St. Mary's Church, Donnybrook

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St. Mary's Church
St Mary's Church, Donnybrook, Dublin - geograph.org.uk - 5167567.jpg
Side view of the church in 2016
St. Mary's Church, Donnybrook
General information
StatusChurch
Location Anglesea Road
Town or city Donnybrook
CountryIreland
Coordinates 53°19′29″N6°13′48″W / 53.32476°N 6.22995°W / 53.32476; -6.22995
Estimated completion1827
Owner Royal Dublin Society
Technical details
Material calp limestone, granite dressings
Design and construction
Architect(s) John Semple

St. Mary's Church was a Church of Ireland church in Donnybrook, Dublin entered via Anglesea Road which now operates as a part of the campus of the Royal Dublin Society. [1]

Contents

History

An illustration of the Church in 1832 from the Dublin Penny Journal showing the spire. Simmons-Court Church, 1832 (IA jstor-30002810) (page 3 crop).jpg
An illustration of the Church in 1832 from the Dublin Penny Journal showing the spire.

The church was built to the design of John Semple in 1827 near the site of a much earlier church which was demolished soon after. [2] The church was consecrated in April 1830. It was constructed with the aid of a loan of £4,154 from the Board of First Fruits. [3]

Simmonscourt castle would have been in the immediate vicinity and would have influenced the choice of location. The steeple was damaged in a storm in 1839 and not rebuilt again until 1859.

The church was de-consecrated by Archbishop of Dublin, Michael Jackson, on 3 July 2020. [4] Following the closure of the church the Parish was merged with Irishtown, to form the Irishtown and Donnybrook Union of Parishes, and served by St. Matthew's Parish Church. [5]

In the grounds is the War Memorial Cross, commemorating parishioners who died in the First World War, Second World War and Korean War. [6]

The altar furniture from the Church of Ireland Training College, Kildare Place, was given to St. Mary's following the College of Educations move Rathmines in 1969. It was returned to the college following the churches closure in 2020 [4] and was moved to and rededicated in DCU All Hallows College Chapel, by Archbishop Michael Jackson of Dublin, for use by Church of Ireland Centre and community there. [7]

Canon Arthur Gore Ryder DD, was the first Rector of Donnybrook (1867-1889) following St. Mary's separation from the archdeaconry of Dublin. Other clergy included Rector Rev. Dr. Robert Walsh and the Rev. Edward (Ted) Ardis. [8]

In 2022, the Royal Dublin Society acquired the church for €4m. [9]

Notable parishioners

Two ancestors of Meghan Markle, Mary McCue and Thomas Bird, an English soldier, were married at St Mary's church, Donnybrook, in 1860. [10]

References

  1. ↑ "St. Mary's Church - RDS". www.rds.ie. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  2. ↑ "CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, SIMMONSCOURT ROAD, CHURCH OF ST MARY (CI, DONNYBROOK PARISH) Dictionary of Irish Architects -". www.dia.ie. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "1830 – St. Mary's Church of Ireland, Donnybrook, Dublin". Architecture @ Archiseek.com. 18 November 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 Closing Service at St Mary’s, Donnybrook The United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough, Friday 3rd, July 2020.
  5. ↑ St. Matthews Church
  6. ↑ Donnybrook St.Mary's War Memorial Cross, Irish War Memorials.
  7. ↑ Original Kildare Place Altar Furniture Rededicated for use in Church of Ireland Centre, The United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough, November 25, 2022.
  8. ↑ End of an Era for St. Mary's Church by Eoin Meegan, Newsfour.ie, November, 2020.
  9. ↑ "RDS buys St Mary's church in Ballsbridge for €4m". The Irish Times. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  10. ↑ Gillian Halliday, "Meghan Markle's cousins could be walking streets of Belfast" Archived 2021-12-13 at the Wayback Machine , Belfast Telegraph , 16 July 2018, accessed 7 March 2021


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