Around Carrick On Shannon

A remarkable example of a mans deep affection for his wife is to be found at Carrick-on-Shannon County Leitrim, in the Costello Memorial Chapel, reputed to be the second smallest chapel in the world. Only in the Holy Land is their said to be one tinier; certainly the Building is unique in this country and is considerably smaller than the smallest similar structure in Britain. The Chapel is sixteen feet long by twelve foot wide and thus covers an area of 192 feet. The smallest in Britain for which a restoration and preservation fund has now been opened, is at Upleathan in Middlesborough and measures sixteen feet by fifteen or 270 square feet. It is then 78 square feet larger than that at Carrick. The Costello Memorial Chapel was erected by Edward Costello to mark his devotion to his wife, who died in 1877 at the age of 46. Mr Costello had been a substantial farmer at Dromore a few miles from Carrick, but had moved to the town during the early part of the 1800’s and set himself up in business. He was widely known as a man of great kindness and charity and was partly instrumental in bringing the marist order of nuns to the town.