Church of Ireland Parish Churches

@johnglas wrote:

ake: keep up the good work. Particularly interested in the majestic (or viceregal) interior of St W’s, apart from those awful heaters. However, it does need some serious tlc; I’ve never found it open – any idea when it is (apart from services)?
In the nature of a great fantasy: what would a modern (or contemporary) completion of the facade look like?
My own most abiding memories of a CoI church are of the bells of St Comgall’s Bangor booming out over the town; change-ringing and evensong are two of Anglicanism’s great contibutions to world culture (imo, of course).

Yes those heaters are hard to credit! As far as I know, it’s not generally open, (which may be a mixed blessing). I gained access thanks to a local keyholder. I think it was through the people in Christchurch Cathedral I got the number.

It’s well worth the effort.

As for the facade, it was actually completed, but the top part and tower were taken down apparently for security reasons or so I’ve heard it claimed, because it was so close to Dublin Castle. All the info is here;

http://www.rsai.ie/index.cfm?action=obj.display&obj_id=99

I think this is the best place for this; though it’s not about a parish church but a cathedral, I would really like to make this known;

The History, Architecture, and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kilkenny
By James Graves
Published by Hodges, Smith, & co., 1857

This whole book, including illustrations is available free on Google Books;

http://books.google.com/books?id=Z_IDAAAAYAAJ

It’s an extremely fine, detailed, readable account of the architecture, building materials, historic furnishings, and most of all tomb monuments of the cathedral. It’s exactly the type of thing you would want for every such ancient church in ireland (and which often exists for a given church but is hopelessly difficult to acquire). It goes through in detail each aspect of the architecture, and then the monuments including engravings of the medieval tomb inscriptions and their translations and then the history of the personages that are known from records etc. It also details some fragments of the famous medieval stained glass that existed in the chancel, which were discovered around the 1850’s. the scholarship doesn’t seem at all as out of date as you might expect, with one or two exceptions (e.g. -the round tower!). Also, it was written before some significant works were done later in the century (by Deane) but most of the content actually describes features untouched, and when it does not, well is of more interest ipso facto really. The engravings are also top class.

Since most of the stained glass was added later it doesn’t deal with this, however, one of the most complete entries in the new Dictionary of Irish Architects http://www.dia.ie is on none other than St.Canice’s, and it details the authors and dates of most if not all of the stained glass windows, as well as the other modern furnishings.

If anyone is aware of other such books for other Irish churches available online please post the info here

You’ll find some (not best quality) photographs of the exterior and interior of Saint Mary’s Church, Enniscorthy, here: http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=images&county=WX&regno=15603085

Any new churches to add to this thread?

Diem