Community pageant set to honour colourful priest

A COMMUNITY pageant will take place this weekend to honour the legendary Fr Prout of Cork.

This weekend marks the 200th anniversary of the colourful clergyman’s appointment as parish priest of Watergrasshill.

The Watergrasshill Community Group launched a book on his life and times last weekend.

But they will stage a pageant, written by Donal O’Connor and featuring 27 actors, in the community hall this weekend before unveiling a plaque at Ballinaltig cemetery on Sunday.

The pageant is a drama documentary of the life and times of Fr Prout.

One of the pageant organisers, Barry Curtin, said: “When Fr Prout disagreed with a decision by the Archbishop of Cashel, to give some of this parish to another, he resigned.

“Dr Moylan then gave him a Cork parish most northerly, so Prout could see the Galtees.”

The story goes that after a turbulent start, Fr Prout set about building a church in Watergrasshill in 1806.

“The foundation stone is now set in the western wall of the present church,” Mr Curtin said.

Known as Fr Prout’s church, only a pillar with a cross now marks the site of the building.

Proceeds from the events will go towards the restoration of the Church of Ireland in Watergrasshill.

The pageant takes place in Watergrasshill Community Hall on Saturday and Sunday at 8pm.