It was here that one of the original Catholic families of Cove, the Foley’s, made a very generous offer of part of their land upon which the new church was to be built. In 1949, the parish priest, Father McCormick SDB acted and a temporary chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes was built in High View Road. It was built as a temporary church under a ten-
The Foley property at Cove included not only the ground of the chapel but also the adjacent houses known as “The Oaks” and “The Oaks Lodge”. “The Oaks” was at one time a boys’ school, founded by a Mr Greene in the last century; hence Greens’ School Lane, which led up to it from Victoria Road. When Mr Greene died in 1887, the school closed, but it was later opened as a Catholic school run by Mrs Foley and then by her daughter, Mrs Scott. When this school closed, both houses were given to extend the parish property. “The Oaks” was used for social purposes and catechism classes and “The Oaks Lodge” as a presbytery.
The parish had plenty of land but a temporary building as a church and two rather old and dilapidated houses as social centre and presbytery. The 1970s were years of considerable change and extensive building. Firstly, “The Oaks” was demolished and a parish hall built, which was blessed and opened on 31st March 1973. Part of the parish land was sold to form the present High View Close and the money used towards the cost of the church. The foundation stone was laid on 10th December 1974 and the church opened on the feast of Our Lady of Ransom, 24th September 1975. The old chapel was demolished and the site used for a new presbytery, which was occupied on 18th August 1977.