Brief History of St. Osnat's Church Glencar.

St. Osnat's Church is situated in the district of Glencar close to the Sligo/Leitrim border. Nearby are the lovely Glencar lake and waterfall. Glencar takes its name from the Irish Gleann A' Chairthe, the valley of the rock.  

The ruins of a medieval church are to be found at Nure on the floor of Glencar valley. St. Osnat, a sister of St. Molaise of Devenish, is said to have founded a community here in the sixth century.  Cill Easnat, the church of St. Osnat, gave its name to the old parish of Killasnett. There was another ecclesiastical site at Killenora, about two miles east of Glencar lake.

By the year 1761 there was a Mass house in the townland of Shancorragh. Then in 1846, on the eve of the Great Famine, St. Osnat's Church was built. It was built rectangular in shape with gothic style windows. Fr. James Magauran, a native of Kinawley, spent all of his years as a priest ministering in the parish of Killasnett. He was appointed curate there immediately after his ordination in 1817. Eleven years later he was appointed parish priest. He died at the relatively young age of fifty seven on 11th February 1849 before the Great Famine was over. In all he had ministered for thirty two years in Killasnett and it was while he was parish priest that St. Osnat's Church was built.

During the second half of the nineteenth century most churches in the diocese were adding altars, floors, ceilings, bells, statues and stations of the cross as they could afford them. St. Osnat's was no exception. In 1881 a bell tower was erected. In 1915 and 1928 further improvements were carried out, the latter improvements being funded by Mrs. Teehan. In 1960, the parish priest, Fr. Charles Cartwright, went to the United States and raised £1,200 to help fund church renovations. The roof was repaired, electricity and central heating installed, and new windows were added. In 1996, to mark the 150th anniversary, the church was renovated and a new car park was developed.  

Glencar and Mullies belonged to the parish of Killasnett until 1988 when they were united with Manorhamilton to form the present parish of Cloonclare/Killasnett.