Lagg is situated about four miles from the village of Malin. As one drives along the beautiful Trawbreaga Bay and reaches the Rock, a completely new vista opens up, a wild and rugged and desolate place, conductive to prayer and reflection; it recalls the many references in the Gospels, telling us of Our Lord retiring to the hills, or to the desert “Himself alone to pray”
It is natural that the monks of the early Church would be attracted by the environment. Indeed the fact is borne out by the hill which bears the name Knockamany – the hills of the monks. Here they studied, worked and prayed and chanted the psalms in adoration of their Maker.
From all the indications available, we feel that Lagg was favoured as a place of worship down the centuries. From the sixteenth century onwards the burial grounds adjourning the Church was shared by both Catholic and Protestant communities.
1784 is the date reliably given for the foundation of the present church. It has been remodelled and renovated several times since then.
This excerpt was taken from a pamphlet written by Malin’s leading historian: Conall Byrne on the occasion of the bi-centenary of Lagg Church on 24th June-1984.
