1956 – All Saints Church, Drimoleague, Co. Cork

Very much a local landmark, the massive church was built between 1954 and 1956 of concrete and limestone. Designed by modernist architect Frank Murphy of Cork, the building sits above the village on a hillside. The exterior is a mixture of forms, materials, and textures. Two glazed entrance porches on one side façade enter the church almost under the gallery, hiding the interior’s main feature from view.

The interior is column-less and huge, lit mainly by simple translucent yellow glass, with a small curving gallery. Its most striking internal feature is the massive concertina shaped window installed in 1957. Half of the windows are made of blocks of bright uniform colours, while every second features scenes from the Catholic way of life set in 1950s Ireland. The original design is in Trinity College Library and described the scenes as Baptism, Family Prayers, First Communicants, Choosing Way of Life, The Mass, Work and Play, Extreme Unction, Judgement, Ascent of Soul to Heaven. The designer was William J. Dowling (1907-1980) of the Harry Clarke Studio and who was the last manager of the studios up to their closure in 1973. There is also a giant mural on the wall behind the altar.