History

The area was a newly developing suburb in the early 19th century. The Grand Canal was long established and

Beggars Bush Barracks Beggars Bush Barracks was a British Army barracks located at Beggars Bush in Dublin, Ireland. History The barracks were designed as a training depot for the British Army and were completed in 1827, built on lands received from George Herbert, 11 ...

was built in 1827.

Catholic emancipation Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restricti ...

was also a factor in the building of the church. The original architect is unknown, but the church is in the style of

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

. Ground for the church was broken in 1835 and the church was blessed in 1839 by

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Daniel Murray. At the time it had an earthen floor, no ceiling and no internal plastering. Internal plastering was completed in 1842, a passage was added on the east side of the church in 1844 and wooden flooring replaced the earthen one in 1848. In 1898 the frontage was erected - the architect was J. O'Callaghan and the builder was James Kiernan. The bell tower was erected shortly afterwards to a design by Walter Doolin and is known as the Lee Memorial Tower after the parish priest the Very Reverend James Canon Lee.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official homepage
Churches of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin