When Fr. Edmund Magennis was appointed to succeed Dr. O'Kelly, circumstances were generally improving in the parish. It was the eve of Catholic Emancipation when, for the first time in centuries, Catholics could maintain schools, join professions and, if they met the qualifications, vote at parliamentary elections. Faced with the problem of an increasing population both in Tullylish and in the developing town of Banbridge, where no Catholic church existed, Fr. Magennis had a formidable task ahead of him. In addition, there was an attempt by government to organise a system of education embracing all creeds. Though the outcome was unsuccessful, it did involve Fr. Magennis in a schoolbuilding programme.

The Old Bann School in Laurencetown, now known as the Laurencetown, Lenaderg and Tullylish Community Association

Existing schools were located at Knocknagore, Bleary, Ballynagarrick, Moyallon, Gilford, Coose, Ballydugan, Kernan and Ballymacanallan. Only four of these schools had Catholic masters. Moyallon was run in conjunction with the Society of Friends where Francis Campbell was paid £27.7.6 per annum. At Gilford the master was Arthur Geoghegan and he was paid £19.10 per annum. His school was located on Whinney Hill. The school in Coose was run by Edward Geoghegan whose salary was £20 per annum. Hugh Burns organised the only Catholic `hedge school' in the parish.

A typical 'hedge school'

The church at Coose, Laurencetown was extended and completed in 1834. It now accommodated 750 people. Its average attendance was 600 and the total cost of completion - £150 - was raised by subscription. The Catholic population of the ‘parish union’ in 1834 was as follows:

Tullylish  3,205
Donacloney  1,078
Seapatrick 1,424
Magherally   309

These make a grand total of 6,016. Tullylish and Donacloney, with a combined population of 4,629, were served rather inadequately by only two chapels while Seapatrick and Magherally, with a population of 1,733, had no church or chapel at all.