Patrick Byrne

there’s a bit of info on him here http://www.irish-architecture.com/architects_ireland/byrne.html

you could contact the RIAI at http://www.riai.ie to see if they have any publications of his work.

The Irish Architectural Archive http://www.iarc.ie lists two Patrick Byrnes (Patrick Byrne (c1783-1864) and Patrick James Byrne) in its biographical index. Email them if you can’t visit the Archive at 45 Merrion Square, Dublin. May also be worth a query to the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), founded in 1834 – they have data on past members.
Patrick Byrne is listed in ‘150 Years of Architecture in Ireland: RIAI 1839-1989’ as Vice-President of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland from 1854 until 1864 (the president of the Institute was a member of the aristocracy from the RIAI’s foundation until 1863, so VP was the most senior member of the profession, although for most of Byrne’s period as VP the RIAI was moribund).
Patrick Byrne (who had been a founder of the Society of Irish Artists in 1842) was admitted as an academician of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1860. When he died, aged 81, the RIAI established, unusually, the Byrne Fund “to raise an annuity for the daughter of the late vice-president.” Despite having designed the Franciscan church (Adam and Eve’s) at Merchant’s Quay (1830), St Paul’s, Arran Quay (1837), St Audeon’s High Street (1841) and Our Lady of Refuge, Rathmines (1850), he can’t have died a wealthy man.
Writing about St Audeon’s in ‘Dublin 1660-1860’, Maurice Craig asks: “Who was this Patrick Byrne who so excellently improved this occasion? We know little except that he studied under [Henry Aaron] Baker at the Dublin Society’s School, and designed the Turf Gas Co’s building in Great Brunswick street (Pearse Street), as well as various suburban and country churches, and died in 1864. Byrne is a common name: but it may not be worthless to record that an Edward Byrne, bricklayer, was a subscriber to Aheron’s ‘Architecture’ in 1754, while a John Byrne entered a design for the Royal Exchange competition in 1769. [Note: Since this was written I find that Mr CP Curran devoted an article to Byrne in ‘Studies’, June 1944, where further facts are set out.]”

It’s always fascinating to note the connections between architects of old, and the influences in their work.
Yes the IAA should be able to help – went in there before looking for information on this exact architect, or rather his work, and instantly the ‘main man’ there knew him to be the architect of the work I wanted info on, and seemed to be well versed in his buildings at least, whatever about the man himself.

Rathmines Church is completed in 1854 by Patrick Byrne. The corinthian portico was completed in 1881 by W.H. Byrne.

Good piece in the current History Ireland magazine….

https://archiseek.com/gifs/Byrne_St%20Pauls.pdf

@Paul Clerkin wrote:

Good piece in the current History Ireland magazine….

https://archiseek.com/gifs/Byrne_St Pauls.pdf

Yep good one – well presented, good illusrations… click this link to get there ]https://archiseek.com/gifs/Byrne_St%20Pauls.pdf[/url]

A very odd relevation that the portico columns were intended to be fluted considering the building material in question: can anyone think of a single case of a fluted granite column of a non-Doric variety in the city, if not wider? They would have been a nightmare to carve, and probably yield unsatisfactory results too.

The internal altar columns are absolutely marvellous in how they frame the space – they look so distinguished and austere when silhouetted. Of course with limited, if any, artificial lighting in the 19th century they wouldn’t have had quite the same impact.

One point probably often forgotton about Bryne’s Our Lady of Refuge Rathmines church is that prior to the installation of the lavish baroque Russian dome after the 1920 fire, it had a decidely reticent, squat dome almost identical to that of the Royal Exchange/CityHall, to which Byrne of course was architect during the conversion around 1850. Given his fondness for the building, demonstrated as much by his dramatic watercolour from earlier years as anything, one one woulder how he felt about slicing the place up for municipal offices…

Something of a modern-day take on the watercolour is made with the interior photograph of the building in The Buildings of Ireland: Dublin 😉

St. Paul’s is a lovely church inside…
http://www.archeire.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/northcity/quays/arran/stpauls_interior_apse_lge.html