There are a number of distinct stages in the history of the Church in Riverstown. The very first Church to be erected here was a ‘barn Church’, erected in the mid to late 1700’s, during the period of the Penal Laws. The next phase in its development came in 1801, when the original Church was substantially enlarged on the same footprint. The most significant change came about in the years 1841-1842, when the orientation of the Church was altered by the construction of a new nave. And then the Church underwent a programme of refurbishment in the years 1923-1924. This Church was commonly referred to as ‘Teampall Mor’ (the big Church), after the ancient Church of Teampall Mor at Ardagh, which up to that time had served as the principal place of Catholic worship in the Riverstown area.

The fate of this old Church was sealed and in many respects the story of the new Church of the Sacred Heart was begun with the appointment of Fr. James Roddy to Riverstown in 1935. He was sent here by Bishop Doorly with an explicit mandate to build a new Church in the village, a task he set about with characteristic zeal immediately upon his appointment.

The old Church continued in use right up until the opening of the new Church of the Sacred Heart in December 1941. And the final liturgical service in the old Church was a Holy Mass celebrated at 9 am on Sunday, 7 th December 1941 prior to the celebration of the First Mass and Dedication Ceremony in the new Church of the Sacred Heart later that same day at 12 noon.

Whilst work on clearing the site of the new Church in Riverstown began on 1 st February 1940, the Parish Inventory Book records that ‘the first sod’ for the construction of the Church of the Sacred Heart ‘was cut on 23 rd March 1940’. And although the building work of the Church had started in March, the foundation stone for the Church of the Sacred Heart was laid only on 20 th October, 1940 by Bishop Doorly during a ceremony attended by a large gathering of clergy and parishioners from Riverstown and the surrounding areas. This was in accordance with the tradition of such ceremonies not being held until the building work had been significantly advanced. By October, the walls of the new Church had reached their full height and work on the roof had already commenced.

The foundation stone was laid to the right of the main entrance. In the stone based upon which the foundation stone was laid there was a cavity, into which a sealed bottle was placed. This bottle contained coins of the country together with copies of The Sligo champion, The Irish independent, The Irish Press, and The standards. A scroll was also placed in the cavity, containing the names of the Bishop, the parish priest, the architect, the contractors and the date of the ceremony. A slab of white marble was then placed on top. And this would become the single biggest building project to ever be carried out in Riverstown and, at the time of its construction, it was also the biggest civil engineering project in all of County Sligo, Ireland.

The main fabric of the building is constructed in re- enforced mass concrete. The walls were studded on the inside and finished with plaster slabs. Externally the walls comprise rough cast concrete finished with plaster bands. The floor under the seats was made from white Norwegian pine and the passageways were tiled. Designed by William Byrne in a classical manner in the style of a Roman Basilica this church eschewed the trend of the time in the building of churches to more modern designs. It was designed to accommodate 750 people.

There are two confessionals made from American Oak built into the nave and two at each end of the transepts. The Sanctuary terminates in a semi-circular apse and the transepts each contain aside altar made from green Connemara marble. The original high Altar is made from Italian white marble with insets of green Connemara marble and a high central carving depicting the Last Supper. The spire and Belfry measure 80 ft in height to the top of the cross and is constructed from ashlar sandstone. The Belfry Bell came from the church at Chapel Street having previously been purchased in 1929. Construction work continued right up to the day of the dedication ceremony, Sunday 7th of December 1941, with workmen putting the cross on top of the spire in place as the congregation entered the building for solemn High Mass which was presided over by Bishop Doorly.

The most substantial work to be carried out on the Church since it was completed in 1941 came about over the course of 2016 and was completed to coincide with the 75 th anniversary of its dedication. This programme of works, under the direction of Fr. A.B. O’ Shea and a specially formed parish sub-committee, had as their primary aim reconfiguration of the access route to the main door of the Church, the cleaning and repair of the bell-tower, the extension of car parking facilities and the provision of modern toilet facilities.