were added to the nave. 15th century: major alterations were carried out. 1502 Margaret Fitzgerald, wife of Sir Piers Butler, decorated the Church. 1541 During the reign of King Henry the eight in England the religious practice in the church changed from Catholic to Reformed, more commonly known as Protestant or, in the case of St. Mary’s Church, the Church of Ireland. The church was used for worship by the Church of Ireland community until the 1970s. 1646 Kealy Mortuary Chapel built. 1700 The second half of the 1700s saw a period of decline in the built heritage of Ireland, with many of the landlords becoming absentee landlords and the aristocracy moving to England. Gowran Castle (the second castle, which was built in 1713; the first castle was built by James Butler third Earl of Ormonde in 1385. This James Butler is buried in St. Mary’s Church), which close to the church, also fell into dereliction. A 1791 picture of the church from the book Grose’s Antiquities of Ireland shows the south wall of the nave still standing but in disrepair, with heavy growth of ivy covering the walls. 19th century to present 19th century: From the start of 1800s, this decline was reversed. The century saw the start of major improvements to the built heritage of Gowran. Many new houses in the town, like the Shamrock Cottages and Dovers Row, were built. 1816-1819 A new Gowran Castle was built. 1826 A new Chancel was rebuilt in St Mary’s Church to the designs of the Kilkenny architect of the period William Robertson who also designed the nearby Gowran Castle and most of the standing Kilkenny Castle we see today. 1850s The coming of the railway to Gowran and the construction of railway buildings were significant events in the area. 1881 George Ashlin modelled his plan for the Catholic Church of the Assumption Gowran on the nave of St. Mary’s Church. The Roman Catholic Church was built and in 1881 dedicated by Dr. Moran Bishop of Ossory, who had Gowran connections. 1900 A new school was built. 1960s The upper floor of the tower and the wall surrounding the top of the tower were reinstated. 1970s Church of Ireland worship finishes. Use of the church for service ended in the 1970s, bringing to an end over 700 years of worship in the church. The church was taken over by the OPW.