St. Mary's Church, Castlemartin
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St. Mary's Church, Castlemartin, located in the broad
Kilcullen Kilcullen (), formally Kilcullen Bridge, is a small town on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Its population of 3,815 at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census made it the 13th largest settlement in County Kilda ...
area of
County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
, Ireland, is the first medieval church in Ireland to have been restored to full working order. The small stone
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
church, with accompanying burial ground, lies within
Castlemartin Estate Castlemartin may refer to: *Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire, a village in Wales ** Castlemartin (hundred), a former administrative unit in Wales named after the village **Castlemartin Training Area, British Army training area *Castlemartin House and Es ...
, which belonged for many years to media magnate
Tony O'Reilly Sir Anthony John Francis O'Reilly (7 May 1936 – 18 May 2024) was an Irish businessman and international rugby union player. He was known for his try scoring in rugby, his involvement in the Independent News & Media Group, which he led from ...
; O'Reilly paid for the restoration in 1979–1980, after which the church was reconsecrated in August 1981 by
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. There has been a church on this site for over 800 years.


History


Accounts

Details of the church's history are limited but it is recorded in church documents and has been the subject of a number of articles – including by Major General Sir Eustace F. Tickell, Lord Walter Fitzgerald,
James Norris Brewer James Jupp Norris Brewer (11 September 1777 – March 1839) was an English topographer and novelist. He wrote many romances and topographical compilations, he also contributed to the series called the ''Beauties of England and Wales''. All the fo ...
, Meagher and a correspondent to Beauford's ''Anthologia Hibernica'' magazine (who also supplied drawings) – and of a booklet.


Origins

There is mention of a chapel at Castlemartin in a 1202 entry in the Calendar of Deeds of
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Christ Church Cathedral, more formally The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (Irish: ''Ardeaglais Theampall Chríost''), is the cathedral of the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough, United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the e ...
, when Richard, Lord of Castlemartyn granted it to the cathedral.Dublin, Ireland, 1896: Appendix to the 27th Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records of Ireland, etc., "Calendar of Christ Church Deeds" A later entry reaffirms the grant, along with of land.Kilcullen, Co. Kildare, 1981, edited (and history section) by Sean Landers, foreword by Tony O'Reilly, with Percy Le Clerc and Helen M. Roe: The restoration of the Church of St. Mary, Castlemartin, Co. Kildare (published privately to mark its reconsecration, supervised by Murray Consultants) The current church was constructed in the late 15th century, as place of worship for The 1st Baron Portlester and his family; Lord Portlester was appointed as Treasurer of Ireland in 1461, and Chancellor in 1472, and his daughter, Alison, married into the Fitzgerald family. Tony O'Reilly, based on research he commissioned, mentioned a possible construction date around 1490.New York City: The New York Times, "Tony O'Reilly Astride Two Worlds; In Ireland, Publisher and Prospector", Steve Lohr, 8 May 1988. The chapel is mentioned in the Calendar of Christ Church Deeds for 1503, twice. The second entry notes that residents of two local areas pay two pence towards Kilcolyn (i.e. Kilcullen) Chapel, and a third penny towards Castlemartin Chapel. A further entry, in 1504, confirms to Holy Trinity Church (Christ Church Cathedral) property including "the Church of Killkolyn" "with the annexed chapel of St. Mary's, Castlemartin". There is no information now as to the extent of the staffing of the church, its exact relationship (sometimes described as dependency) with the church at Kilcullen (or the preceding church at Old Kilcullen) or the scale of burial activity within or around it.


Decline

There is no record of when the church was abandoned, though it is believed to have been after 1700, and it was certainly ruined by 1793. For several centuries the church was roofless, and became overgrown. In 1862, Brewer, in his book "Beauties of Ireland" notes that the tomb within the church was overgrown and that fragments of monuments were scattered in the burial ground.London, UK; Sherwood, Gilbert & Piper; 1826: "The Beauties of Ireland, being Original Delineations, Topographical, Historical, and Biographical. of each county," Brewer, J. N. – vol. II. Arms were concealed there undetected during the
Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...
.


Restoration, 1979–1980

In 1979, Tony O'Reilly decided to have the church restored, noting that he had often walked through the church field with his father and ''he engendered in me a great curiosity for the strange mosaic of Irish and Anglo Irish history and a compelling desire to know more about Castlemartin and the small Chapel that was a place of worship before the Reformation and had viewed silently the march and counter march of Irish history''. O'Reilly consulted with local authorities and engaged
Percy Le Clerc William Percival "Percy" Le Clerc (30 May 1914 – 4 March 2002) was Inspector of National Monuments (Ireland), National Monuments in Ireland from 1949 to 1974, making him responsible for the preservation of buildings already classified as Nati ...
, an experienced former senior official with The Office of Public Works (The O.P.W.), as architect. Le Clerc studied the church structure, and such limited historical material as was available, including the 18th century magazine article from which the sketches on the postcard above come, and concluded that the building had probably existed in three main states during its history, notably with differences in the upper parts, where there is an external walkway. It was decided to restore it to the middle state. Planning permission was granted, subject to reasonable public access to the restored building being made available, and the restoration began on 17 August 1979. No significant excavation or other exploratory work was demanded or conducted, and most restoration work was completed by December 1980. The church was then furnished simply and modern electrical circuits installed.


