Julia Lysaght, Tower Secretary of the Church of St Mary, Doneraile provides this information:
The bell which originally called people to worship as far back as 1636 still sits in the porch of Doneraile Church and bears the following inscription [translated from the Latin]:
“The Honourable William St Leger, Baronet, president of North and South Munster [and] the Lady Gertrude de Viries, his wife, caused me to be made in the year 1636 and Arthur St Leger, their grandson, repaired me, having been broken, and did the work in May in the year 1700.”
A peal of six bells was presented by Lady Castletown of Upper Ossory in 1890 in memory of her father the 4th Viscount Doneraile, and the parish still enjoys the privilege of being one of the very few country churches [in Ireland] which can boast a peal of bells.
The bells were cast by John Taylor & Co., Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, who were also founders of the bells of St Paul’s Cathedral, London.
The six bells form a ringing peal, their outline details being as follows:
Doneraile bells were installed about 20 years before roller bearings began to be the norm for church bell hanging, and our bearings are of an older design that does require greasing and maintenance, including cleaning off previous grease. Ringers used to modern bearings find Doneraile bells heavier to ring than they expected. Every so often a re-hang comes up for discussion, but so far the cost has proved prohibitive. When the 19th-century fittings finally wear out, no doubt the bells will be re-hung; currently they are in reasonable order and are inspected regularly by professional bell-hangers, and ringing is enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.