St Columba's Church is a congregation of the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
, part of the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...
, in
Ennis
Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...
,
County Clare
County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
, western
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
.
St. Columba's was built between 1868 and 1871 as the new building for
Drumcliffe Parish to the design by architect Francis Bindon. Previous locations for the parish include
Ennis Friary which was vacated by the
Franciscan Order
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
in the early nineteenth century. The present building was the last Anglican Church to be built in Ireland before its disestablishment by the
Irish Church Act 1869
The Irish Church Act 1869 ( 32 & 33 Vict. c. 42) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which separated the Church of Ireland from the Church of England and disestablished the former, a body that commanded the adherence of a small mi ...
. It is an example of
Gothic revival architecture
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
, and its large size bears testimony to the fact that Anglicans were formerly more numerous than they are today, although they are now part of a growing minority of non-Catholics in Ennis and County Clare. Memorials in the church include a wooden grave cross from
Ypres
Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though
the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...
, a reminder of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
(1914–1918).
The church hall is accommodated in the rear of the building. This was constructed around 1982-3 during the ministry of the former Dean of Limerick Maurice Talbot. A foyer and meeting hall, with kitchen and toilets were incorporated within the Church from space at the rear of St Columba’s.
{{Coord, 52, 50, 43.69, N, 8, 59, 9.67, W, scale:6250_type:landmark_region:IE, display=title
Churches in County Clare
Church of Ireland church buildings in the Republic of Ireland