35 Tullylish Road
Banbridge, County Down, BT63 6DP
+44 028 3883 1298
Opening Hours
Monday to Sunday
8.00am to Dusk

The old parish church is situated in the townland of Tullylish, about 2 km from Gilford town on the site of an ancient earthern fort. The first recorded pastor was in 1526. It was rebuilt in 1698 and abandoned in 1861 having been partially destroyed in the 1641 rebellion. It was described as a neat, stone building with a low tower but without a spire. The inside was neat and fitted up with pews.It is in the diocese of Dromore; the rectory and vicarage, patron the bishop. In 1846 the rector was Rev. William Butler Yeates.

The old church was abandoned in 1861 when the new church was built. During the excavation work for the new church, archaeologists uncovered much of the remains of an important early Monastic settlement dating back to the 6th century. It was probably built to protect the pass across the River Bann. Rev. W.B. Yeats erected the church but was too ill to attend the laying of the foundation stone. A plaque in the new church commemorated W.B. Yeats; not the poet but his grandfather.

The Church is situated in the small rural village of Tullylish a townland of 513 acres. It sits near the River Bann on the Tullylish Road which adjoins the main road (A50) between the towns of Banbridge and Portadown. The Rectory, which overlooks the A50 road, is situated approx. 1 mile from the church. It sits back from the main road and is accessed by a private tree lined driveway.

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