St. Patrick’s Church, Maudabawn was erected in the townland of Killatee, Maudabawn in 1825 and dedicated by Bishop Farrell O’ Reilly. A local tradition holds that the 1825 building replaced an earlier thatched chapel. The dedication to St. Patrick reflects the much earlier St. Patrick’s, Drumgoon. The 1825 building was described in the Freeman’s Journal on 6th October, 1915 as follows:

“The old church consisted of a wide spanned nave with a row of rude massive stone columns running down its centre and supporting a leaded gutter which divided two roofs.
Against one side wall the old wooden altar leaned, enclosed by a wide semi-circular communion rail, which ran well out into the floor space. Behind the altar came the sacristy and over it the residence of the curate.”

The curate’s residence mentioned here had an unusual usage in 1845. Pat Dolan, a member of the Molly Maguires, shot and killed magistrate George B. Booth in 1845. Dolan is reported to have hidden in the curate’s residence at Maudabawn for six weeks.
Typhus raged through Maudabawn in the years following the famine. The curate, Rev. Thomas Brady contracted typhus and died on 19th June 1852. He was buried under the altar in the old chapel. A plaque to his memory was erected in the church in 1991.

The old building was replaced by the present structure in 1915. The entire building, including a new curate’s house cost 3,048 pounds, 8 shillings and 9 pence. The architect was Mr J McGennis. The new church was dedicated by Bishop Finnegan on 10th October, 19155. Parish Priest of Drumgoon was Fr. Patrick O’Connell and Maudabawn curate was Fr. Laurence Galligan. The bell from the old church in Cootehill was erected in the belfry.

Extensive renovations were carried out to the church in 1991. Maudabawn curate, Fr. Dan Sheridan, spearheaded an extensive renovation and remodelling of the church and grounds. The architect was Mr. Phil Cullivan and the main contractor was P McGovern & Sons. In the region of £200,000 was raised by the people of Maudabawn for the renovations. The re-dedication of Maudabawn church by Bishop Francis MacKiernan took place on 8th December 1991.