At the eastern end of the graveyard around St Owen’s church in Ballymore, County Westmeath and surrounded by tombstones going back several hundred years is this little mausoleum or mortuary chapel associated with the Magan family of Umma House which stands some five miles to the south. While the building dates from the 17th century, the doorcase and window are believed to have come from an earlier tower house. The church can be seen here: constructed in 1827 with a loan of £1,043 from the Board of First Fruits, it replaced an earlier place of worship and was intended to hold congregations of up to 300 persons. However, it never attracted a fraction of that number and closed for services in 1959, being unroofed five years later. 

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