin; just to name a few. My families are predominantly from counties Antrim, Donegal and Londonderry. However, it seems that many of them, both maternal and paternal lines, originally hailed from Co. Donegal. I was born and raised in Northern Ireland and now live in Ottawa, Canada, making frequent trips back home to visit with my family. Of course those visits also include treks to the many burial grounds of my ancestors. My most recent trip back home was during the summer of 2019! Looking forward to August of 2020 when I will return. If you are interested in help tracing your ancestors I’d love to hear from you!

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