“In 1827, Dr Joseph Kirwan, D.D. was appointed to Oughterard as “Junior Vicar of the Galway Wardenship”. He was given by Thomas Martyn, M.P., son of Colonel Martin (Humanity Dick), “an acre of land in the town of Oughterard”, for a parish church site. However in 1839, after the church was built, Mr. O’Flaherty of Lemonfield claimed in law that the church site granted by Thomas Martin was in reality part of the O’Flaherty Estate. Daniel O’Connel, at the request of his daughter, Mrs French of Oughterard, came to Galway and settled the matter in two days. The outcome was that the lease of Dec 26 1840 made between Thomas Henry O’Flaherty, Thomas B. Martyn, Rev. Joseph Kirwan, Rev. George Plunkett Browne, Daniel O’Connell and Anthony O’Flaherty…..”