Reconsecration

As it was unclear what the ecclesiastical status of the church had been over the years of neglect, it was arranged for it to be reconsecrated. In parallel, Tony and Susan O'Reilly arranged for an illustrated booklet to be published, summarising the history of the church, its restoration and aspects of its interior. The Mass of Reconsecration was conducted on 16 August 1981, led by
The Most Rev. The Most Reverend (abbreviated as The Most Revd or The Most Rev) is an honorific style given to certain (primarily Western) Christian clergy and ministers. It is a variant of the more common style "The Reverend". Catholic In the Catholic Church, ...
Dr.
Dermot Ryan Dermot J. Ryan (26 June 1924 – 21 February 1985) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland from 1972 until 1984. Early life and education Born Dermot Joseph Ryan in 1924, to Andrew Ryan a medical doctor and Therese nee McKenna, in ...
, Lord Archbishop of Dublin, who emphasised the historic nature of such an event. Invitees included family, friends and locals, with Tony O'Reilly's mother as guest of honour and hymn selector, music by Caroline O'Reilly and John Grogan, prayers by
Tony O'Reilly, Junior St. John Anthony O'Reilly, generally Tony O'Reilly, Junior (born 1966 in Dublin) is a businessman with Irish and Australian citizenship, the third son and sixth child of former Heinz Chairman & CEO and Irish media magnate Tony O'Reilly and Au ...
, and readings by
Cameron O'Reilly Anthony Cameron O'Reilly, generally known as Cameron O'Reilly, (born 28 April 1964) is a Dublin-born businessman with Irish and Australian citizenship, the son of an Irish father, media magnate Tony O'Reilly and an Australian mother, Susan Came ...
and Tony O'Reilly's friend, rugby player Peter Kininmonth. Holy water, incense and chrism oil were used, and a chalice from the 1932 Eucharistic Congress Mass in Dublin. A silver chalice from 1643 was presented to the owner for use in subsequent Masses.


Since 1981

The church has hosted Mass on a number of occasions, as well as family weddings, such as those of Susan Cameron to Tarik Wildman (before an Episcopal Dean) and of
Gavin O'Reilly Gavin Karl O'Reilly is an Irish-Australian businessman known for his roles in media and consulting. Early life O'Reilly is the eldest of triplets and the fourth of six children, the son of businessman Sir Tony O'Reilly and Susan O'Reilly (né ...
to
Alison Doody Alison Doody (born 9 March 1966) is an Irish actress and model. After making her feature film debut as Bond girl Jenny Flex in ''A View to a Kill'' (1985), she went on to play Elsa Schneider in ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' (1989). Ot ...
, and at least one funeral, that of Tony O'Reilly's mother, Alison. It was also intended to have chamber music and other public events there. Tony O'Reilly's parents are buried alongside the church, his father having been moved there from
Glasnevin Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery () is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasnevin, Dublin, in two part ...
, and he has stated that this will be his final resting place also.


Location

The church is located in a field at the top of the banks of the
River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish language, Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major Tributary, tributaries include t ...
, within the Castlemartin Estate. It is some distance north east of Castlemartin House and the estate farm buildings, reachable along a tree-lined avenue, and is adjoined by a small burial ground. The building is surrounded by a narrow strip of gravel, and flat paving. The church field is bounded on several sides by trees, and with a further field between it and the river, is not readily visible, nor is there a ready path for public access.


Structure

The building has a simple floorplan, with a basic nave overlooked by a small gallery, and a footprint (internal measurement) of x 16.5 feet. There is some complexity with the stair and roof areas, and it is in regard to these that the states of the building primarily differed. According to Le Clerc, the three phases of building were as follows: * Initially, a stairway within the western wall went up from the church, passing the door to the gallery and opening onto a walk along the southern wall, with steps across the eastern gable and another open wall-walk across the western front at a slightly raised level, with a simple bell-turret for two bells on the western gable. * Within a short span of years, he determined that twin west towers (one containing a stair) were built on top of the earlier work at the western end of the church without altering it * Later, perhaps around 1550, a two-part dormer window was built over the wall-walk on the northern side of the western gallery, breaking the circulation around the roof of the church, limiting access to the towers. LeClerc further commented that the church had been poorly constructed, using low-quality limestone and little mortar, and might have collapsed in the 19th century had it not been buttressed by Major Blacker. Taking into account the attraction of the twin towers, and the complication of the roof walk introduced by the third phase of work, the building was restored to the second identified state.


Tomb

An effigial tomb was located centrally in the church, badly broken, the only visible monument remaining inside. This was also restored, as far as possible, during the work of 1979–1980, and relocated to a place under the gallery at the back of the church. The tomb, which features a damaged figure of a knight, may have been made for Richard, son of Sir Roland FitzEustace, Baron Portlester and Lord of Castlemartin or for Thomas, Lord of Castlemartin.Kildare, Ireland, 1955: Journal of the County Kildare Archaeological Society, Volume XI1I, No. 6, Tickell, Major-General Sir-Eustace: "The Eustace Family & Their Lands in County Kildare" Under the tomb was a vault in which eleven skeletons were found, and this remains ''in situ''.


Furnishings

There is no record as to how the building was furnished but new furniture was made based on what is known about churches of the 15th and 16th centuries in Ireland. The primary material for furnishings was unseasoned oak, fixed with oak pegs, without any metal parts used at all.


Sources

* Kilcullen, Co. Kildare, 1981, edited (and history section) by Sean Landers, foreword by Tony O'Reilly, with Percy Le Clerc and Helen M. Roe: The restoration of the Church of St. Mary, Castlemartin, Co. Kildare (published privately to mark its reconsecration, supervised by Murray Consultants) – photocopies of parts accessed. * Kildare, Ireland, 1955: Journal of the County Kildare Archaeological Society, Volume XI1I, No. 6, Tickell, Major-General Sir-Eustace: "The Eustace Family & Their Lands in County Kildare" (parts of). * London, UK, 1962; The Ebury Press; Lord Killanin, M. V. Duignan: "The Shell Guide to Ireland"


Notes and references

{{reflist Kilcullen Tony O'Reilly family Buildings and structures in County Kildare Religion in County Kildare