Cratloe Church, dedicated to St. John, is the Roman Catholic parish church of Cratloe

Cratloe

Cratloe is a village in County Clare, Ireland, situated between Limerick City and Shannon in the midwest of Ireland. It is possible that the name derives from Croit-shliabh meaning "hump-backed hill", referring to Woodcock Hill.-Places of interest:...

, in County Clare

County Clare

-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. It was originally built in 1791 by Fr. James Ward, P.P.. Two transepts having been added to the original chancel

Chancel

In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...

 and nave

Nave

In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...

 in 1806, by Fr. Jeremiah Cronin.

The doorway to the right transept is a medieval doorway, believed to have come from an earlier church in the parish.

It is one of only three remaining 'barn' churches in Ireland.

The quaint country church is popular for weddings, and a number of celebrity weddings have been held here, including that of Sharon Corr

Sharon Corr

Sharon Helga Corr is a musician and member of the Irish pop-rock band The Corrs along with elder brother Jim and younger sisters Caroline and Andrea. She plays the violin, piano, and guitar, and sings backing vocals. She began learning the violin when she was six years old...

, of the musical group The Corrs

The Corrs

The Corrs are an Irish band which combine pop rock with traditional Celtic folk music. The brother and sisters are from Dundalk, Ireland. The group consists of the Corr siblings: Andrea ; Sharon ; Caroline ; and Jim .The Corrs came to international prominence with their performance at the...

.

Cratloe Grotto

A short distance away is Cratloe Grotto, which is maintained by the parish. Cratloe Grotto was opened in 1932 after the initiative of Fr. John Wallace, P.P., and includes of the Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...

 on either side of the path climbing the 100 foot to the grotto itself. The grotto was designed as a replica of the grotto at Lourdes

Lourdes

Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...

. On the hill above the grotto is a statue of the scene of the Crucifixion

Crucifixion

Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...

 of Christ

Christ

Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...

. The grotto also contains a number of religious statues. The work on constructing the grotto was carried out voluntarily by the people of the parish.