The Church of St. John, is the Roman Catholic parish church of Cratloe, in County Clare, Ireland. It was originally built in 1791 by Fr. James Ward, the parish priest at that time.Cratloe Church
/ref> Two transepts having been added to the original chancel and nave in 1806, by Fr. Jeremiah Cronin. The doorway to the right transept is a medieval doorway, believed to have come from one of the earlier churches of Kilfintenan or Craughaun in the parish. It is one of only three remaining 'barn' churches in Ireland built during penal times, a time when

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

were not allowed practice their religion. In 1828 Daniel O'Connell, an MP for County Clare who would later go on to be known as ''The Liberator'', made a speech outside the church about the

Catholic Emancipation Act Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restricti ...

, arguing that Catholic Members of Parliament should be allowed take their seat once elected, which was forbidden at that time.
The quaint country church is popular for weddings, and a number of celebrity weddings have been held here, including that of Sharon Corr, of the musical group The Corrs.

Cratloe Grotto

A short distance away is Cratloe Grotto, which is maintained by the parish. Work on the Cratloe Grotto began in 1928 and was opened in 1932 after the initiative of Fr. John Wallace, P.P. The 100 foot climb up to the Grotto itself includes the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

on either side of the path. The grotto was designed as a replica of the grotto at Lourdes. On the hill above the grotto is a statue of the scene of the Crucifixion of Christ. 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.

References

{{Coord, 52, 41, 52.9, N, 8, 45, 19.76, W, scale:3125_type:landmark_region:IE, display=title Roman Catholic churches in County Clare